16 



THE OOLOGIHT. 



come through thi' broken wing, but 

 could not believe it. The tliroat I think 

 was then tilled with elots of l)loo(l. I 

 l)Iu<;ged the liollow bone and it died.ini- 

 med lately. I preserved the wing bones 

 after cooking and find a free passage of 

 air from wing to hmgs. 



The Mock of Swans passed along 

 southward for two miles tner land and 

 were seen by ths farmei's apparently in 

 great trouble, when one separated out 

 and started back while the others circl- 

 ed around and waited. That single 

 bird came back calling every moment, 

 but passed east out of hearing over the 

 Delaware Bay. About one-fourth of 

 an hour after we heard him coming 

 again from the north cm the same migra- 

 tory passage made l)y the whole Hock 

 passing directly' over mj' head calling 

 cA'ery moment; but very high up. I 

 answered the call and he made one 

 circle around us and left; I have read 

 they never mate Ijut once, who knows? 

 Geo. L. Stevens, 

 Lincoln, Delawatie. 



A Query and Answer. 



Last spring while in the woods I 

 found a nest of the Least Flycatrher 

 {Empidoiiax Mhiiinns,) situated in a 

 maple aliout twelve feet up with a ^oov 

 over four of its eggs neatly laid in, but 

 .so thin that they could be seen through 

 oaisly. The nest was as neatly shaped 

 inside as though there was nothing in 

 the under part. It was apparently ile- 

 serted — there was no eggs in upper 

 part. The question is did the owners 

 of the eggs put the Hoor in or did some 

 other bird do it and what for? Anyone 

 who can give me any infoi-mation on 

 the subject, 1 should like to hear from 

 them through the columns of The Oo- 

 LOGiST. In regard to the blackbird 

 query given in the November Oologist 

 my opinion is this: that the place that 

 the gentlemen observed them lies Ix'- 

 tween a favorite roosting and 



feeding ground, and as to the particu- 

 lar date I think is owing to some kind 

 of food which at the particular date of 

 which he mentions, becomes at the 

 state of maturity in which they like it 

 best. Where I used to hunt, (StClair 

 Flats near the Thames Lighthouse,) I 

 used to observe immense flocks of 

 blackbirds passing the dumny light- 

 house going southward in the morning, 

 returning northwai'd at night. 



A. W. Hanaford, 

 Grand Rapids, Mich. 

 ["Floors" are frequently jilaced in 

 nests, in those of the Yellow Warl)ler 

 in particular, but usually, in order to 

 cover up eggs of the Cowbird. Ed.] 



A Ferocious Eagie. 



On the 28 of Nov. 1889, not far from 

 this place, a farmer's 9-year-old son 

 saw a strange looking bird attack a 

 l)eautiful Peacock; the boy seized a 

 club, i-an up and struck the bird a stun- 

 ning bloAv on the head, which caused 

 the bird to release its hold on the Pea- 

 cock. 



In maddened fury it turned upon 

 the boy and after a brief struggle suc- 

 ceeded in fastening one of its talons in 

 the boy's trousers; a dog that come to 

 to assist in the struggle, was seized by 

 the tail with the other talon; then the 

 bird tried to ascend, but on account of 

 its heavy Ijurden Avas delayed. Tlie 

 father was attracted Ijy the cries of the 

 boy and hoAvls of the dog, appealed on 

 the .scene at this critical. moment, and 

 dealt the bird a heavy blow, breaking 

 its wing, which caused it to loosen its 

 hold on both the boy and dog. After 

 which they succeeded in capturing the 

 bird. 



The l)ird ])roved to be a Black or 

 Bald Eagle which measured about 9 ft. 

 from tip to tip. 



H. E. FiSCHEK, 



Prairie Du Lac, wis. 



