168 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 14-No. 11 



fell flat. "Xow you have clone it," said my 

 companion, thinkinjt I had shot the horse, but 

 it soon gathered itself together and with tail 

 high in air was soon out of sight. Several 

 times we attempted to drive within range of 

 Golden Plover, but it was no use they would 

 fly every time. 



Among other birds I secured during the day 

 was a Western Willet, which upon skinning 

 was found to contain a perfect egg. I was 

 constantly on the lookout for nests of this 

 species and the Godwits as well as Ducks, but 

 as they nest at random anywhere tin the 

 prairie they are ditficult to And: in fact I could 

 find none. 



I found several deserted nests of Prairie 

 Hen and Field Plover that had been burnt over 

 by fire. Lirge numbers of eggs are destroyed 

 annually in this way and by the breaking 

 plow. On the 17th 1 added a Forster's Tern 

 t) my collection. On the I8th, secured several 

 Golden Plover on a weedy piece of ground 

 that permitted a close approach to the flock. 



On the 21st I was again in this same field 

 with a young boy who had more or less of an 

 ornithological spirit in him. He would chase 

 the Plover up and 1 would shoot at them as 

 they flew over me. Being concealed in the 

 weeds the plan worked admirably, and we soon 

 had quite a buneli. While thus ludden a small 

 flock of snipe-like looking birds hove in sight. 

 As they went by in close range, like a whirl- 

 wind, I had time to send a load of No. 12 sliot 

 among them, with the effect of killing two 

 and wounding the third which dropped out of 

 the flock a short distance ahead. Upon recov- 

 ering my two birds I was delighted to find 

 them to be Buff-breasted Sandpipers, a bird I 

 had long been in search of. A light load of 

 No. 12 was necessary to get the other wounded 

 one. When we were well on our way home 

 another flock rose from a wheat field; being 

 unprepared for them they got ofl' a good ways 

 before I could shoot, but had the satisfaction 

 of seeing one drop dead at forty yards, killed 

 with No. 12 shot — a good distance I thought. 

 While taking a rest my companion said he 

 would like to try a shot at the Franklin's Gulls 

 that were flying about; he would like to try 

 and skin it. he said. So telling him about liow 

 to aim at a flying bird he shot at the first one 

 that came in range with no apparent damage. 

 The shot scared the others away; and when 

 nearly half a mile from the place on the way 

 home we noticed a large number of gulls hov- 

 ering over something close to the road, which 

 proved to be a dead gull still warm. It was 



undoubtedly the same one he had shot at, as 

 there were shot holes in the breast. I put the 

 birds up in the afternoon and after supper 

 strolled out to see what I could find in the way 

 of eggs. I was walking through a lield of high 

 dead grass when a little bird fluttered out be- 

 tween my feet. I soon found a nest with five 

 brown spotted eggs in. I went over to where 

 the parent bird had settled, and after beating 

 around a little put up a Le C<mtes Finch, " Ah! 

 what a find," I thouglit, but no one will believe 

 me unless I get the bird, so next morning I 

 was there in good season. As I neared the nest 

 the bird left, but I stopped her before she had 

 gone far, and I picked her up — a Savanna 

 Sparrow! I was badly disappointed of course, 

 but 1 was thankful that I had made sure of the 

 identity, as I would otherwise have called it 

 Le Contes Finch. It always pays to itoMtirdy 

 identify your eggs. 



On the morning of the 28d I took another 

 new bird for the state. Nelson's Shar])- tailed 

 Finch {AnunixlroinuH c. nelsnni). It was shot 

 on the edge of a swamp. Insteacl of having 

 the '"colors brighter and markings more 

 shar^fly defined" as Coues say.s, it is just the 

 opposite, paler, with the markings less sharply 

 defined than in the common Siiarji-tailed Finch 

 {A. caudaci(tus); the markings on the breast 

 are totally nhsfnt. giving it the appearance of 

 Lecoutei. 



In the afternoon I visited tlie mud-hole again 

 and found the Ked-backed and White-ruinped 

 Sandpipers and Wilson's Phalaropes had in- 

 creased in numbers, while the Pectoral Sand- 

 pipers were neaily all gone. I got a few spec- 

 imens of the pretty little Ring-necked Plover, 

 also one particularly fine Golden Plover in 

 faultless black dress. I looked all around to 

 see if I could not find a Curlew of some sort, 

 but could not. It surely ought to be a good 

 place. The noisy Godwits and Willets were 

 everywhere. Before going I found what I took 

 to be an e^i^ of the Shoveller Duck laying in 

 the mud. 



I was at this place nearly every day for a 

 week afterwards, but found notliing worthy of 

 note till on May 27th, when I addeiU the third 

 new bird to the state — Turnstone (iStrcpHilaK 

 Intcrprefi), a flock of which were found feeding 

 among the Sandpipers. I secured five fine 

 specimens. They were very tame anil allowed 

 a close approach. On this same day on the 

 way home I shot a male Lark Bunting in the 

 road, a rare bird in the state. I afterwards 

 saw a female. 



On the 18th of Mav I was hunting alonu the 



