ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND — 



OOLOGIST. 



PUBLISHED BY THE FRANK BLAKE WEBSTER COMPANY. 



Established, March, 1875. 



$1.00 per 

 Annum. 



Single Copy 

 10 cents. 



Vol. XVII. 



HYDE PARK, MASS., JULY, 1892. 



No. 7. 



Notes From Nova Scotia. 



I have been so rushed witli business tliis 

 season that I have not been able to devote 

 much time to the birds, but I have done a 

 little and now beg to hand you particulars as 

 taken from my journal and hope some may 

 prove of interest. 



Ai^ril 22. Was down to Porter's Lake about 

 sixteen miles from here and took a nest of 

 Canada Jay containing two eggs. Nest was 

 built on limb of a low, thick, black spruce. 

 The 9 was seen on and off nest ; eggs were 

 slightly incubated. 



May 30. To woods all day. Yesterday 

 saw pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets ; 

 hunted for nest all day and came home at 

 seven in the evening, tired out with cliasing 

 the birds about and climbing a few million 

 trees. Went at it again at half past eight this 

 morning and at twenty minutes past one I had 

 the nest. I was about done up, as it was hard 

 work and took a lot of patience, (something 

 that I do not possess to any very great extent). 

 Nest is up about forty feet and away out on 

 the end of black spruce limb. I did not 

 examine it as bird was carrying stuff to it, 

 and I take it that she has not completed the 

 building. This makes three Golden-crt)\vned 

 Kinglets I have found ; one on June 2, 1889, 

 with nine eggs and one on June 14tli, that 

 contained young. I find this species is 

 very hard to place, as they make very little 

 noise and keei^ way uj} high on the trees. I 

 saw a jiair of "Ruby" but could not locate 

 nest and will try it again. The $ Ruby is 

 very misleading as he covers the ground for 

 fully a mile square and the 9 is not to be 

 seen. I found nest of Olive-backed Thrush 

 just about built. This was on a little spruce 

 tree about seven feet up from the ground. 

 Will go at the Ruby Kinglet's again to-morrow. 



June 1. To woods this morning ; located 

 the $ Ruby that I was after yesterday and 



followed him about from nine o'clock until 

 half past twelve, then gave it up. I walked 

 about three hundred yards from where I had 

 last left the $, when I heard him again just 

 behind me, so I turned about and went back, 

 looked at black spruce that I thought might 

 hold nest, went up it and just as I got near the 

 top down came the 9 ^i'<^l that .■settled it. 

 The nest was underneath the branch, sus- 

 pended from the little twigs and to my great 

 satisfaction, contained ten eggs. I got the 

 whole business safe to the ground and as it 

 was then quarter of one, I left for home 

 perfectly satisfied with my morning's work. 

 The nest is a fine one and the eggs were quite 

 fresh and were blown nicely. 



June 4. To the woods this afternoon. 

 Located another $ Ruby and put in the whole 

 afternoon trying to find nest, but did not 

 succeed ; but while tramping to and fro 

 through the swamp, I nearly crushed a bird 

 with one of my number twelve boots and 

 looking about soon had the nest. This held 

 five eggs, white ground, spotted with red. 

 The bird kept up high overhead and being 

 new to me, I left for home, got the gun, 

 started her off nest again and then gathered 

 her in and am sending the skin to you for 

 identification.* The stomach of bird was full 

 of flies and a few spiders by way of variety. I 

 did not see the $. The nest was in the 

 swamp, raised up from the wet ground and 

 built in underneath a little hillock and right 

 by where I found the Yellow Palm Warbler's 

 nest last yeai-. I also found another Olive- 

 backed Thrush nest just built up in top of 

 little spruce. 



June 5. To woods all day after the Ruby 

 again, and this time I succeeded in placing the 

 nest or rather the place where the bird intends 

 to build it, as there are now only a few little 

 bits of moss that cannot be noticed excejit by 

 aid of the glasses. The 9 is hard at work and 



* Nashville Warbler. 



Copyriftht, 1892, by Frank Blake Webster Company. 



