May 1891.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



67 



rjlnosa), Canada Grouee (C. canadensix), and 

 Willow Ptaimigan (Larjopus albun) claim our 

 attention, but the rarest is the set of White- 

 tailed Ptarmigan {L. lexcurus), taken in Clear 

 Creek County, Col., on June 19, 1890, at an 

 elevation of 12.200 feet. The nest was placed 

 on the ground, in a rocky place, with hut little 

 attempt at concealment, and consisted of a 

 little grass and feathers scraped together. 

 The female was very tame, and allowed herself 

 to be handled while on the nest. 



Sets of Sharp-tailed (Jrouse {Pedifeceles 

 phasianelliix colinubiannn), Xorthern Sharp- 

 tailed Grouse (P. phaxianf'Hiti<), and Sage Cock 

 (('. m-oplidsiainis) are also noticeable. 



The Quails are very complete, and embrace 

 fine sets of Mountain Quail (Oreorty.T plcta), 

 Plumed Quail (O. pU:ta iiliimlfcra), Scaled 

 Quail (Calllpfpla >«ju(iiiiata), and a very fine 

 series of Chestnut-bellied Scaled Quail contain- 

 ing fifteen sets. The rarest, however, is the 

 set of Massena Quail (('yrtonyx masxena), which 

 is believed to be the only set in any collection. 

 The eggs, ten in inimber, were taken near the 

 head of Turkey Creek, Kinney County, Texas, 

 on the 2:id of .June, 1890. The nest was com- 

 posed of fine stalks of "wire grass," and was 

 jilaced on the ground, under the edge of a 

 bunch of '■ hickory grass." It measured five 

 inches in diameter, and two inches deep. The 

 collector of the eggs informed Mr. .lackson 

 that as he was riding on the plains his horse 

 flushed the female bird from her nest, and she 

 fluttered along in front of him, just out of 

 reach of the horse's feet, for ten or fifteen 

 yards, and went into cover, but not until he 

 had fully identified her. The eggs are white 

 and unspotted, and do not diifer materially 

 from large examples of the Bob-white. 



All the Herons and Bitterns are represented 

 by good sets, and coming to the Plovers, Sand- 

 pipers, etc., we find many rare species. .So 

 with the Rails, etc., until we come to the 

 splendid series of twenty sets of Limi)kiii 

 (Aramuii pictns), showing a great and beam if ul 

 variety of forms and coloration, so that a 

 person who has only seen a single set has no 

 idea of the ai>pear.iuce of some of them. 



The Ducks are good, and so with most of 

 the other water birds, but we have .already 

 lingered so long over the land birds that we 

 have only space for a general word of 

 commendation. 



Mi\ Jackson's eggs are arranged cm cotton 

 and very fine shavings especially adapted to 

 tlie purpose, in wooden partitions, in large 

 drawers, a plan that admits of very effective 



display, and the whole collection is a very fine 

 one. ./. p. y. 



The First Pages of a 'gi Note-Book. 



March l.">, 1891. With ■ the thermometer 

 registering five degrees below zero, fourteen 

 inches of snow under foot, a stiff westerly 

 wind blowing in our faces, and in company 

 with H. Guilford, I left the outskirts of the 

 city at half past eleven en route for the Big 

 Woods that line the west bank of Mud I<ake, 

 where we hoiied to become better .acciuainted 

 with our old friends. Bubo (v'r;/(H(a)iH.s (Great- 

 horned Owls). 



We kept the str.aight road for about five 

 miles and then struck off to the left and fol- 

 lowed a wood path into a dark, thick tamar- 

 ack swamp. On the way we saw numerous 

 flocks of Crows and Snow Buntings, all flying 

 westw.ard, also small flocks of Tree Sparrows, 

 Gold Finches, Horned Larks, the latter always 

 in pairs. 



Upon emerging from the swamp I saw a 

 Great-homed Owl coming directly toward me, 

 but still some two hundred yards off. Stepping 

 behind a tree and cocking my faithful Parker I 

 awaited his coming, hoping to secure a shot, 

 but the owl evidently had no such thought, 

 for he had without a doubt had a long flight 

 that morning and so stojiped to rest upon a 

 tree only a short distance out of gun range, 

 and enjoy the scene beneath him. How mag- 

 isterial he looked as he alighted upon the limb 

 with his wings still outspread, body thrown 

 forward, horns raised to their extreme height, 

 and watchful eyes peering downward as if in 

 search of some tender squiriel or rabbit that 

 we h.ad overlooked. Knowing that it was im- 

 possible to obtain a nearer shot I stood and 

 drank in his beauty and grandeur as only a 

 poor owl hunter can. At last, he either grew 

 tired of the scene about him and longed for a 

 change of scenery, or else frightened by my 

 friend, who was some distance ahead, for with 

 a loud crack of his bill flew off to a small 

 grove of tamaracks. Eager to secure a shot 

 I crept softly through the underbrush in the 

 direction he had taken, only losing sight of 

 him as a big, fat rabbit bounded across the 

 path almost within arm's length, as if even 

 temi)tiiig me to make a grab after him if not a 

 shot, but kui>wiiig that even the breaking of a 

 twig under foot would frighten my owl I bit 

 my lip and my gun remained silent. 



