August, 1889.] 



AKD OOLOGIST. 



121 



pleasing memories; for every bird has, tome, 

 loving associations, and agreeable thoughts 

 are ever generated if I will but allow my 

 mind to wander to tlie grove, marsh, lake 

 or river. Scolopax. 



Kalainzoo, Mich. 



Nesting of the Tree Sparrow. 



On May 23, 1889, it was my good fortune 

 while collecting on the Beaver meadow to 

 discover a pair of Tree Sparrows {Spizella 

 monticola) in a small clump of bushes, one of 

 which I thought by the actions of the bird 

 was at the time setting somewhere on 

 the meadow, so I prepared to await and see 

 her go back on the nest. I had not long to 

 wait, for in about ten minutes she tlew to 

 another clump of bushes and disappeared in 

 them. I waited a short time, and as she 

 did not come out again I went forward, and 

 upon shaking the bush where I last saw her, 

 she flew out in a hurry so badly hurt that she 

 fell in the grass when about twelve feet from 

 the bush. I knew, however, I had found her 

 nest, so I parted the bushes and there about 

 a foot below the top of them and two feet 

 from the water which covers most of the 

 meadow, saddled in a crotch, and partly con- 

 cealed by the over-hanging swale grass which 

 grows up through and breaks down on to the 

 bushes every year, was the nest with five 

 eggs in it. Turning around I shot the fe- 

 male bird from a bush where she had taken 

 her stand, and was then making her demon- 

 strations. Therefore the indentification is 

 positive. 



The nest, which is before me, is made en- 

 tirely of dry grass, the outside of which I 

 should think was made of timothy and the 

 lining or inside made of June grass. All of 

 the nest is made of the round stems of the 

 grass and there are but two flat blades in 

 the nest. 



The eggs, five in number, are of a light 

 green color, and are flecked and blotched with 

 reddish-brown, varying in size from dots to one 

 blotch of .1.5 X .25 of an inch, also several short 

 scratches of seal brown similar to the scratchy 

 lines on a Baltimore Oriole's egg appear on 

 each egg. The set measures as follows: .75 x 

 .00, .72 X. 58, .73 X. 57, .73x.5e), .74x..54. 



The above set I believe to be the only one 



ever found in this part of the state. 



E. G. Tabor. 

 Meridian, N. Y. 



A Trip to Buzzard Island. 



While on a visit to the neighboring city of 

 Beaufort, recently, I fell in with a congenial 

 companion and we laid our plans to visit Buz- 

 zard Island. Next day it rained, ditto the 

 next, and still more ditto the day after. But 

 about two o'clock on Saturday morning I took 

 a squint at the weather and boldly announced 

 a star. We waited impatiently for daylight, 

 which seemed to be about a week in getting 

 round, but at last the sun got up as usual and 

 we made haste down to the ferry. 



Across on Ladies Island, we began thorough- 

 ly to enjoy ourselves. Towhees were interviewed 

 to see if the Florida sub-species had got 

 around yet, but he was not so green as to 

 come ahead of time. A Hermit Thrush tried 

 to trill his little lay, but failed miserably be- 

 fore he was half through and the theme was 

 taken up by a Mockingbird who worked it up 

 after his own fashion into a sweet melody. 

 Farther on in the thick hedges the Cardinals 

 were giving a full concert, and as we get into 

 the woods the Bluejays announced an approach 

 to all whom it might concern. Here were 

 songsters yalore. Pine Creepers answered 

 each other from side to side, every maple and 

 gum tree seemed to have its Blue Yellow-back 

 and in sunny little spots the Bachman's Finch 

 chanted his dainty little roundelay. Ah! it 

 was a glorious morning. 



This locality was one of my favorite " stamp- 

 ing grounds " in days gone by and it did seem 

 as if the self-same birds were there yet. 



But the illusion did not last. Beyond the 

 woods all was changed. Where was once a 

 wide cottonfield with lots of splendid little 

 snipe ponds I found quite a village of farm 

 houses and the dusky matron who welcomed 

 us at the door of the largest of these I recog- 

 nized as the pet little girl of the primer class 

 twenty and odd years ago. These sort of inci- 

 dents make me know that I am getting old. 

 I shall feel it in my bones next thing, I am 

 afraid. But we shall never get to Buzzard 

 Island if I stop to moralize. 



We despatched a boy for a boat, and while 

 waiting for it, tried to circumvent a Kingfisher 

 who, however, seemed to be i^retty well ac- 

 quainted with the range of guns. Not so with 

 the Curlews and Heri'ing Gulls. They seemed 

 to think a gun could carry about a mile. 



When at last we did get to our destination 

 the only bird in sight was a Great Blue Heron. 

 Unhappily for himself he stayed in sight too 

 long. We had not proceeded far on terra 



