106 



OENITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 14-No. 7 



ject to great variation in size, shape, markings, 

 etc., and it wonld take a large series to show 

 all their variations. Cowbird's eggs are found 

 sometimes in the nests. 



I think that a Kentucky Warbler prefers a 

 swampy woods for its nesting place, though 

 they often build on a hillside some distance 

 from a swamp. 



The time to look for the eggs is from May 

 2.5th to June 10th. 



The four sets of eggs may be thus described : 



June 6, 1889, Chester County, Penn. Five 

 eggs, fresh; light, creamy white, heavily 

 spotted with hazel and lilac-gray. On three 

 of the eggs the markings are principally con- 

 lined to the larger ends, where they form in- 

 distinct wreaths, but the other two eggs are 

 wreathed around the smaller ends: .75x.5!); 

 .Tlx.OO; .71X..58; .71x,60; .71x.60. 



June 7, 1889. Chester County, Penn. Five 

 eggs, incubation slight; white, speckled and 

 spotted with vinaceous, and a few spots of 

 lilac-gray. The markings are principally con- 

 fined to the larger ends, where they form 

 indistinct wreaths: .79x.G0; .80x61; .77x.»;0; 

 .79X.G0; .81x60. 



June fl, 1889. Chester County, Penn. Four 

 eggs, fresh ; white, speckled and spotted with 

 vinaceous-rufous and a few markings of lilac- 

 gray. The markings are much heavier near 

 the larger ends, where they form indistinct 

 wreaths: .76x.59; .71x52; .72x.59; .67x..56. 



June 29, 1889. Chester County, Penn. Three 

 eggs, incubation begun, (contained also one 

 egg of the Cowbird); light creamy white, 

 speckled and spotted, chiefly at the larger 

 ends, with cinnamon-rufous: .87x..58; .84 x 

 .58; .82 X. 57. J. P. Norris, Jr. 



Winter Birds in the Vicinity of 

 Brooklyn, L.I. 



Christmas came on Sunday, in 1887, and 

 Monday being a holiday almost every ornithol- 

 ogist was in the field. 



Daylight found me seated on a pine, on the 

 borders of one of the large salt meadows 

 near Brooklyn, waiting for the sun to rise, and 

 also for my friend Ted, who was going to try 

 his luck along with me. 



As the sun rose the mist which hung over 

 the meadows was dispersed, and I had a good 

 view of the ground we were to travel over 

 that day. 



About a mile away a Marsh Hawk was hunt- 

 ing for its breakfast, stopping now and then 



as it saw its prey in the grass, and I wondered 

 if I would ever see it in my cabinet with the 

 cotton coming from the place where its eyes 

 should be. 



But here comes my friend, and picking up 

 my gun we make a start, he to the right of the 

 creek and I on the other bank. 



The first bird seen was a Meadow Lark, 

 which got away before we could get a shot, 

 and flew to a bunch of grass to the right; 

 so oft" we started after that Meadow Lark. 

 We had gone about a hundred yards when I 

 heard Ted whistle, and looking his way I saw 

 a large bird which I was not familiar with 

 rise out of range of him, and after circling 

 around two or three times settle a short dis- 

 tance away on the meadows. Thinking we 

 would not get near it again I slipped in two 

 heavy shells and we went oft' again after 

 our new game. 



We advanced cautiously until we were with- 

 in about ten feet of the place where the bird 

 lit, when without a bit of warning or noise 

 eight pair of wings beat the air, as a flock of 

 Short-eared Owls arose. 



Of course I was frightened and fired both 

 barrels at short range without touching a 

 feather; however I had time to drop another 

 shell in my gun and make a fine shot on one as 

 it was circling away to the left. 



Ted was much cooler, he picked out the 

 finest bird of the lot, and bagged it without 

 any trouble. After fixing up the the birds we 

 hid them where we could pick them up on our 

 return, and then went after the rest of the 

 flock, which had scattered; but we did not 

 get any more as they were on the lookout for 

 us, so after flushing them several times out of 

 gunshot we gave them up, and started for a 

 patch of woods on the other side of the 

 meadows and near the shore. We disturbed 

 a flock of Pipits which were feeding in the 

 grass, but did not shoot as we were after bigger 

 game. Farther on among the rushes on the 

 side of a creek, a pair of Savanna Sparrows 

 eyed us curiously, but these also were left 

 for another time. 



Meadow Larks were very common, but 

 wild, and we knew it was no use following 

 them. While walking on the lookout for 

 something new we were very much surprised to 

 hear a rush behind us and saw a duck go 

 scurrying away towards the beach, out of 

 range of course, but I could not resist the 

 temptation to fire a shot at it. As we neared 

 the woods we saw a flock of .Juncos and Tree 

 Sparrows in the laurels on the edge. On 



