154 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-No. 10 



rapid iliminution of most other species in 

 tlie vicinity. 



Having' no desire to depopulate the place 

 we contented ourselves with such sets as were 

 needed in our cabinets and set out for home, 

 having filled at least one vacancy in our col- 

 lection of oological experiences. 



Theodore W. Ricliardit. 

 Washington, D. C 



A Trip to Cobb's Island, Virginia. 



Having returned from a collecting trip at 

 Cobb's Island, Va., I thought an account of 

 the same might interest the readers of the 

 O. & O. 



Arriving at Cobb's August 19, 1891, I at 

 once proceeded to work, and during my stay 

 collected among others the following speci- 

 mens: Forster's Tera (Sterna forsteri),Du\\- 

 itclier (Macrorhainplms yriseus), Turnstone 

 (Arenaria interjrres), VVillet (Lympheinia seml- 

 palmata), Robin Snipe (Trinya canutun), Ring 

 Plover (^fjialitis semipalmata), Sea-side Spar- 

 row (Ammodromus marUimus), Sharp-tail 

 bparrow (Ammodromus caudacutus). Black 

 Skimmer (lihi/ncops nigra), both adult and 

 young; also a young male Redstart {Setopliaya 

 ruficllla), very rare on Cobb's; Hudsonian 

 ( 'urlew (Nu)iienius hudsonlcus). 



I observed but did not collect the following 

 birds: Blue Heron (Ardea herodins). White 

 Egret (Ardea candidissima) , Laughing Gull 

 (Larus atricilla), Gull-billed Tern (Sterna 

 anylica). Oyster Catcher (Jlainatopus pdllia- 

 tun). Black-breasted V\ovev (Charadiuit squat- 

 arola), Least Sandpiper (Trinya minutilla), 

 Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Least Tern 

 (Sterna antiUnruin), Osprey (Pandion haliwtut!), 

 Kingbird (Ti/rannus tyrannus}. Red-winged 

 Hlackbird (Ayelaius phfeniceuii). Black Tern 

 (Ilydrochelidonniyru). 



I was informed by reliable parties, that the 

 Least Tern a few years ago bred by thousands 

 on Cobb's and adjacent islands. But skin 

 hunters, shooting for luillinery purposes, came 

 there, and the result is that the Least Tern is 

 nearly exterminated. This slaughter has now 

 been stopped, not through government inter- 

 ference, but for the reason that nearly all the 

 Least Terns have been offered up as victims 

 on the altar of fashion. Edward J. Broxon. 

 Washington, D. C. 



Notes from Dartmouth, N. S. 



.luue 29, 1891. I took the two nests last 

 mentioned in my notes, under date of 27th. 

 They both still held three eggs. I shot one bird 

 belonging to each nest, and have sent them to 

 Frank Bhike Webster Co., Boston, for identi- 

 flcation (since identified as Yellow-bellied Fly- 

 catcher). The eggs are creamy white ground 

 color, with considerable variation in the mark- 

 ings, some being marked with a ring of large 

 red or reddish brosvn blotches near the larger 

 end, and between these Large blotches are 

 fine, little, minute red dots; others again 

 have one or two large red blotches on one side 

 oidy, near the larger end, and from that around 

 the egg some very small spots; while others, 

 again, have a ring of very plain, little, dark 

 red spots. Nest one, was up about three feet, 

 on a little spruce tree, and suspended from the 

 limbs by the brim. The other one was in the 

 crutch of an alder, up about three feet from 

 the ground. Both nests were close together, 

 say forty yards apart, and located in swampy 

 ground. Outside of nests are composed of 

 very coarse grasses, and lined with fine grass. 

 They are kind of cup-shaped and measure as 

 follows: Outside depth, tliree inches; circum- 

 ference at top, outside, ten inches; circum- 

 ference at bottom, outside, eight inches; dejith 

 inside, two and one half inches; breadth in- 

 side, two and one-half inches; breadth, out- 

 side, three and one-half inches. 1 watclied the 

 nest from four o'clock in the afternoon until 

 half-past six, before I succeeded in shooting 

 the birds. They were very shy and hard 

 to secure, as they would not come near the 

 nests, but kept off a respectable distance, 

 down low in the alders, and would cry, tu-tn-tu. 



I examined the Biy-breasted Warbler's 

 nest found building on the 20tli inst., men- 

 tioned in previous notes. Tliis held one egg 

 on the 24th, but to-day it held two. This 

 being the 29th, five days have elapse<l and 

 only one egg has been added to the set. The 

 9 was on the nest, and stayed on same until I 

 went up the tree, shook the limb and scared 

 her off. 



July 1st. Ran out this afternoon to see the 

 I5ay-breasted Warbler's nest; 9 "is on the 

 nest; it still held two eggs, as noted on the 

 29th of June. 



July 3d. Ran out to Bay-breasted Warbler's 

 nest. This still held two eggs, and I con- 

 cluded the bird was trying to hatch a second 

 set, and would not lay any more eggs, so I 

 took them with the nest. The eggs were 



