42 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-No. 3 



it, it is Conception Bay, and if anything 

 can beat Conception Bay, it is Placcntia 

 Harbor. A marine artist would die of dis- 

 couragement at tlie thouglit of its repro- 

 duction. 



On arriving at Placentia, my first inquiry 

 was for "Tlio Man who climbed Bird Rock," 

 and I was directed to Mr. Barter's. Expecting 

 to linil a hotel, or at least a public bouse, 1 

 was surprised to find a private family, but 

 they kindly provided for me, giving me the 

 room occupied by Mr. Caboon, when here. 



The next ten days were spent in getting 

 tilings together and exploring the neigh- 

 borhood. 



Birds seen: Spotted Sandpiper (with full 

 grown egg in ovaries), Summer Yellow bird, 

 Canada Jay, Fox Sparrow, Fish Hawk, B. B. 

 Cull, Horned Lark ( I leg ), Herring Gull, 

 Sparrow Hawk (?), Kobin's nest and young, 

 Black-poll Warbler. 



In company with the local schoolmaster, I 

 visited most of the points of interest, got a 

 number of birds, many new ideas, and had 

 a few adventures. 



On the 14th, we went out on a fishing trip, 



and took tea at the home of an acquaintance 



of my new found friend. It had begun to 



rain, and when we entered the dory to return 



home, it was driving down and blowing a 



small gale, and a portion of tlie way the wind 



and tide were against us. We arrived safely, 



but I was "dead beat," wet to the skin and 



shivering with cold. Well, I was a "total 



wreck," and did not recover for three or four 



days. 



(To lie continued.) 



A Few Notes from Cape Cod. 



According to sportsmen informants "game" 

 birds liave been more numerous this win- 

 ter than for a number of years. I have 

 myself shot or obtained by picking them up 

 on the beach, where large numbers are some- 

 times found, the following: American Mer- 

 ganser, American Golden Eye, Red-throated 

 Loon, Dusky Duck, Mallard, Old S(|uaw, 

 American Eider, Hdrncd CJrebe, Puffin, Guil- 

 lemot, Little Auk, Shoveller, Razor-bill Auk. 

 Besides these I have noticed Kittiwake, Glau- 

 cous, Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls. 



February 7th a fiuo $ Bohemian Waxwing 

 was shot, and so far as I can ascertain it is the 

 first ever captured here. 



Snowy Owls did not come here very numer- 

 ously, but four lieing taken. 



Saw two Short-eared Owls the 12th of 

 February. 



Snow Buntings have been very numerous, 

 and in flocks of 200 or more at times; but 

 Shore Larks have been very scarce. 



Very few birds in the brush except some 

 Nuthatches, Chickadees, Yellow-crowned 

 Warblers, and Tree Sparrows. 



Frederic L. Small. 



Runt Egg of Bobolink. 



A remarkable runt egg of the Bobolink 

 (Dolichortyx oryzlvorus) was found June 10, 

 1887, at Damariscotta, Maine, in a nest con- 

 taining six other ordinary sized eggs of this 

 bird. The runt measures .53 x .50, and is 

 almost round. In coloration it resembles 

 others in the set, but when it is remembered 

 that the average size is about .84 x .05, it will 

 be seen how very small this egg is. J P. N. 



Oological Notes. 



The Green Heron is quite common in its 

 favorite haunts here, but is always shy, and 

 up to 1889 I was never able to find any of 

 its eggs. On June 20, 1830, while paddling 

 up a creek near here, I found a nest with 

 one egg. It was seven feet above the water, 

 and built on an overhanging branch of a 

 birch. As the small boys oologically inclined 

 are very numerous here, I carried the nest and 

 egg home. A week later I found a new nest, 

 occupying exactly the same place of the one 

 r had formerly taken, witli four eggs. 



On May 15, 1880, I found a nest and five 

 eggs of Savanna Sparrow. One egg has a 

 pure white ground, with a faint wreath of 

 very pale lilac, and is longer than the others 

 ]>y one-fiftli of its longest diameter. 



On April 28, 1890, I collected a set of two 

 eggs of Red-shouldered Hawk from an old 

 crow's nest in a birch tree standing alone in 

 an open field, a very unusual nesting site, in 

 this locality at least. One egg is of average size, 

 and theotlier is a runt measuring 1.:^:? x 1.62. 



On .Vpril 24, ISfiO, a nest with one egg of 

 Red-shouldered Hawk was found in the top 

 of a very tall liemlock. Visited the place 

 again May 1st, and thinking the set would 

 be completed I killed the female as she left 

 the nest. The nest still had but one egg in 

 it, but from the parent bird just killed I cut 

 out a fully developed egg that was all ready 



