Jrr.v 1891.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



KH 



towaids the bottom as its length warranterl. 

 Well, that water was not steam-heated, to say 

 the least, and as I ijoiued a gallon or so from 

 my boot and wrung a gallon or so more from 

 my clothes I am afraid I indulged in a little 

 forcible slang ! After this was a pause, then 

 llervey remarked in a gentle voice, "Doii'i 

 {vide (). it: O., April, 1891) get mad and swear 

 if you fall suddenly over a log into a muddy 

 pool of water. ... No ! get up calmly. Pa- 

 tience is invaluable to a collector." "Oh 

 bless it ! That don't say anything about using 

 your rubber boot as a bath-tub." 



In the meantime, six awkward Herons 

 flopped off the nest and departed. On arriv- 

 ing at the tree we all bid, and before many 

 minutes one returned. She .saw me, but too 

 late. I gave her both barrels and down she 

 came. 



The nests were from fifty-five to seventy 

 feet from the ground, and were nearly all on 

 such slender branches that it was impossible 

 to get to some of them. However, by aid of 

 a scoop, made of a forked limb and a pocket 

 liandkercbief, five sets were secured. The 

 other was out of reach. Though disappointed 

 in tlie number of sets we weie more than 

 satisfied with their size. 



Set I. Nest three feet across; eggs, five. 



Set If. Nest larger; eggs taken with scoop, 

 so it could not be examined; eggs, four. 



Set II[. Nest four feet across; eggs, sncn; 

 six in nest and one impaled on sharp twig near 

 the edge 



.Set IV. Taken with scoop; eggs, five. 



Set V. Taken with scoop; eggs, six. 



The sixth nest contained five eggs, but was 

 inaccessible. 



That tree must have beaten the record for 

 large sets. I have never heard of any taken 

 in this state of more than five while the usual 

 number is three or four. 



After packing thi^m we decided to atten\pt 

 an exit in another direction, but after pro- 

 (urcding a short distance found we were in for 

 it. To be sure the brush and logs were not 

 (Itiite so numerous but the water was deeper, 

 and it required skilful steering to pick a path. 

 We filled up our boots regularly now, except 

 Hervey, who seemed to.be in great luck. 

 Hesides this it rained hard, and the baskets 

 of eggs needed careful management. Once 

 Elmer stumbled, reached forward and gently 

 deposited his gun at the bottom of an icy 

 pool. Then hr had a cliance to think of don't, 

 as he reached down to the shoulder and fished 

 around in the slimy mud. We extricated 



ourselves at last and made good time to the 

 railioad. Just at dusk we had a good oppor- 

 tunity of listening to the vesper evolutions of 

 a Woodcock. During the day we were busy 

 ornithologically as well as oologically, as our 

 record of seventy-seven species observed 

 proves. Our farmer friends informed us that 

 before the destruction of the swampy woods 

 hundreds of "them big, blue cranes" nested 

 in a colony. Stewart E. While. 



(Jrand R.ipids. Mich. 



A Pair of Pugnacious Blue Jays. 



The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is in 

 many respects a very interesting bird, as 

 must be confessed by very many who di-slike it 

 for reasons obvious to anyone acquainted with 

 it. Look out when we may, in summer or 

 winter, we sec this handsome bird in his coat 

 of brilliant blue, or listen to its varied cry. 

 Everyone who closely watches this bird must 

 .admit that it possesses intelligence in no 

 mean degree, but, like some people, its intelli- 

 gence only increases its power to do evil, if it 

 chooses. 



No bird loves its young more devotedly than 

 the Blue Jay, but it is a fact, though, that it 

 never appreciates the feelings of birds of 

 other species when it is relentlessly robbing 

 them of their little ones. It is altogether 

 different, however, when one attemps to rob a 

 Blue Jay's nest. 



I will now relate the experience of the in- 

 habitants of my locality last summer. My 

 nearest neighbor is an elderly widow, a native 

 of the Emerald Isle. Close by the front part of 

 her house she has a good-sized red cedar 

 {JunipcruK virijiniana). A pair of Blue Jays 

 took possesion of this tree in the .summer of 

 ISSS, building their nest some five feet from 

 tlie ground and within three feet of the 

 house. My Irish neighbor watched the pro- 

 cess of nest building with a great deal of in- 

 terest, and would not have the "poor craythers" 

 disturbed. Those Blue Jays soon learned 

 every (uie who lived in the immediate 

 vicinity, and they would pick them out from 

 the many who passed by. Of course the 

 neighbors had to look at that nest and each 

 intrusion only served to rouse up the ire of 

 these watchful Blue Jays. At first they re- 

 sented these intrusions with loud cries, and 

 a great deal of scolding, in fact no neighbor 



