May, 1893.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



77 



ing balsams I espied what I supposed to be 

 the beginning of a new nest ; so I left again 

 and did not return till the 23d of May, when, 

 as I saw no Hawk and heard none of her 

 notes, I tapped the tree, and out flushed the 

 bird. The nest still appeared unfinished and 

 light could be seen through it, but as the 

 climb was easy, and only about 16 feet up, 

 I mounted and found that there were three 

 eggs in the nest, which was but a shallow af- 

 fair, and wholly composed of small dry 

 branches and twigs. Two days after I found 

 that one more egg had been added, so I took 

 the set, and found them very beautiful speci- 

 mens. The ground color is whitish, with a 

 bluish tint, but each egg is differently marked 

 and blotched with chestnut or amber brown. 

 They are of a spherical shape, being about 

 equal ended, and average about 1.50 by 1.18. 

 For about eight or ten days after both Hawks 

 were noticed in the vicinity, but after the 

 first week of June they disappeared for the 

 season, and I am of the opinion that the 

 species nest but once in the year. 



William L. Kelh. 



Late Nesting of the Bob-white. 



In your issue of January, 1892, page 8, 

 are mentioned two late dates of finding the 

 eggs of the Bob- white, Quail, or Virginia 

 Partridge. These dates are given as August 

 30, 1891, and September 12, 1889, and 

 are referred to as late dates. 



About the tenth of November, 1891, Ira 

 Johnson, of Kalamazoo, a most reliable man, 

 found a nest of this species containing twelve 

 eggs. St was situated in a brush pile and 

 gave evidence that it had been deserted. 



It may be claimed by doubters of this 

 date that the nest had been deserted a 

 month or two, but this does not seem prob- 

 able, for the weather had been very cold, 

 and yet the eggs gave no evidence of having 

 been frozen. I think this date the latest 

 yet reported from Michigan, but I doubt 

 not that many hunters in the Union could 



give some remarkable records. It is well 

 known that the Quail, or Colin, as it is now 

 called by sticklers, has been found breeding 

 almost every month of the year, and the 

 females have repeatedly been found frozen 

 stiff on their eggs in Februar}' and March. 



Regarding the above record, it is well 

 known that the opening of the season for 

 Quail, November ist, had long passed when 

 this nest was found, as Mr. Johnson was 

 hunting Quails at the time and had been 

 out for several days. The eggs had not 

 been incubated, and some made fair speci- 

 mens. G. Sirroin. 



Kalamazoo, Michigan. 



A Home Among the Birds. 



The above title is an exact description of 

 my home ; situated as it is in the midst of an 

 apple orchard, it is surrounded by birds' nests 

 as well as trees. Within three hundred feet 

 of the house were to be found the following 

 nests, all containing either eggs or young : 



3 Robins, 



1 Bluebird, 



4 Chipping Sparrows, 



3 Chimney Swift, 



2 Pewee, 



4 Least Flycatchers, 

 2 Baltimore Orioles, 

 I Kingbird, 



I Catbird, 



I Yellow Warbler, 



I Barn Swallow, 



I Rough-winged Swallow, 



I Red-eyed Vireo, and 



I Ruby-throated Hummingbird. 



And undoubtedly there are some that 

 have escaped detection. Who of the many 

 readers of the " O. & O." can do better? 



S. R. Iiigcrsoll. 



Will not our readers send us more articles 

 for publication? Every one can relate 

 something of interest. 



