THE OOLOGIST. 



211 



returned and then started on our tramp 

 to the Heronry Avhich we soon reached. 



Only a few tall trees were occupied 

 by the Great BlucHerous, but those few 

 counted, as we saw thirteen nests in one 

 tree and less numbers in the rest, in iiU 

 about tifty nests. 



Being very tired myself, I tried to 

 bribe Ike to climb up to a nest which 

 was about 70ft. up but he said he Avas 

 very comfortable Avhere he was, so up I 

 started. After a hard climb I reach the 

 nest and found it to contain five large 

 blue eggs. Encouraged by this, I put 

 mj' hand into another nest but took it 

 out very quickly, (a young Heron tried 

 to swallow my finger.) I took several 

 sets of eggs but many nests were already 

 occupied by j-oungbii'ds. 



The first set I found had no doubt 

 been left when fresh as they were cold 

 and as a dead female Heron was lying 

 under the tree no doubt that she had 

 been. shot by some one who happened 

 along. 



While I was packing our treasures in 

 the box, Geoi'ge shot a Turkey Vulture, 

 a number of which were flying high in 

 the air above the Heronry. 



I did not know that the Buzzard bred 

 this far north and west and so I was 

 greatly surprised to find three nests, 

 one in a hollow log and two others in 

 hollow trees near by. 



After packing the Buzzards' nests we 

 started back to where we had left the 

 fisherman, stopping only to pick a good 

 mess of Mushrooms which we found 

 very plentiful near the water. 



After a ride in the boat of an hour 

 and a walk of anotlier hour we reached 

 the motor line and sped hoini; as fast as 

 electricity could carry us. 



I aft(!i\vards took three eggs from 

 Broad-winged Hawk's nest mentioued. 



ISADOR S. Tl{OSTLEK, 



Omaha, Mel). 



Acadian Flycatcher. 

 EmpidoYMX. acadicus. 



This spirited and somewhat eccentric 

 little Flycatcher, otherwise known as 

 the Little Green-crested, is said to take 

 up its summer abode anywhere through- 

 out eastern United States, the Missis- 

 sippi Valley and as far west as Kansas. 



Arriving in the vicinity of Baltimore 

 sometime in the secoud week in May, 

 by the last of the month it is quite com- 

 mon in low wet woods, along the wood- 

 ed banks of slow-flowing streams, shady 

 mill-races, and in short any place Avhere 

 there are low drooping limbs, little un- 

 der brush, and water, for which it 

 seems to have the strongest attachment 

 doubtless because of the fact that in- 

 sects generally abound in the quiet 

 Avater. 



It is soon bethinking itself of a nest- 

 ing site which will l)e in one of the 

 places just named and very probably 

 overhanging some mill-race, even if it 

 is an unused one in Avhich the rain wat- 

 er stands in puddles only. By the 

 second week in June the first nests have 

 been built and in this locality about the 

 middle of the month it is the best time 

 to collect their eggs. 



The nest, hung by the rim from the 

 extremity of a slender drooping limb 

 anywhere from three to eighteen feet 

 from the ground, is a structure of rus- 

 tic beautj', a bunch of oak catkins loose- 

 ly and rather carelessly put together 

 decked with spider cocoons or beach 

 bud-.scales and lined with line round 

 weed stems, or occasionally composed 

 almost entirely of either weed stems or 

 oak catkins, and measuring some three 

 inches in exterior diameter by two high, 

 interior diameter three and three-fourths 

 inches by one and one-fourth deep. 

 One nest found this season, June 15th 

 was compo.sed abnost entirely of fine 

 grasses and lined witii perfectly green 

 seed heads of grass, giving it a very 

 unique appearance, and was so .slightly 



