104 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Dui-iug the next few tl:i3-s Ave, sue 

 oeeiled in taking tliree nmi-c sets of eggs, 

 two of two eggs e;u;h anil one of tliree. 

 One of these sets comes from Hog 

 Island, the other two from the Skim- 

 mer colony visited on the 18th, the set 

 containing three eggs being found with- 

 in a few yards of the first nest. 



All the eggs were fresh in spite of the 

 late date, the set-back being due to 

 tlie depredations of the eggei'S, a party 

 of whom had pitched a camp near the 

 Skimmer colony and were robbing the 

 nests daily, and a clean sweep they 

 made too, for, although we went over 

 the ground carefully, we could find no 

 more than one or two eggs in a nest. 



Alth<nigh three was our largest set, 

 we were informed bj' Capt. C. H. 

 Crumb, of the Life Saving Station, and 

 a th(n()Ugh ornithologist, that he had 

 collected a number of sets of four diu-- 

 ing the past few years and, in his 

 oi)inion, full sets of the first laying 

 usually consist of three or four eggs. 



In hunting for the nest we at first 

 tried following up the birds' tracks, but 

 they crossed and recrossed each othcn- 

 in such confusicni that we soon ga\'e it 

 u]i and trusted to luck. Watching the 

 parents would .seem equally futile, for, 

 like most species laying on the open 

 sand, these birds leave their nest un- 

 covered during the greater part of the 

 (la3', trusting to the sun's Avarmth to 

 incubate the eggs, a duty for AVJiich the 

 .s(>orching rays are am])ly competent 

 and, as we tramped over the burning 

 sand, we only woudered thai the eggs 

 were not baked on the spot. 



This spriug Ave hope to i)ay a longer 

 A'isit to the haunts of the Sea ('row, 

 when, po-ssibly, a more thorough search 

 may add .somewhat to our knowledge 

 of the haljits of tliis interesting, if 

 someA\ liat eccentric, character. 



Theoboke W. Rich.\ki)s, 



Washington, D. ('. 



The Prairie Horned Lark. 



Sets of Five E<iGS. 



Mr. Ernest Short, in the Fel)ruary 

 number of the Oologist, a.s^ks if any of 

 of its readers have ever found a nest of 

 the Prairie Horned Lark containing 

 five eggs. 



I Avould like to state that 1 fountl a 

 nest containing five eggs on May 28, 

 1889. From appearanc-«'s I thought that 

 she had been sitting some time. I 

 didn't disturb the nest or eggs. 



Close to tile nnjther bird, avIio was 

 sitting on the uest, Avere four young' 

 birds, Avhich Avere, Avithout a doubt, her 

 first bro(jd, for they Hew away with bcr- 

 when I disturlied her. 



Did any of the Oologist's reader.'^ 

 ever n(itice anything like that? 



Geouge L. W^hite, 

 Livingston Co., N. Y. 



[A set of five eggs of the Prairie 

 Horned l^ark was taken in June, 1888, 

 by Ezi'a J. Botsfm'd, of Medina. Also 

 see description of set No. 1 by p]. (J. 

 Tabor, beloAv. — Assoc. Eo.] 



IN CAVl GA COUNTY. 



In ansAver to an article on the above 

 named bird by Ernest Sliort, of Monroe 

 county, N. Y., allow me to say I have 

 found three nests of this bird as folloAvs: 



Nest No. 1, contained five fresh eggs. 

 Nest on ground al the foot (jf a groAving- 

 hill of corn; made of gra.ss, roots and 

 lined Avith dry grass blades. Ftjund 

 Avhile cultivating corn. Had three eggs 

 in at time of finding. Nest and eggs 

 taken June 14, 18SG. 



Nest No. 2, containt-<I tlu-ec eggs. 

 Incubation oiie-thirtl advanced. Laid 

 by same bird as No. 1, in neighbor's 

 corn tiehl across the road from ours. 

 Avhere No. 1 Avas found. Nest and 

 situation the same as liefore. Date of 

 collection July 8, 1880. 



Nest No. o, contained three young, 

 nearly ready to leave the nest, Avhich 

 was placed in a meadoAv and was foun,| 



