Dec. 1889.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



179 



my heart sank within me. Of the twenty-seven 

 Kedtail's eggs collected during the season, all 

 were destroyed but three; also of Cooper's 

 Hawk, three; Barred Owl, four; Ruffed Grouse, 

 about three dozen; of Crows an indefinite 

 number. Luckily my season's collecting of the 

 (xreat-horned Owl were at the bottom of the 

 box, and not liaving yet reached them were 

 safe. 



I never possessed very much skill in quoting 

 profane history and therefore could not get 

 satisfaction in that way. But thei-e was one 

 thing I could do and that at once. Going to the 

 rt>om where he had retreated I found him con- 

 cealed in a bed, all except one eye with which 

 he peeped out cunningly at me, as if to ascertain 

 what I was going to do about it. This I had 

 already determined upon, and taking him by the 

 t lil he was conveyed to the woodpile, where with 

 a sharp axe his spirit was sent to tliat "haven 

 of rest" from which mischievous "Coons" 

 never more return. Woe be to the individual 

 that ever again dares to oft'er me a raccoon. 



One of the most amusing experiences that 

 ever fell to my lot as a collector was in the 

 spring of 1888. I was out for an afternoon of 

 it and was accompanied by a hard-headed, 

 black-eyed gamin of the village, whose front 

 name was George. Our route lay ov^er wood- 

 1 ind pastures, down into deep shady hollows, up 

 steep hills, and then across cultivated fields, 

 from one stretch of woodlanil to auother, when 

 we had reached a certain large hawk"s-nest tree, 

 four miles from the villiage. We were to 

 return by another route. We were having 

 great luck and consequently were in corres- 

 pondingly high spirits. Already there was in 

 our collecting boxes fifty eggs of the Crow, of 

 the Chickadee several sets. White rumped 

 Shrike one set of five. Hairy Woodpecker one 

 set of four, Long-eared Owl one set of five. 

 Suddenly our attention was arrested by the 

 noisy and excited cawing of a pair of Crows 

 some distance in our front. Hastening in this 

 direction we soon came in sight of a nest in a 

 tall, straight sapling. The crows perched over- 

 head were making a great ado about something 

 that they appeared to see in their nest. George, 

 who had insisted on doing nearly all of the 

 climbing, was half way up the sapling before I 

 could get one climber adjusted. Little did he 

 siispect what was awaiting him at the nest. 

 As his face came on a level with it, a huge 

 black snake {Coluber oh.soletns) ran his head 

 over the edge and darted out his tongue al- 

 most in the boy's face. Great Cjesar! the way 

 that lad came down that tree was truly aston- 



ishing. Nor did he pause when he reached the 

 ground, but shot off though the woods like a 

 streak of lightning. Putting on a pair of 

 gloves 1 ascended the tree, and taking Mr. 

 Black Snake by the neck removed him from 

 the nest, where he had doubtless resorted for 

 the purpose of feasting upon the young crows 

 which it contained. Taking the reptile home 

 with me I found his lengtli to be five feet and 

 a half, and he proved quite an attractive ad- 

 dition to my den of snakes. 



Dr. W. S. Strode. 

 Bernadotte, 111. 



Hunting Herons with a Camera. 



I liad watched the going and coming of 

 Great Blue Herons as they passed over to and 

 from the hill east of the town, to the bay shores 

 southward, early mornings, then back, after 

 the day's fishing, at night to their home-roost 

 in some deep canyon. I had a desire that, after 

 many years of information, led me to hunt 

 these (ireat Blue Herons" rookery with a cam- 

 era instead of the usual gun and shells. 



I started out one morning with a friend, in 

 April, 1887 (one of those days that occur only 

 in the climate of California), with my mind 

 filled with the great sight I expected to meet, 

 and the pleasure of a day among Nature's 

 most beautiful things, green hills and trees 

 teeming with spring life. The old white horse 

 took us leisurely along tlie unused road, up a 

 grade of four miles. 



Meadow-larks were singing from fence-rails 

 to their mates, busy in tlie grasses; Red- 

 winged Blackbirds showing off their bright 

 shoulder-straps from every long weed-stalk, 

 throughout the hay-fields; now and then whiz 

 would go by a Hummer to its bower home. 

 When the grade began in earnest and Old Faith- 

 ful commenced to blow, I gave him tlie rein to 

 suit his own gait. The atmosphere was filled 

 with hot-house steam of spring, and made the 

 sweat roll from us both. After getting up the 

 first ridge the air became cooler from the bay 

 breezes across the valley. Ruddy Horned 

 Larks were common on these ridges ; some 

 had begun incubation, as we found by shoot- 

 ing specimens. Across a deep canyon side 

 could be seen a (iolden Eagle's eyrie in the 

 top of an old white sycamore ; and far up on 

 a rocky point of the ridge sat his majesty, 

 "monarch of all he surveyed." We left him 

 in peace of his white, scraggling " castle."" A 

 bend in the road brought us in siglit of an old 

 Californian rancher, where we were directed 



