THE OSPREY. 



29 



Heron, Squiiwk, Shitepoke; American 

 Coot, Mud-hen; Phalaropes, small Sand- 

 pipers and small Plovers, Snipes; Ameri- 

 can Avocet, Irish Snipe, (from its up- 

 turned bill ) ; Western Willet, Candlestick 

 Plover; Black-chinned Humming'-bird, 

 Sponge Hummer, from the color and ap- 

 pearance of its nest; Black Phoebe, Spi- 

 der Bird, Black Flycatcher; Blackheaded 

 Grosbeak, Bullfinch, House Pinch and 

 California Purple Finch, Linnet; Ameri- 

 can Goldfinch, Canary; Lawrence's Gold- 

 finch, California Canary; Arkansas Gold- 

 finch, Tar-weed Canary; Western Savan- 

 nah, Bryant's Marsh and Samuel's Song- 

 Sparrows, Marsh Chippie; Oreg-on Tow- 

 hee. Catbird, from its note; California 

 Towhee, Buck Chippie; Lazuli Bunting-, 

 Bluebird; California Shrike, Butcherbird; 

 Vireos, Weaverbird; Yellow Warbler, 

 Yellow Wren; American Pipit, Wagtail; 

 Plain Titmouse, Toppy, from the crest; 

 California Bush Tit, Tom Tit. 



ter; the subscriptions will not do it. Even a 

 larg-e periodical like A/cC/urc's or Cosntopolifan, 

 never counts on making- expenses the first 

 year. Richard McGregor. 



Palo Alto, Cal. 



Mr. H. B. Raiding-, of Drytown, Amador 

 County, is spending a fe-w months in San Prem- 

 cisco, He and his party had the g-ood fortune 

 to take many desirable sets with the nests and 

 parents in the Sierra Nevadas, this summer. 



Mr. R. S. Wheeler, an active field collector, of 

 Alameda, has recently entered a law office in 

 San Francisco, where he will have unlimited 

 opportunity to look up the law relating- to the 

 cri>ncoi "taking or destroying- any bird's nest." 

 Make g'-ood use of your time Mr. Wheeler. 



Mr. H. R. Taylor, of Alameda, has recently 

 become, by purchase, the possessor of the 

 oolog-icai collection of Mr. H. C. Johnson, form- 

 erly of American Fork, Utah. The cabinet, 

 trays and g-ood will of the business were thrown 

 in, and the nests, of course, for how could Mr. 

 Taylor keep up his "Nidolog-ical" reputation by 

 ig-noring the nests? 



Gorrespoiidence. 



Editors The Osprey: 



As Mr. Barnes had much trouble in finding- 

 nesting dates of the Screech Owl, perhaps 

 some of these references will help him, but he 

 must remember that a slig-ht difterence of 

 locality will some times aff^ect nesting dates 

 very materially: 



Young Oologisf, vol. 1, p. 51, "84. "Hawks 

 and Owls of the United States and their Rela- 

 tion to Agriculture," Fisher, p. 167. "Notes 

 on the Birds of Minnesota," (First report of 

 the State Zoologist), p. 214. "Egg-s of Native 

 Pennsylvania Birds," J. Warren Jacobs, p. 7. 

 Nidologist, vol. 11, p. 33, '94. 



If Mr. Barnes has ever published a paper he 

 would know that a magazine usually fails the 

 first year from lack of funds to pay the prin- 



(ExirHota I'r in priva<« l"iier from Mr. Widniaim.) 



The last few weeks I had a verv pleasant 

 trip north with Mrs. Widmann. At Milwaukee 

 we spent several daj-s with our old friend, Mr. 

 Nehrling, at the Public Museum, where the 

 Goss G\^y^ collection is one of the greatest at- 

 tractions. The collection of mounted birds 

 exceeded our highest expectations in regard to 

 quantity as well as quality. Many very 

 choice pieces of taxidermic art, especially 

 those by Mr. Akelej' and Mr. Turner, are here 

 exhibited and a few groups of mammals, de- 

 serve the hig-hest praise. The present quarters 

 are a little crowded, but the city is erecting a 

 new and commodious building perfectly 

 adapted for the purpose. 



The Museum of the Chicago Academy of 

 Science in Lincoln Park is a perfect jewel of 

 modern Museum building-, and its custodian, 

 Mr. Baker, has a rare talent for exhibiting'- ob- 

 jects in the most instructive manner. The 

 collection of birds is not so larg-e, but as Mr. 

 Woodrufi" has loaned and exhibited his own 

 collection of birds and skins all of which are 

 as fine skins as one can find anywhere — the 

 value of the exhibit is g'-reatly enhanced. 



At the Field Museum we found the amiable 

 curator, Mr. Cherrie, busily engaged in the 

 tremendous work of properly labeling the large 

 collection of North American birds, which fills 

 one room. Another and larger room is occu- 

 pied by the great collection of mounted birds 

 exhibited by Ward at the World's Fair, while 

 the Gary collection of bird skins is stored in 

 tins on the gallery in the room of the North 

 American birds. Here is also the valuable 

 library which the Museum acquired with the 

 skins. 



At Glen EHyn, friend Gault showed us his 

 fine series of bird skins, incomparably the best 

 prepared skins I have ever seen. We also took 

 occasion to find some live birds in the bushes 

 of his neighborhood, which fairly swarmed 

 with migrating Thrushes, Tanagers, etc. From 

 what I saw of migration there as well as at 

 Highland Park and other places in the vicinity 

 of Chicago, I think that the west shore of 

 Lake Michigan beats the Mississippi valley in 

 fall mig'-ration, at least ,so far as Thrushes and 

 Warblers are concerned. 



At Champaign, where my son, Otto W., jun- 

 ior, is beg'-inning to study science under Prof. 

 Forbes, we spent two very pleasant days. 



The collection of mounted birds of Illinoi.s, 

 which '.vas such a g-reat ornament to the Illi- 

 nois Slate building'- at the World's Fair is set 

 up in the museum of the university. Unfortu- 

 nately the hall is not quite suitable for the 

 purpose, and the splendid memorials to the 

 lamented Adams does not appear to good ad- 

 vantag'-e. A new structure is g'-oing up at pres- 

 ent, and when finished the museum of the 

 university will be given better quarters. 



'Yours truly, O. Widmann. 



Old Orchard, Mo. 



