May, 1892.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



69 



I could not help recalling my experience of 

 the year before, and the resolve that I made 

 wlien 1 reached the ground after climbing to 

 this same nest, that if ever a Hawk or any 

 other bird had its nest in another tree like 

 that it would not be molested by me. But this 

 was something new to me. I had never seen a 

 Barred Owl's nest before and had no set of 

 their eggs in my collection, so I wished to get 

 them very much. I tried to persuade my 

 friend, Mr. L — , to try his hand at this one, 

 but he would not be persuaded; so I liually 

 decided to make one more attempt myself, 

 but must own up beaten, for after getting over 

 half way up my courage gave out and I had to 

 come down again. So we were obliged to 

 leave her, with this faint hope that next 

 year she would take up her abode in a more 

 respectable tree. 



Next we started for the wagon again and 

 after a good lunch, and getting rested some- 

 what by oui short ride, we started out once 

 more. 



The first find was a Crow's nest which con- 

 tained four eggs, which we took; and had not 

 pi'oceeded far when we saw a Hawk's nest 

 with the bird on. We shot her when she left 

 the nest, secured the eggs which were three 

 in number, and then proceeded to look for 

 another ^lair which had formerly been in the 

 vicinity, but after a thorough search could not 

 find it, so we proceeded to the next pair which 

 we found without much difficulty, and got 

 three eggs from this nest which we packed 

 carefully away with the rest. 



Our next move was for our team again, when 

 after a short ride it brought us where a few 

 days before I had found a Red-shouldered 

 Hawk's nest, but had not had time to get the 

 eggs. This we easily secured, which also con- 

 tained three, and were the finest marked set 

 we had taken so far; but it was now after 3 

 I'.-M., and as we were several miles from home 

 and liad several pairs which we wished to visit 

 on our return, it was necessary for us to pro- 

 ceed as rapidly as possible. So we pushed on 

 to our next piece of timber and had but little 

 difficulty in iinding the nest. It was placed in 

 an oak, and this set made the fourth one I 

 have taken from this same nest. It was 

 occupied by a Cooper's one year. We secured 

 a set of three this time, and as I was in the 

 woods again on May 2d following I saw the 

 bird leave the nest, and on going up secured 

 a single badly incubated egg, which was 

 probably the complement of the original set. 



We had proceeded but a short distance when 



we saw a Hawk fly from a knoll and saw two 

 nests near but could not tell for certain which 

 nest she left, and as they were both rather high 

 we did not feel like climbing on an uncertainty 

 so left them, but some time afterward I secured 

 a set of three from one of them. 



Once more we started for our team, and rode 

 some distance to get our wind, etc., and as 

 there remained but one more pair of birds on 

 our road this time we proceeded for them; and 

 I was anxious to find this one as I had taken 

 eggs from them before, and they were 

 extraordinarily fine ones, and so was more 

 anxious for this reason than any other. So 

 we were fortunate this time and secured the 

 prize set of the day. This set numbered three 

 and as this was to conclude our day's hunt we 

 started on our final journey to the city, arriv- 

 ing there just as the rain began to come down 

 in showers, thoroughly tired and hungry, 

 having had a hard day's tramp but feeling 

 amply repaid for our trouble; and, further, we 

 had a very enjoyable time, and it will leave on 

 our minds something which in after days we 

 can look back upon with much pleasure. 



//. W. Beers. 



i;riil};ep()rt, Conn. 



That Big Gobbler. 



Poking round in an old box of ruins the 

 other day I came upon a long, coarse hair. 

 Not much of a find, but what a bright pano- 

 rama of recollections it brought up to the old 

 man's mental vision. And to-night, a bright 

 spring night, with the first Chuck- will' s-widow 

 faintly calling to me from far away, and the 

 moonlight keeping me awake, I remember 

 that it is a long time since I wrote to the 

 O. & O. So, taking that hair for my text, — a 

 hair from the beard of that big gobbler, — I 

 again sharpen up my pencil for the benefit of 

 my far-away friends who read my favorite 

 magazine. 



It was on much such a night as this that I 

 waded the Fisumycochee with a heavy pack 

 and a light stomacli, and sought a camp on the 

 first bit of dry ground I had seen since high 

 noon. The first pine island that I found 

 looked too busliy for my liking, so skirting 

 round the edge I plodded wearily along toward 

 the next, which was clear of underbrush and 

 seemed to have been recently burned. In the 

 shaded side of this I stopped, leaned my pack 

 up against a tree and began to pick up some 

 dry sticks for a fire. Thus occupied I came to 



