14 



THE OOLOGIST. 



As this was rather early for nests, we 

 did not expect to find much in that 

 line, but succeeded in getting a set of 

 four well incubated crows eggs, which 

 were successfully blown. 



We found a nest of the Phoebe on a 

 beam under a bridge and were anxious 

 to know what was in it; but in order 

 to get to it one would have to climb out 

 on the beam hand over hand. After 

 looking at it for some time one of our 

 party volunteered to climb to it, or 

 rather to try to. He succeeded in get- 

 ting nearly there — he could almost 

 reach it — but, "so near and yet so far." 

 Once out there he could not get back; 

 he was all tired out and there was only 

 one thing he could do — to drop in the 

 creek. He did so, and w^as neither 

 drowned or hurt, as he lit in soft mud 

 about a foot deep. After the rest of us 

 had tried our climbing abilities, he was 

 ready to make another attempt, and 

 this time succeeded in reaching the 

 nest, which was found to contain two 

 pearly white eggs, which wo left. 



While we were eating our lunch a 

 number of Belted Kingtishers kept Hy- 

 ing joast and we decided to get one if 

 possible. After they had Hown past 

 scvereal times one lit in a tree not far off 

 and our adventurer the one who dropped 

 from the bridge succeeded in shooting 

 it, but it fell on the other side of the 

 creek and there was no bridge within a 

 mile's walk. He said he would not 

 leave it there so he waded across in 

 frigid water and the next day was re- 

 warded by a severe cold. 



After we had gone a couple of miles 

 farther on a small bird Hew to a bush 

 directly in front of us. It appeared to 

 be something new and one of the guns 

 was quickly put into use which brought 

 him down. It was found to be a parti- 

 ally Albino Field Sparrow {Spizella 

 jmsiUa) having fhe pinkish bill of the 

 Field Sparrow, and othei-wise answer- 

 ing its description with the exception 

 that it had a white head. 



But our luck didn't end here. We 

 had nearly reached the Glen and were 

 gazing in the distance for the wagon 

 that was to convey us home, when a 

 Summer Redbird {Pirnga rubra) rare 

 in these parts, suddenly Hew up in 

 front of us, and it was not long before it 

 too, was placed in a paper cone and 

 was packed in a knapsack. We consid- 

 ered this a prize alone worth our day's 

 tramp. 



At the glen we met the one who was 

 to take us home, who is also a bird en- 

 thusiast. He displayed a Pine Creeping 

 Warbler {Dendroica pinus) as the result 

 oi his two hour's hijnt. This bird is 

 rather new to this state; at any rate 

 some of our prominent ornithologists 

 do not mention it in their catalogues. 

 In Coues' description of this bird, he 

 calls special attention to the fact that 

 the ' 'tail blotches are contiued to two 

 outer pairs of feathers." Our bird had 

 three outer pairs of tail-blotches; but it 

 was sent to the government ornitholog- 

 ist, and other competent authorities, 

 who positively identified it as the Pine 

 Creeping war])ler. Of four or five 

 specimens ol^tained during the season 

 no two were alike. 



After viewing our friend's prize we 

 relieved ourselves of our luggage — re- 

 freshed ourselves at the spring, and 

 were ready for more worlds to conquer, 

 when a Lark Yinch {Cho7idestes gram- 

 niacus) lit in a tree not far off; one of 

 our party succeeded in wounding it, 

 and after chasing it around for some 

 time captured it. Not a very common 

 bird around there. 



As we were going home we saw sev- 

 eral Cave Swallows that had arrived 

 from their winter quarters sometime 

 during the day. We also saw the chim- 

 ney swallows for the first time in the 

 season; but I am told they arrived a 

 day or two before. 



Chas. E. Cram, • 

 Burlington, Iowa.' 



