THE OSPREY. 



65 



of the darker marking-s are confined. In 

 coloring-, they vary less than the eg-g-s of 

 any other bird that are not immaculate, 

 but in size they are subject to the usual 

 variation. The larg-est eg-g- in my collec- 

 tion measures .66x.5l inches, the smallest 

 .58x.48, and from my experience — which 

 is comparatively small — the former eg-g- is 

 much larg-er than usual, though all other 

 writing-s on the subject that I have no- 

 ticed g-ive it as about the averag-e. 



I think I hear some of the uninitiated 

 say: "If these birds are so common, 

 how is it that I have been so unlucky as 

 to have missed finding- them?" This 

 question is perfectly natural, but let him 

 come with me into a g-rove of cedars where 

 he cannot see two feet up into their mat- 

 ted branches and foliage, and he will say: 

 "Well, you have some excuse here, but 

 the pine trees are easy enoug-h as we can 

 then watch the birds." We ploug-h our 



way out of the cedars andwalk along- a main 

 road to a grove of majestic pines where 

 a number of males are sing-ing-, and I tell 

 him to watch the birds and look around as 

 their are probably half a dozen nests in 

 that g-rove. At the first g-lance his face 

 takes on a vacant expression as he rea- 

 lizes how many places two inches in 

 diameter there are that he cannot possi- 

 bly see, and, after a long- search, selects 

 a bird and proceeds to lay down and 

 watch it. This bird seems to have no 

 other object in life than eating an occa- 

 sional insect and dig-esting it by a song-, 

 when suddenly he stops as if struck by an 

 idea, looks quickly around and — whisk — 

 he disappears like a shot throug-h the 

 tree tops. Our friend keeps this up for a 

 few hours long-er, always with the same 

 result, until, after another disappoint- 

 ment, he strides up to me and says 

 abruptly, "It's on nic^ what'll vou take?" 



(General motes. 



NOTES ON THE CHICKADEE. 



The Chickadee — him of the black cap 

 and social traits of the most pronounced 

 type — is at once called to mind by Mr. 

 Widmann's article in the September Os- 

 PREY, and thinking- of atricapiJhis carries 

 me back to a damp day last March ( 1st, 

 1896,) when the cheery little mite showed 

 me a "bran new" trick of his. It was 

 Sunday and had been raining- most of the 

 morning-. I started for the woods at 

 noon. The Berkshires were still shroud- 

 ed in drifting- clouds and a thick mist 

 filled the valley, but such a happy flock 

 of Chickadees and Nuthatchs ( canadensis) 

 as I found along- the borders of the 

 wooded swamp, and such a sweet, woody 

 song- as the Red-breasts were sing-ing-, 

 only stopping- a moment now and then to 

 feed, chase the Chickadees about in the 

 most playful manner, or have a friendly 

 little "scrap" among- themselves. A few 

 White-breasts and Downys were also 

 with the crowd, and a flock of Redpolls, 

 with a chorus of pleasing- notes soon 

 dropped into the tree-tops. Many Black- 

 caps and Red-breasts were down on the 

 g-round under some hemlocks, feeding- 

 among- the cones and old rotten wood. It 

 was there that I saw a Chickadee fly up 

 to the lower dead limb of a hemlock with 



a bit of decayed wood or a small cone, 

 which he carried in his claws, and hold- 

 ing- it firmly on the limb between his 

 feet, pecked it until something- eatable 

 was obtained. This performance I saw 

 him repeat many times, always carrying- 

 the bits of wood or cones with his feet. 

 Benjamin Hoag. 

 Stephentown, New York. 



NOTES ON HENSLOW S SPARROW. 



I think Worcester County Massachu- 

 setts must be very near the Northern 

 rang-e of this species as the few individ- 

 uals that strangle along- during- the last 

 week of April and the first week of May 

 appear to remain with us in undimin- 

 ished numbers. 



Notice of their arrival is not lacking 

 as, returning from a leng-thy trip, you 

 pass throug-h their favorite piece of damp 

 meadow, you hear their low melodious 

 "cit, cit, cit, sir-it, cit-sir-it, cit-sir-et, 

 sir-et." Not strong and clear like the 

 notes of the Song- Sparrow, but just as 

 emphatic in their lower and more 

 restrained key. This song- delivered from 

 the top of some tall weed is seldom varied. 

 While uttering- it the bird holds the head 

 well back and drops the tail so that it 

 points directly at the earth, giving- the 

 bird the appearance of exerting- itself 

 g-reatly while singing-. 



