THE 00L0QI8T 



portance of encouraging the beginner 

 for if it were not for the crop of be- 

 ginners 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago 

 there would be no oologists of today, 

 and it is witli pleasure we give space 

 to the following communication. The 

 columns of The Oologist are as open 

 to the boys who are beginning and 

 recording their first observations as 

 it is to the finished scientists who 

 sees nothing except that which is new 

 and unrecorded and who presents 

 forthwith to record the Un-Latinized 

 Millimeter measurements. 



A BOY'S CONTRIBUTION 



To The Oologist, 



This is my first attempt to write for 

 your little magazine while I've been 

 reading it almost a year, as I am in- 

 terested in bird life and collecting 

 eggs. I like it fine. I've always liked 

 outdoor life but not until last year 

 did I get started on the study of birds, 

 and through our good friend, H. E. 

 Wheeler, all credit is due him for 

 teaching me this work. 



This year I am collecting full sets, 

 and understand the work of drilling 

 and blowing. 



All birds are nesting earlier than 

 last year; to date have taken about 

 forty sets and had the good luck to 

 get two fine sets of Pileated Wood- 

 peckers, while not a rare bird but 

 still hard to get as usually nest at a 

 high elevation and rotten trees. Have 

 found two more nests but too rotten 

 to climb. Have taken seven sets of 

 Red-shouldered Hawk, which is quite 

 common here, also one set of Wren 

 with 10 eggs. I think this is a record 

 as I don't see how such a small nest 

 could have so many young birds, if 

 they all hatched. 



I took one nicely marked set of 

 Turkey Vulture as this wa's my first 

 set. You know I am proud of it 



Since reading about Mr. Richard C. 

 Harlow's accident, will write of one 



Iiere no later than yesterday and one 

 of my next door neiglibor's, a young 

 man while out hunting ran across a 

 little Green Heron, some one had shot 

 and broke the tip of his wing. He 

 caught it and not knowing the danger 

 of these little birds held it in front of 

 his face when the little bird gave a 

 quick strike for his eye, sticking the 

 bill in the eye-ball, ruining his eye- 

 sight forever, while the eye doctor 

 thinks he can save the ball of his eye, 

 he won't be able to see, so this should 

 be a warning to any of the young 

 students not to hold any of the Crane 

 family to close to their eyes. 



Am sending you a picture of four 

 Blue Jays just off the nest taken by 

 Bro. Wheeler, while here on a visit 

 to me last summer. Editor's note on 

 the back. I took one set from same 

 parents at my yard a few days over 

 a month before this picture was taken. 

 The birds built new nests each time, 

 while I found one this year nesting in 

 same old nest, where she raised four 

 young last year. 



Now I might be running this letter 

 too long as every new student can 

 think of so much to write about and 

 as I am not much of a writer will 

 close, by sending you a fifty cent 

 money order for another year's sub- 

 scription to The Oologist. 



Now let all write a little each year 

 to boost The Oologist. 



S. E. Pilquist, 

 Dardanelle, Arkansas. 



KEEN EYESIGHT OF THE NORTH- 

 ERN RAVEN 



Several winters ago 1 used to hunt 

 coyotes on a small lake near our Post 

 on the Pimbina and had my attention 

 drawn to the remarkably keen eye- 

 sight of the Ravens, which fed in 

 company with the coyotes, on the car- 

 cass of a cow which 1 had dragged 



