162 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-No. 11 



n3st of the Chipping SpaiTOW ( Spizella socialis), 

 or Gainbel's White-crowned Sparrow (Zono- 

 Irichia gambeli), or Grass Finch (ChnndeateK 

 t/ivninnaca). 



All the nests I have found have heen lined 

 with horse hair, and were in the overgrown 

 clearings described above. About an equal 

 number on the hills- and along the river bot- 

 tom, less likely to be found at a great distance 

 from water and never in the swamps of buck 

 brush {Splnea doiiyldsi!) which tr!cli((x 

 inhabits here. 



.V lilackberry liush seems to be a sine qua 

 lion in their choice of a location, but frequently 

 tile nest is placed in a low shi-ub having vines 

 running through it, — the blackberry is always 

 near at any rate. 



I have been led to the discovery of the nest 

 in the majority of instances by the sharp 

 aUxrm note and manif<ist excitement of the 

 m lie bird, the alarm note being given in the 

 case of the first nest this season, when I came 

 within about fifty yards of the nest. After 

 being thus notified of the proximity of the 

 nest I have found it by the long fine straws 

 spoken of, suspiciously sticking out from the 

 clump of bushes. 



Davies' description of the eggs is fairly 

 accurate. The variation in the ground color 

 and shade, size and number of the pen lines 

 an:l specks seeming to be greater in different 

 sets than the variation in size. 



The average size of the nine sets mentioned 

 above (3-5,6-4) is .72x.:')2; the extremes, 

 .".")x..52 and .7Ix.4f), both in the same set. 

 (File markings of this set also varied consider- 

 ably.) 



The birds are rarely seen during the last 

 month of their summer residence here as they 

 keep close on the grt)und in impenetralile 

 thickets of hazel and salmon-berry bushes, and 

 are quite silent. Early in September they 

 depart for the south. What their habits are 

 in other localities I do not know. These obser- 

 vations refer only to the bird as seen here. 

 s ileiii, Oregon. Clinton T. Cnoke, M. D. 



Later Nesting of the Bob-white 

 from Michigan. 



On September 22, 18!)0, while repairing an 

 olil fence, I found a Quail's nest of eleven eggs. 

 Nine of these hatched out the 29th, leaving 

 two addled eggs, which I have in my posses- 

 sion now. This beats Bro. Purdy's set four 

 weeks, besides being from one hundred miles 

 nortli. Ed. Van \Vinkl<\ 



Ciro, Mich. 



A Series of Eggs of the American 

 Osprey. 



The eggs of the American Osprey or I'Msli 

 Hawk (Pandion haliaetus caroiinensis) are 

 among the most beautiful of those laid by any 

 of the Raptorcs. While they are subject to 

 considerable variation there is an individuality 

 about tliem which makes it impossible tt> 

 confound them witli the eggs of any other 

 American bird. 



The present .series has been selected with 

 great care, to show all tlie variations to which 

 they are subject. 



Set I. May 12, 1887. Plum Island, N. Y. 

 Nest in tree, forty feet up. Tliree eggs, fresh. 

 Buffy yellow, heavily spotted and blotched 

 with chestnut. The markings are so heavy at 

 the larger ends that they are confluent and 

 obscure the ground color. (In describing sub- 

 sequent sets this cliaracteristic of eggs of this 

 bird will not be mentioned, as it is found on 

 all of them, unless stated to the contrary.) 

 One of the eggs has a few spots of puri>lish 

 gray: 2.39x1.77; 2.3.)xl.78; 2.34x1.77. 



Set II. May 13, 1887. Plum I.sland, N. Y. 

 Nest in tree, about thirty feet up. Three eggs, 

 slightly incubated. Buffy yellow, heavily 

 spotted and blotched with chestnut and i)ur- 

 plish gray: 2.4(ixl.79; 2..5.5xl.77; 2.4.5 x 1.80. 



Set III. May 13, 18cS7. Plum Island, N. Y. 

 Nest in tree, about thirty feet up. Three 

 eggs, fresh. Buffy yellow, heavily spotted 

 and blotched with chestnut and burnt umber. 

 One of the eggs has the markings grouped at 

 tlie smaller end: 2.80x1.80; 2.:Mxl.79; 

 2.33 x 1.80. 



Set IV. May i:!, 1887. Gardiner's Island, 

 N. Y. Nest in tree about thii-ty feet up. 

 Three eggs, fresh. Buffy yellow, almost 

 entirely obscured by the quantity and size of 

 the blotches of chestnut. One of the eggs has 

 also a number of purplish gray s]iots: 

 2.40x1.70; 2.47x1.78; 2.42x1.79. 



Set V. May 10, 1880. Gardiner's Island, 

 N. Y. Nest made of sticks, limbs and sea- 

 weed, in a dead tiee twenty feet from the 

 groun<l. Tliree eggs, fresh. Bufi'y yellow, 

 heavily spotted and blotched with hazel and 

 chestnut: 2.27x1.7.5; 2.21x1.75; 2.45x1.70. 



Set VI. May 13, 1887. Pium I.sland, N. Y. 

 Nest in small tree. Three eggs, fresh, (^ne 

 of them buffy yellow spotted and blotched 

 with chestnut and purplish gray; the other 

 two buffy white spotted with chestnut: 

 2 51 X 1.87; 2.40x1.85; 2 59 x 1.!I2. 



