THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



South Carolina Notes. 



The following note* were made during a 

 two months collecting trip, at St. Helena 

 Islands, and the neighborhood of the 

 "hunting islands," near Port Royal Sound, 

 in Breufort Co., S. C, where 1 arrived on 

 the 4th of March, after a rather boisterous 

 ocean voyage of four days from New York, 

 but felt amply repaid for the various incon- 

 veniences of the trip, by finding a locality 

 fairly teeming with bird life. 



My stay was, of course, not e.xtended 

 enough to take in all the birds which visit 

 the locality, but if the readers of the 

 YouKG OoLOGisT take as much pleasure 

 in reading the notes, as I did while making 

 them, I shall feel fully excused for their 

 incompleteness. 



As there were no boats to be obtained 

 suitable to my purpose of pursuing the 

 water birds. I built me a little scow, nine 

 feet long, and three feet wide amidship, 

 and I found it to be just the thing required 

 for exploring the winding creeks. I could 

 also draw it over the flats and bogs easily, 

 and it proved to be quite seaworthy. I 

 filled the seams and covered the bottom 

 with pitch, making it tight as a cup, and 

 in it I passed some of the pleasantest hours 

 of my life, accompanied onlj' by my trusty 

 16-bore double barreled breech loader, but 

 I find I am wandering from the subject of 

 this article, so will turn to it at once. 



The numbers at the right are the Ridg- 

 way Catalogue numbers. « 



1 Hermit Thrush, 56 ; a single speciman 

 taken on Bay Point, Id. 



2 Robin , 7 ; common in cultivated districts. 



3 Mockingbird, 11 ; exceedingly abund- 

 ant, showing scarcely any fear of man. 



4 Catbird, 12 ; common, but usually 

 kept them.selves well concealed in the 

 thickets. 



5 Brown Thrush, VA : not common, and 

 very shy. 



6 Eastern Bluebird, 32 ; abundant, habits 

 the same as at the north. 



7 Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, 27 ; abundant 

 They were mating by the middle of April, 

 and the males were paying every attention 



to the females. I found them both in the 

 dense thickets and the open woods. 



8 Ruby-crowned Knight, 30 ; a single 

 specimen was shot by my "host," Mr. 

 Cuthbert, and given to me for preservation, 



9 Tufted Titmouse, 36 ; common, but 

 difficult to observe, owing to a knack they 

 had of keeping themselves concealed from 

 view. They had a note almost exactly 

 like the alarm note of the Cardinal Gros- 

 beak. 



10 Carolina Chicadee, 42 ; abundant, 

 exactly filling the place :n the avi-f auna of 

 this locality, that the Black-capped fills 

 north. 



11 Brown-headed Nuthatch, .53 ; abund- 

 ant, found on the tall pines, in the forests 

 and swamps. 



12 Carolina Wren. 60 ; abundant, fre- 

 quenting the sides of creeks and swamps, 

 and each morning treating the listener with 

 one of the most beautiful of bird songs, 

 very tame, one actually came into ray 

 room, and I caught him, and after a 

 thorough examination gave him his liberty. 



13. House Wren, 63 ; not very common, 

 a few seen. 



14 Long-billed Marsh Wren. 67 ; com- 

 mon in the marshes. 



15 American Titlark, 71 : apparantly 

 quite a commom migrant, I shot one to 

 make sure of identification. 



16 Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, 88; 

 common migrant, habits the same as at the 

 north. 



17 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 95 ; com- 

 mon migrant. 



18 White-browed Warbler, 103« ; com- 

 mon. I noticed this bird at once, on hear- 

 ing the curious " chip," and shot, and care- 

 fully identified it. Found on the tallest 

 pines, in rather open woods. 



19 Pine Warbler. Ill ; common, found 

 in same localities with the preceding. 



20 Loggerhead Shrike, 149 ; abundant 

 resident, most always found in pairs near 

 the edges of the cotton fields, and about 

 the hedges and thickets in the more open 

 fields. 



21 Cedar Waxwing, 181 : a few speci- 

 mens seen, but not common during my 

 stay in the locality. 



