ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 18-N0. 9 



friend was acquainted with the fair maiden, 

 and asked her if she could tell us where the 

 Oriole's nest was. For reply, she pointed to 

 a limb right over our heads, and sure enough 

 there swung the purse-shaped nest of the 

 Baltimore Oriole with the female on the nest. 

 The nest was made of strips of fibrous bark, 

 strings, hair and wool woven firmly and 

 neatly together and fastened to a slender limb, 

 showing the marvellous skill by which ele- 

 gance and strength are combined. The nest 

 and three pretty pale blue eggs, spotted and 

 lined with umber, are now in my collection. 

 Two of the eggs are finely lined with \nnber 

 on the larger end, the other one is heavily 

 marked on smaller end. 



After taking set V., we drove along briskly 

 and were at Amon's home in half an hour ; 

 here we rested a while and then started out 

 for a day in the fields and woods. 



Set VI. Kingbird; four eggs in set, creamy 

 white, one spotted on larger end with rich 

 umber and chestnut red, on smaller end few 

 spots of chestnut. The others spotted with 

 chestnut red and lilac. 



Set VII. Kingbird ; two eggs in set, blotched 

 and spotted with umber, chestnut red and 

 lilac. 



Set VIII. Mourning Dove ; two eggs in set. 



Set IX. Brown Thrasher ; three eggs in 

 set, ground color, pale greenish, with minute 

 specks of reddish brown over the entire 

 surface. 



Set X. Red-winged Blackbird ; four eggs 

 in set, oval, pale blue, dotted and lined with 

 umber and reddish brown on the larger end, 

 with shell markings scattered over the surface. 



Set XL Catbird ; four deep bluish green 

 eggs in set. Nest made of dry leaves, sticks 

 and twigs, lined with fine roots and grass, 

 placed on raspberry bush, three feet from 

 ground. 



Set XII. Green Heron; five eggs in set, 

 light greenish blue, elliptical. The herony 

 is in a grove of maple trees on the Gibson 

 farm and has been their breeding place since 

 1888. Squaw creek is the most important 



body of water near the herony, lying about 

 one mile to the south-west. Near the creek 

 and between it and the herony is a large 

 pond ; it is here that the herons get frogs and 

 the larvae of several insects, especially those 

 of the dragon fly, which lurk in the mud. 

 The Green Heron is common in Boone and 

 Story counties and can always be found along 

 the Des Moines river and Squaw creek, from 

 the latter part of April to about the first of 

 September. 



During my summer rambles I have often 

 seen the silent and motionless fellow stand 

 like a statue, with his head drawn in, on the 

 lookout for an unfortunate frog or minnow, 

 suddenly giving a quick, sure stroke, and all 

 is up with poor froggie. 



My friend took eggs from the " Gibson 

 Farm Herony" June 3, 1891 ; a set of five 

 on May 24 ; and set of six June 6 of the 

 same year. In 1892 he took a set of four. 



This is the only place that I know of in 

 Story County where the Green Heron breeds. 



Set XIII. Yellow Warbler; four eggs in 

 set, greenish white ground color, spotted, 

 forming a wreath around larger end, with 

 rich umber, reddish brown and lilac gray. 

 Nest cup-shaped, made of slender stems of 

 plants, grayish fibres and hair, lined with 

 horse hair and plant down, fastened on the 

 side of limb and small twig. 



Set XIV. Yellow AVarbler ; three eggs in 

 set, ground color a decided green, heavily 

 marked on larger end with rich umber ; the 

 markings on one of the eggs form wreath on 

 larger end. Nest cup-shaped, made same 

 as the one just described with the exception 

 of the lining, which is composed mostly of 

 horse hair and very little of the plant down, 

 which forms the bulk of the lining of the 

 other nest. 



Set XV. Brown Thrasher ; three eggs in 

 set, color same as set IX. 



Set XVI. Bob White ; eight eggs in set. 

 Nest placed on ground, near fence : was 

 made of dry grasses, weeds and lea\es. 

 Found another nest (deserted) with four eggs, 



