THE OOLOGIST. 



51 



ginia species and also a King Rail, 

 which is rare for these parts. 



In the woods again, found nest of 

 Hairy Woodpecker containing young. 

 Just my luck. I have not a perfect set 

 of eggs. Climbed a big beech to a Red- 

 tailed Hawk's nest and found young. 

 Took set of three eggs from a Cooper 

 Hawk's nest. They lay four or live 

 generally, but can't afford to climb a 

 tree twice. 



Rob kept shooting and shooting and 

 1 could not head him off. It is a warm 

 day and the birds will spoil if I- don't 

 sit up all night at work, as I can't af- 

 ford to let any birds waste. Best way 

 to head him off is to start back. 



Going back at abont two p. m. we 

 shot two Field Plovers and a Lincoln's 

 Finch, the latter a rare bird for us. 

 Took a late but fresh set- of White- 

 rumped Shrike's eggs, and also three of 

 the Least Flycatcher, and two nests of 

 the Song Sparrow. Spent a half hour 

 digging out a Kingfisher's nest and 

 found six oddly shaped young. We had 

 better luck with another nest of the 

 same species a mile further on. 



Arrived at home found that I had 

 'sixty-eight eggs to blow and forty-one 

 birds to skin. Fortunately the ice- 

 house is an excellent place to preserve 

 birds and I forthwith deposited half of 

 my days shoot there. Beginning at four 

 p. m. I woi'ked steadily till midnight to 

 prepare twenty-two bird skins — and 

 then turned in — a very tired man. 



May 31. It was with difliiculty that I 

 hustled to breakfast, but was quickly 

 myself again after a square meal. 

 Worked steadily on my bird's skins and 

 eggs till dinner time. At two o'clock 

 took a row up to head* of lake and shot 

 a fine specimen of the Whistling Swan 

 with a charge of big buck shot. It was 

 atagreat distance, and simply a chance 

 shot. The huge fellow, one of four in 

 the group, was only wounded, but con- 

 tinued settling and falling behind his 

 companions. Rowed down the lake 



over two miles and came to where the 

 Swan was resting in a lot of reeds at 

 edge of water. A single discharge with 

 No. 6 laid out the gallant bird, which 

 measured nearly seven feet from tip to 

 tip 



Trolled back and caught a fine big- 

 mouth black bass. Took me from four 

 till eleven o'clock to skin and clean the 

 huge White Swan. Had an interesting 

 dissection in tracing out the peculiar 

 coui-se of the trachea, which makes 

 some bends and buries itself in the bony 

 structure of the sternum, and has a re- 

 markable course to the lungs. 



May 22— Sunday. Did no collecting, 

 but took a long and agreeable stroll and 

 could not help marking down a few 

 nests for future attention. Obsei'ved 

 a towering Snipe. 



May 23. Took over ninety eggs and 

 spent the day among the birds. My 

 last day out for the season. 



May 24. Packed up my eggs, tagged 

 all my bird skins, which I am to leave 

 locked in the boat house till they 

 thoroughly dry. Have 117 good bird 

 skins, including six new species for my 

 collection, and 234 eggs, but no new 

 kinds. Reached home much improved 

 as to my health, but sorrowful to think 

 I could not stay longer. 



Eugene Pericles. 



Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks. 



In the March Oologist I find an in- 

 teresting article from the pen of Mr. 

 Ernest H. Short on the occurence of 

 both species of Hawks in Western New 

 York which prompts me to give my ex- 

 perience, that somewhat differs with 

 that of Mr. Short. 



In the vicinity of Buffalo, Erie Co., 

 say in a radius of 16 or 18 miles I found 

 the following: 



In 1891, May 17, the nest of a pair of 

 Red-tailed Hawk with young. 



In 1893 from April 24 to May 1, 3 sets. 



In 1893 from April 9 to May 21, 5 sets. 



