THE OOLOGIST 



141 



Breeding Birds of Harrison Co., Texas. 



As there is not much said about the 

 birds that breed in this part of Texas, 

 I beg to submit the following facts 

 regarding the scarcity and abundance 

 of the birds that breed around Mar- 

 shall. 



The Baltimore Oriole was one of 

 the first birds I ever knew, I have 

 found many of their nests and have 

 observed many birds. But have not 

 seen one individual in eight years. 



The Purple Martin would usually 

 come here in the spring in droves of 

 five hundred or more and about one- 

 third of this amount would nest in the 

 same place each year, but as years 

 pass by they decrease in number. 



Chimney Swifts are still plentiful. 

 This year I saw as many as four hun- 

 dred go to roost in the City Hall chim- 

 ney which would take nearly one hour 

 for them to file in, one by one. 



Robins were very scarce here last 

 winter, didn't see but three birds all- 

 together. Have only two records of 

 them breeding here. 



Blackbirds were also scarce last 

 winter. 



R. T. Humming birds — Very plenti- 

 ful this year. 



R. Eyed Vireo — Very plentiful this 

 year. 



Tufted Titmouse — Very common 

 this year. 



Mourning Dove — Very common this 

 year. 



Carolina Chickadee — Very common 

 this year. 



Maryland Yellow-throat — Very com- 

 mon this year. 



Carolina Wren — Very common this 

 year. 



Wood Thrush — Very common this 

 year. 



Bob White — Rather decreasing this 

 year. 



Sparrow Hawk — Rather scarce this 

 year. 



Brown Thrasher — Very scarce this 

 year. 



Red-shouldered Hawk — Common this 

 year. 



Turkey Vulture — Common this year. 



Schreech Owl — Rather scarce this 

 year. 



Cooper's Hawk — Have only one rec- 

 ord of its nesting here. 



Earl E. Moffat. 



From Georgia Again. 



When I wrote you last it was nearly 

 spring. I must tell you what the Geor- 

 gia birds are doing in mid-summer. 1 

 used to take my air gun or 22 rifie 

 when I went into the woods to study 

 the birds, but I enjoy it better since 

 all temptation to take a shot has been 

 removed. I used to watch them and 

 study them from a leafy spot and let 

 me tell you I have taken a peep into a 

 hundred nests. 



I'll tell you about a Yellow-hammer's 

 nest in a hole under a rocky ledge; so 

 many of the boys in the neighborhood 

 knew of the nest. It was robbed six 

 times of whole sets before I began to 

 guard her nest. She at last hatched 

 her brood in the same nest. 



I put a lot of bird houses in the 

 grove about our home but flying squir- 

 rels took possession of them. How- 

 ever,a downy pecked the door of one 

 house until it would admit her, (I 

 made it for Wrens) and was building 

 when she left it, as a family of flying 

 squirrels were in the apartment next 

 door. Two Thrushes and a Pewee 

 built in the oaks about twenty feet 

 high. Great droves of Jays have noisi- 

 ly visited us daily. I take a shot at 

 them for being so saucy sometimes. I 

 fear they will drive our cat birds and 

 Mocking birds away. I haven't seen 

 a Mocking bird's nest this season, but 

 the birds sing in our groves daily. I 

 caught some fine butterflies and moths 

 this summer. 



I love to read THE OOLOGIST. I 

 am just ten years old now, but I am 

 going to be a naturalist. 



Lynn Taylor. 



