THE OOLOGIST. 



87 



My second subject in this article is a 

 young male Dolichonyx oryxvorus (Bob- 

 olink). It was shot by my brothar on 

 the 6th day of August, 1894. The bird 

 was feeding with a large crop of its kind 

 on Black Creek, and attracted his at- 

 tention at once by its color. It is a 

 yellowish white or straw color all over, 

 with just a shade of rusty in the center 

 of the back. Bill, feet and eyes white, 

 a well marked albino. 1 know from 

 the appearance of the plumage and the 

 skull, that it was a young bird of the 

 year. It would be interesting to know 

 what the next moult would develop. 



In the October '94 Oologist, I find an 

 article on birds nest by Glover Allen, 

 which interests me very much.- He 

 asks for opinion as to the reason that 

 the Am. Robin, Crow, Blackbird or 

 Purple Grackle place a layer of mud be- 

 tween the outer and inner portions of 

 their nests. Well, we don't have the 

 Purple Grackle here, but his half broth- 

 el', the Bronzed Grackle is very abund- 

 ant, and I believe that Mr. Allen's ex- 

 planation of this peculiarity in the Red- 

 wing's nest holds just as good with the 

 Bronzed Grackle, as that bird even yet 

 shows a tendency to nest much like the 

 Red-wing, along the banks of Black 

 Creek and Mill Creek in Monroe Coun- 

 ty, N. Y. Possibly the majority of them 

 did this once. As to the Robin and 

 Wood Thrush, I find that these birds, 

 where they nest in comparatively se-/ 

 eluded or protected situations, do not 

 use much mud. in fact, the Robin, when 

 nesting in buildings, sometimes uses 

 only a trace of mud. I think it quite 

 possible that these birds use mud for 

 stability alone, as it certainly makes 

 their nests more firm and ensures their 

 clinging more tenaciously to the limb 

 on which they are placed. At any rate, 

 the Thrushes nesting close to the ground 

 do no use mud, but large quantities of 

 dry leaves, to keep out the moisture. I 

 am not sure that the question of firm- 

 ness does not influence the Red-wing 



ome when building. In any event let 

 us hear all the opinions and study close- 

 ly, that we may verify or disprove, 



E. H. Short. 



Two Fierce Great Horned Owls. 



{Bubo Virginianus.) 



I was told of a very curious case some 

 time since, which happened in Nelson 

 County, Va., some years ago, and 

 thought it might interest some of the 

 readers of the Oologist. In that coun- 

 ty there dwelt two ''Old Maids" who 

 lived alone, excepting an enormous 

 Bull-dog who was their constant com- 

 panion. One evening while driving 

 up the cows to milk, they had to go 

 through a little grove which was sit- 

 uated a small distance from the house. 

 As they entered the grove they were 

 attracted by the yells of their friend, 

 Mr. Bulldog, and much to their surprise 

 found that tvy^o large Gt. Horned Owls 

 were the cause of the disturbance. 



They had their talons firmly fastened 

 in the dog's back, and were beating it 

 to death with their wings. The air 

 was alive with hair and feathers, when 

 these plucky old women opened an at- 

 tack with their sticks, and succeeded in 

 killing one of the Owls, while the other 

 flew away, grieviog over the loss of its 

 mate, and the interruption of its supper. 

 The latter was the cause of the combat. 

 It was in the depth of winter, and the 

 Owls becoming desperate from hunger, 

 made this bold attack. The dog was 

 eating the carrion, which the Owls had 

 "spotted" for their supper. 



J. W. U., Jr. 



An Unusual Site For a Robin's Nest. 



As I was crossing a partly plowed 

 field in the spring of '94, I noticed that 

 the farmer who was plowing suddenly 

 stopped his horses, and going in front 

 of them seemed to be examining some- 

 thing on the ground. I hastened across 



