86 



ORIS^ITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 14-No. (5 



upward angle from the stem, and usually 

 build it near the top of the tree. 



Five days is the time required to build the 

 nest, and generally the first egg is deposited on 

 the sixth day. A nest found on May 9th, last 

 season, must have been begun on the previous 

 day as there was only a small portion of the 

 base in position. On the 11th it was almost 

 complete ; two days later it was ready for oc- 

 cupancy but was still empty. The first egg 

 was laid on the 14tli, and on the 17th the full 

 complement of four had been deposited. 

 These were taken the following day. 



I made it a rule not to disturb the nest until 

 the day after the last egg was laid, where it 

 was possible to do so, and in this way insured 

 the completeness of the set. As but few of 

 the nests were at a greater distance than a 

 mile from the farm-house where I stopped, 

 they were visited almost every day from their 

 discovery to the time when tliey were taken, 

 and by this means all the eggs obtained were, 

 with few exceptions, quite fresh and easily 

 prepared for the cabinet. 



Four is the usual number of eggs in a set, 

 though five does not seem to be an unusual 

 number some seasons. Three of the sets taken 

 in 1884 were composed of five and one ftf three; 

 in 1S87 and 1888 one set of five and three sets 

 of three each were taken each season. The 

 nests from which the sets of three were ob- 

 tained were at too great a distance from my 

 stopping place to be left for a second examina- 

 tion, and were taken at the time of their dis- 

 covery; with the exception of one set all of 

 these were fresh. It is probable that some of 

 these were incomplete. A few of the birds 

 may have deposited their full clutches by May 

 12th, but the height of the breeding season is 

 from the 18th to the 22d, when more complete 

 sets of fresh eggs are found than at any earlier 

 or later date. I have seen the yoiuig, just 

 from the nest, on June 4th. 



It is more profitable for the collector to 

 look only for the nests when following this 

 species, and I soon learned that more nests 

 could be found by this mode of procedure 

 than by watching the birds. Only three or 

 four of the number I found were discovered 

 by noting the actions of the birds. 



The actions of the female when it returns, 

 after the nest has been taken, cannot but affect 

 the heart of the most unfeeling. Fluttering 

 from branch to branch it approaches and gets 

 as close as possible to the site of the nest. 

 Failing to see its home it seems to conclude 

 that it is suffering from an optical delusion, so 



it flies directly into the space where the nest 

 should be, and hovers there, turning its head 

 from side to side, apparently bewildered. All 

 the while it utters only a single note at short 

 intervals. An uncomfortable feeling of shame 

 at having robbed the helpless little creature 

 would never allow me to remain long enough 

 to see when the bird became convinced that 

 the nest had actually disappeared. 



If taken when fresh the eggs are of a deli- 

 cate pink color before being blown, as is usual 

 with small eggs having a white shell. This 

 generally fades to a dead white when the con- 

 tents are removed, though sometimes a shade 

 of cream color remains. In a few sets a faint 

 shade of green is noticeable. 



The markings ai-e too varied for me to at- 

 tempt to describe them; while some sets are 

 finely dotted about the larger ends others are 

 spotted and blotched over their whole surface. 



The nests are trim little structures, deeply 

 cupped, and their brims are invariably con- 

 tracted more or less. So deep are tliey that 

 when the bird is sitting only the tips of its 

 bill and tail extend above the brim. The 

 composition is of soft, fibrous, vegetable sub- 

 stances, usually lined with hair; often the 

 lining is wholly of fine grasses, and sometimes 

 a quantity of hair moss is found in it. 



This species and the Cardinal, Yellow- 

 breasted Chat, Towhee, Ovenbird, and Field 

 Sparrow seem to be the most abundant of tlie 

 birds in that locality throughout the breeding 

 season. Harry K. Jmuison. 



Manayxink, Phila. 



Early Nesting of the Prairie Horned 

 Lark in Illinois. 



The Prairie form of Horned Lark (Octocoris 

 alpestris praticola) in a bird of tolerably com- 

 mon occurrence throughout the greater part of 

 this State. It frequents the rolling prairie lands 

 and high pastures of short grass, which are 

 well suited for its habits, and heie breeds in 

 profusion, and quietly carries on its domestic 

 duties unnoticed by man in the fickle tempera- 

 ture of our early spring. It is a bird of re- 

 markable courage and its habits are interesting 

 to study. Its song is very impressive and 

 pleasing to hear when the bird has mounted 

 liigh up in the air looking almost like a speck, 

 the clear tinkling accents are brought to me, 

 now distinct, now scarcely heard, then sud- 

 denly its wings close and it shoots downward 

 with increasing velocity, alighting near my 



