THE OOLOGIST 



59 



es of brown and lilac around "the crown. 

 One of the eggs is smaller than the rest, 

 and the wreath is around the smaller end. 

 The eggs are about the size of the Chest- 

 nut-sided Warbler. I shot the bird in or- 

 der to make the identification certain. 

 Another nest that I took a few days later 

 was placed in a woodbine in a bunch of 

 bushes at the edge of a cleared lot about 

 two feet from the ground, and was about 

 a quarter of a mile from the first nest, and 

 was of the same description, except that 

 no seaweed was used. The eggs were 

 four in number, pale creamy white, with 

 a wreath of brown spots and blotches 

 around the crown. \v. b. g. 



The Spotted Sandpiper. 



Kingbirds Catch Fish. 



'• I have often noticed them striking the 

 surface of the water in my fish ponds, but 

 supposed they were either taking a bath 

 or else catching insects that were flyiug 

 near the surface of the water. "VYhen I 

 constructed my bass pond, a few years ago, 

 I stocked it with minnows, to afford ample 

 food for the bass. At times the entire sur- 

 face of the pond seems alive with them. 

 A few days ago I observed at least half a 

 dozen Kingbirds perclied on trees and bush- 

 es near the margin of the pond, and al- 

 most every moment some of tliem would 

 dive into the water precisely like a King- 

 fisher, and I copcluded they were catching 

 bugs or other insects which were floating 

 upon the surface of the water. Watching 

 them closely I soon saw one of tliem leave 

 the water with something perceptibly shin- 

 ing in its bill. It alighted on a tree about 

 fifty yards from where I was sitting, and 

 acted precisely as a Kingfisher does when 

 killing a fish. Taking a telescope, I also 

 took an observation, and discovered that 

 the Kingbird had a minnow not less than 

 three inches long. I continued my obser- 

 vations for about fifteen minutes, and dur- 

 ing that time these birds caught several 

 small minnows and ate them." 



M. P. PiEKCK in F. & 8. 



WHILE at Point Judith, R. I., and fol- 

 '^ lowing up a stream that empties into 

 the ocean, I noticed a Spotted Sandpiper 

 running along the edge of the bank. I 

 fired, and it fell wounded into the water, 

 as I approached it dove to the bottom, and 

 I could distinctly see it swimming under 

 the water along the bottom to avoid my 

 catching it, the stream was quite swift, it 

 being ebb-tide. It floated down the stream 

 about 100 yards, but the shore being con- 

 vex it could not pass to the opposite side 

 of the stream. It used its wings as in a 

 flying motion while below the surface of 

 the Avater. My friend, G. O. Slocumb, 

 informs me that he had a similar exper- 

 ience. He shot his bird on the shore of a 

 pond which was about 20 yards across, in 

 his case the bird dove under the water 

 near the whole distance, reappearing on 

 the surface on the other side of the pond. 

 While relating the above to Dr. Marshall 

 of this place, he stated that while on the 

 Newport Marsh recently, lie noticed a 

 Marsh Hawk flying low over the meadow, 

 at the time he liad been watching a Spot- 

 ted Sandpiper upon a mole hill, and as 

 soon as the Sandpiper saw the hawk, al- 

 though at a considerable distance it at 

 once made for the nearest water which it 

 reached not a moment too soon, as. the 

 Hawk swooped down upon it, just as the 

 Sandpiper dove into the water, when the 

 hawk had missed his prey he kept on his 

 course, as soon he had passed, the Sand- 

 piper rose to the surface and sat on the 

 water like a duck, until the hawk was 

 well out of sight, when he regained the 

 land with his accustomed peet-weet, he 

 teetered along as though it was an every 

 day occurrence. Feed. T. Jencks. 



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