April 1891.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



63 



All, here we have it at last. Well, now tlii.s 

 is good. We personally are quite favorably 

 impressed with the Hoston Herald, hut did not 

 really expeet that it would make the discovery 

 ahead of us that the English Sparrow preyed 

 upon robins. Really, we grow quite green 

 with envy. Would it not be a good plan for 

 the nei)artment of Agriculture at Washington 

 to a<l(l the writer of the article to his staff. 

 With due respect to our big neighl)or we think 

 that he would do well to consult the O. tt (). 

 a little. 



"There is no doubt that robins were seen in 

 Boston a month ago. Kobins are none too 

 plenty in this vicinity at any time, thanks to 

 the dejiredations of the Englisli Sparrow, wliich 

 preys upon them and about all the other de- 

 sirable l)irds of New England. But the early 

 presence of robins indicates an early spring, we 

 are told. Per contra, the spring is very late 

 thus far in the southern section of country. It 

 is far behind what it was a year ago. The 

 peaches are in bloom, and some of the flower- 

 ing shrubs, but nothing has come out of the 

 ground to blossom much north of Florida." — 

 Boston Herald. 



Is not this a little tart on the robin? 



It has been our painful duty in this issue 

 and the last to record the death of two sub- 

 scribers of the O. it O. We trust in such 

 events our friends will notify us, as the loss of 

 an ornithologist is not local. 



George A. Boardman, the well-known Maine 

 ornithologist, is spending his winter at .lack- 

 sonville, Fla. Mr. Boardman has made a long 

 study of bird-life, anil is very entertaining 

 when discussing tlic siUiject. We have received 

 a communication from him that will be referred 

 to later. 



The wholesale poisoning of dogs in a pro- 

 miscuous manner shows one of the niean^'st 

 traits in human nature Hecently. in Hyde 

 Park, Mass , a nundjer of dogs died from the 

 effect of eating meat that had been strewed 

 about over the tow n. In a dog a man possesses 

 property for which he is taxed, and is entitled 

 to all tlie protection of the law. As in many 

 such cases, the law is no protection whatever, 

 and we have a strong feeling that a hemp rope 

 and lamp-post would be about the proper 

 prescription. 



Does it occur to the oologists who read the 

 O. & f). that the descriptions of series of eggs 

 by J. P. >f. are the best descriptions of eggs 

 given in any publication in the c(unitry? Tliey 

 will be quote<l from in years to come. The 

 amount of labor devoted to their preparation 

 can hardly be appreciated. 



We shall send out a large number of sample 

 copies during the remainder of the year, and 

 will consider it a special favor if any person 

 who receives duplicates will hand one to some 

 interested person. We do not go into the pre- 

 mium business extensively, but we do offer to 

 furnish you with the leading publication of its 

 nature, and one that is hand in hand with the 

 interests of the American ornithologists. 



In our last issue, on the advertising page, we 

 gave the list of .states into which the magazine 

 is sent. Ranked by the sidiscription list it is a 

 neck and neck race in some cases: lirst one 

 will lead and then another. 



We hope the governor will examine carefully 

 the coming report of the Fish and Game 

 Commissioners. See if they make correct re- 

 turns of the number of suckers that run up the 

 Merrimac. 



Old, \iVT Good. — Frost Bunker, of the 

 Dead River region, is a guide who, it is said, 

 is a successful rival to James A. Smith of 

 Phillips — a Rangely guide — in story telling. 

 Frost is intimately acquainted witli ".kdm 

 Smith,'' who is well known in all jjarts of the 

 country. He says he was with .lohn on a 

 hunting trip once on a time, when they came 

 upon a man who had lired at an owl (perched 

 in a big tree) about a dozen times without 

 success. As they approached the stranger 

 offered .lohn a .•S5 bill if he would secure the 

 owl. .John cocked his ritle and w.alked around 

 the tree. The owl turned his head in the 

 same direction as far as .John walked. .John 

 kept on going around the tree, the owl turning 

 his head all the while. Just as John com- 

 pleted tlie tenth circuit, the owl's head was 

 twiste<l off and he fell to the ground dead. 

 John said small owls couldn't be killed that 

 way because their feet would tly up in turning. 

 Phillips (Me.) Phonograph. 



i^i^r>\> ,1 i^.n .111... .^j/i... 1.. .1 ...I.. 11. .J. ......... . ^. 



.March 17tb. and the year before on March ...... 



I heard a woodcock on March 2:?d. II. Piers. 



In looking over the "Brief Notes" in the 

 February number, the records of the Great 

 Horned Owls' eggs taken for the month at- 

 tracted my attention, i.e., a set taken in Mich- 

 iuan, February 18th. another in Massachusetts, 

 February L'2d. 



Looking up my records for the season I 

 found the following: February 1st, l.H',1], 

 40") 1-2, 4I).'') 2-8; February 2d, 405 :!-;^; Febru- 

 ary 4tli, 40.') 4-2, .'J-2, on up to March 1st, when 

 I had collected twenty-seven eggs in sets of 

 twos and threes. Also, February 10th, found 

 nest containimr two young owls, one as large 

 as a quail. When do you think the eggs from 

 which these were hatched coidd have been 

 laid"? Gertainly not later th.an .lanuary 10th. 



March fith, found nest containing two half- 

 grown liuhos. one of which I have now in my 

 possession for a pet. 



Also. Maich .3d. took first set 1-2 of Red- 

 tailed Hawk's eggs, a very beautiful set. My 

 earliest records heretofore were, for the owls, 

 January Pith, and the Red-tails, February 2Sth. 



Last year I eclipsed all my former records 

 by taking a set of four et'iis each of the Great 

 liorneds and Red-tailed Hawk. W. S. Strode, 

 Bern.adotte, 111. 



