THE YOUKG OOLOGIST. 



35 



I climbed up about fifteen feet in the main 

 fork, when the distance from where I stood 

 was to far for me, not knowing what to 

 do, I happened to think of the chisel and 

 hammer that were in my pocket. I ap 

 plied tlie use of these, cut a foot-hold in 

 the body of the tree and soon was within 

 a few feet of the nest. No sooner did I 

 looli over the edge of tlie nest, than two 

 young Great Horned Owls flew to the op- 

 posite side of the stream while the third one 

 sat still, not willing to leave, with ruffed 

 feathers and out-spread wings he offered 

 fight, but soon left him hanging by his 

 claws on the outer limbs of the tree. In 

 the nest was the body of a Grebe, which 

 the young owls had not been able to de- 

 vour. 



Again I was uu my road, after walking 

 through thick growths of trees, I at last 

 reached the road, this I followed, it led me 

 to an open field where I could see down 

 the creek for half a mile, when I spied a 

 nest, darkly outlined against the distant 

 hills, this I started for and was soon mak- 

 ing my way through a large patch of hazel 

 bush, when at some distance a Red-tailed 

 Hawk tlew out from the nest. The 

 nest was placed in a black walnut tree, 

 about forty feet from the ground ; by the 

 aid of a sapling that grew up the side of the 

 walnut tree, I reached the nest, it was but 

 slightly hollowed and contained three eggs, 

 unlike the set of three that I had taken but 

 a few days before, but very near pure 

 white with the exception of a few reddish 

 dots around the larger end. and incubation 

 was far advanced. I packed them safely 

 first in a collecting box and climbed 

 down. I brought them safely to the 

 ground and started on. 



The sun was fast working its down- 

 ward course, warning me that it was time 

 to go home. I did not waste any more 

 time in looking about, knowing the long 

 distance I had to go required time. I 

 reached home at dusk, with sore and bleed- 

 ing wrists, tired but yet pleased with my 

 afternoon's collecting. G. F. B. 



Beattie, Kansas. 



From Pennsylvania. 



I have been taking the YiJrxG Oologist 

 since March, 1885, and like it very much. 

 The ilay number is very interesting and of 

 great help to amateur ornithologists. I 

 think a law putting a reward on the head 

 of the English Sparrow, the only solution 

 of the mj-stery, but we can do much to- 

 wards keeping the pests down, l)y killing 

 the old birds, destroying nests, etc. 



Jlay 17, 1884, took a clutch of eight 

 Rough-winged Sw'allows' eggs, and on 

 June 3 a clutch containing six. Both sets 

 were fresh. The two nests were placed 

 about three feet from each other, in cavi- 

 ties of their own making, in a sand bank, 

 where a road had been cut through. It 

 was over one hundred yards to water. I 

 caught the female on the second nest and 

 held her in my hand until I finished ex- 

 amining her. 



May 28, 1882, and June 3, 1884, found 

 the Coupen-bird's egg in the nest of the Or- 

 chard Oriole. 



In the spring of 1884 found the nest of 

 the Purple Grackle in an old pear tree, in 

 a hole excavated by a Flicker, containing 

 four large young. U. 6. G., 



Lancaster, Pa. 



Kingbirds Using Nests of Other Birds. 



About two years ago a pair of Black- 

 birds made a nest in an oak tree near our 

 house. I watched them and when they 

 had laid their eggs I climbed up and took 

 two ; there were six eggs in the nest. The 

 birds went on sitting as though nothing had 

 happened, and hatched out the remaining 

 four. After the Blackbirds had left the 

 nest I noticed some Kingbirds going to the 

 same nest. I watched them for a few days 

 and then concluded that they had appro- 

 priated it for their own use; so I climbed 

 up, and sure enough there were four eggs. 

 Thej' had put feathers and straw in it and 

 fixed it all up new. I would like to know 

 if this is a common habit of the Kingbird. 

 E. G. M., 

 San Ramon, Cal. 



