THE OOLOQIST 



41 



them if I left them any longer I took 

 the two eggs, which I still have in my 

 collection. I have examined a good 

 many Kingbird nests since hoping to 

 find some more spotless eggs but so 

 far these are the only ones that 1 have 

 ever come across. 



Geo. L. Cook, 

 Bashaw, Alberta 



TEXAS NOTES 

 "The Belled Buzzard Is Dead" 



In 1917, 1 reported in The Oologist 

 about seeing the famous Belled Buz- 

 zard. This Buzzard being a Turkey 

 Vulture, flew over my Camp at Lake 

 Worth, Texas. It was noticed several 

 times. Now 1 pick up a Chicago news- 

 paper and it reports the Famous Belled 

 Buzzard, of War times, is dead. 



It was belled with a small bell and 

 leather collar around its neck. When 

 flying and twisting its head, you could 

 hear the tingle of the little bell. 



Pyrrhuloxia Observed 



In my travels along the trails and 

 roads from San Antonio on to the 

 Mexican border, I found this bird very 

 plentiful, even right around San An- 

 tonio tliey can be seen along tlie road, 

 in Mosquete trees. 



Why So Many Rats? 

 All over the farm country of Texas, 

 I can hear the farmers and ranchmen 

 say, "Why so many rats?" I just 

 reply, "Well, stop this willful slaughter 

 of hawks and owls, then you won't 

 have to ask, "Why so many rats?" I 

 have been yelling "Protect the Hawks 

 and Owls in newspaper articles for 

 some time. No one paid any attention. 

 Now they yell "why so many rats?" 

 Protect Hawks and Owls and there 

 won't be any rats. The rats are eat- 

 ing up the corn in this part of the 

 country. 



R. Graham, 

 Fort Worth, Texas. 



Inca Dove 



August 2, 1920, while taking Bird 

 Notes on the Eckhart Dairyland 

 Ranch, I discovered my first Inca Dove 

 nest, although I have observed plenty 

 of the birds in Bexar County and the 

 surrounding country, I have never dis- 

 covered a nest. I found this nest in a 

 Mosquite tree, ten feet up, on an over- 

 hanging limb. The nest was built of 

 grass, straw and a few feathers. The 

 birds are about eight inches long The 

 nest was larger than a Mourning 

 Dove's, atid contained one half-grown 

 young. The female was on the nest 

 and stayed by her young until I near- 

 ly touched her. 



I made some close observations of 

 her. She had a black bill, eyes and 

 feet were red, the head and body were 

 checked with black and brown 

 feathers, primaries chestnut, long tail 

 with white feathers mixed with gray- 

 ish ones. 



Ground Dove 

 I have notice in my travels the 

 Ground Dove, along the roads and 

 trails from here to Mexico. They are 

 small, about six inches long and quick 

 in flight. The tail, unlike other Doves, is 

 short. The feathers are bluish gray, 

 the underneath parts are brown, near- 

 ly red. The bill, feet and eyes are red. 

 This Dove is the smallest Dove I ever 

 saw, no longer than a Sparrow. To 

 date I have not discovered a nest. 



"Cowbirds" 



Cowbirds are found around the 

 Acime Dairy here. There is bunch 

 after bunch, some feeding around the 

 cows, some setting on top of the cows. 

 I have noticed to my surprise that 

 there is on an average of ten female 

 to every male bird. 



Bartramian Sandpiper 

 August 11, 1920, marked the first ar- 

 rival of this well known Sandpiper. 1 



