is 



THE OOLOOI8T 



come back to the home tree. 



Along about the middle of March 

 they desert these roosts and scamper 

 through the country to nest. A fav- 

 orite place for this is in the cedars 

 that grow abundantly and in good size 

 on the "Seipentnie" Barrens a few 

 miles away. 



Frequently an old crow's nest is used 

 after some re-furnishing. I have rare- 

 ly found a nest that seemed to be en- 

 tirely constructed by the owls them- 

 selves. The nest is generally lined 

 with soft inner bark of the Red Cedar 

 and is well cupped. The eggs pure 

 glossy white and from four to six in 

 number are generally deposited dur- 

 ing the first week in April and are 

 hatched in four weeks. The female 

 is a very close setter and is loath 

 to leave her nest and when driven off 

 generally remains in the vicinity ut- 

 tering cries quite similar to those 

 made by a cat, the only noise I have 

 ever heard them make. 



The young are covered with a fine 

 white down until about three weeks 

 old, when the feathers begin to ap- 

 pear, and then development progres- 

 ses rapidly. 



The long eared owl is a harmless 

 and very beneficial bird and should 

 never be destroyed. It is so often 

 confounded with the Great Horned 

 Owl a highly injurious species, that 

 many are killed and bounties paid for 

 their distinction in mistake for that 

 bird. Those shown in the picture were 

 just three weeks old and beginning to 

 show the feathers and ear tufts. 



Thomas H. Jackson. 



SORROW 



Mr. P. M. Silloway, of Peoria, Illi- 

 nois, whose contributions to The 

 Oologist, are so much admired by our 

 readers, is mourning the death of his 

 mother, which occurred in tliat city 

 about the middle of April. 



NOTES 



March 21st. Fair day except a 

 strong, disagreeable, south wind was 

 blowing 50 degrees. I was hardly 

 able to do so, but I walked out east 

 of town to see how the Black-crowned 

 and Green Heron rookery was com- 

 ing. I found it in fine condition, con- 

 taining over one hundred and sixty 

 nests in a tree, mainly the Black Crow, 

 and none seemed to be dilapidated. 



I noted Robins, Crows, Meadow- 

 larks, Black-capped Chickadees, and a 

 Field Sparrow or two, mostly in the 

 shelter of brush or trees. Prairie 

 Horned Larks, usual common for 

 many years past now quite scarce 

 Geo. W. H. vos Burgh, 



Columbus, Wis. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



Bird Stories, by Edith M. Patch, il- 

 lustrated by Robert J. Sim. The At- 

 lantic Press, Boston, Massachusetts. 



This little volume of two pages is 

 well-gotten up mechanically, and the 

 illustrations are good. It is what its 

 title would indicate. The stories re- 

 lating to well-known birds. 



It is airy, sprightly and well written 

 and we have no doubt it is one of 

 those kind of books that the summer 

 vacationists will delight in having 

 with him in the woods and fields and 

 by the lakes and seashore this season. 

 — R. M. Barnes. 



SICKNESS 

 Mr. A. M. Eddy, of the Eddy Print- 

 ing Company, who has served The 

 Oologist since its first number, we 

 are sorry to say has been and is a 

 very sick man at his home in Albion, 

 N. Y. He has had typhoid pneumonia 

 and underwent a serious surgical oper- 

 ation. The last news from him is that 

 he is slightly improved. We certainly 

 hope for an early and permanent re- 

 covery. — R. M. Barnes. 



