THE OOLCMxlST. 



63 



tie to stand anything. You can often 

 save large heavy sht^lled eggs when in 

 the most advanced stages of incubation 

 by squirting a strong solution of this 

 solvent into the egg and shaking it up 

 occasionally. In extreme cases it may 

 be nert ssary to remove one dose and re- 

 peat the performance. 



In conclusion, never forget the im- 

 portance of correct identification and 

 complete data and don't ever drill two 

 holes in one egg. 



Now a word about packing eggs for 

 mail. If you have only a few small 

 eggs a round tin box will do, but it is 

 best to wrap a strip of pasteboard or 

 the corrugated paper made for this 

 purpose around the box inside the 

 wrapping paper. For large lots cigar 

 boxes are best, but be sure to see that 

 all corners are tight and headline the 

 ends if the cover shuts inside. In very 

 large cigar boxes a partition through 

 the center is desirable, but be sure to 

 nail it well or it is worse than none. 



Wrap each egg separately in cotton, 

 the looser in texture the better. Don't 

 use sheet wadding, it is too liable to al- 

 low eggs to slip. In any case be sure 

 to wrap in such a way that the egg will 

 not slip out endways Never lay eggs 

 in loose layers. Pack as snug as is 

 safe. Too loose packing is even worse 

 than too tight. Never wind thread 

 around your eggs It's all right from 

 your point of view but is a great 

 nuisance to the party who unpacks 

 them, and often results in a few broken 

 eggs in spite of the greatest care. 



One of the Cranks. 



American Crossbills. 



I send the Oologist a few notes on 

 American Crossbills which have been 

 quite common in this village since my 

 arrival. During the latter part of Feb- 

 ruary I noticed several Crossbills feed- 

 ing in the barnyard where I am staying. 

 In order to pick up the grain on which 



the birds were feeding it was necessary 

 for them to twist their heads sideways 

 and lay their bills lengthwise on the 

 ground. 



They were common about the village 

 until about the 5th of March after 

 which date I occasionally saw a pair. 

 Thinking that they might possibly 

 breed near here, in some of the conifer- 

 ous forests, I purposely visited a wood- 

 ed hill surrounded by marshy woods 

 thickly studded with low spruce, cedar 

 and hemlock. 



Half way up the slope I came across 

 a flock composed cl iefly of males. 

 They were quite noisy being actively 

 engaged feeding on the cones of a 

 group of spruce trees. I suppose there 

 were 75 of them. I searched in vain 

 for their nests, the only habitation of 

 any note that I came across being two 

 nests in the thick spruce trees. These 

 nests were evidently recently complet- 

 ed and were arched over, the entrance 

 being a hole in the side. They were 

 composed of moss, lichens, grasses and 

 birch bark, bits of these materials hang- 

 ing from the limb. They may have 

 been squirrels' nests but I was not 

 aware that squirrels built their nests in 

 spring time. 



I have never seen a publication con- 

 taining a description of a Crossbill's 

 nest but I should think that a bird nest- 

 ing at this date would roof its nest in 

 order to keep out the snow. 



I hope to be able to send you some 

 interesting notes on the breeding of the 

 Crossbills, as they evidently do breed 

 here. Hoping that these notes may be 

 of use and that they will draw forth 

 others on the habits of this little known 

 bird, I remain, 



Yours truly, 



Levtis M. Tebrill, 



Bury, Ont. 



[The few nests of the Crossbill that 

 have been recorded were not covered 

 though very warmly built. Notice the 

 early nests of the Prairie Horned Larks 

 also.— Ed.] 



