268 



THB OOLChHST 



Pied Billed Grebe. 



While not breeding in as large colo- 

 nies as other Grebes, the little "Dob- 

 chick" or Pied-billed Grebe, is more 

 evenly distributed throughout its 

 range. 



Expert at diving, their home is on 

 the water. Rarely coming on land, 

 and then their progress is very awk- 

 ward. Diving at the flash of a gun, 

 and appearing a few feet away, they 

 defie the hunter who thinks he has an 

 easy target. 



The nests are floating piles of de- 

 cayed rushes and mud brought from 

 the bottom. They are always wet 

 and sometimes the eggs are in water, 

 but they generally hatch. When the 

 parent is away, they are covered with 

 a wet mass of rushes. 



From five to eight eggs compose the 

 set, but the usual number is six. Nest- 

 ing begins during the latter part of 

 May. Alex Walker. 



Armour, S. Dak. 



plications for such rewards should be 

 addressed to Professor C. F. Hodge, 

 Worcester, Mass. 



The Golden Eagle. 



While in California we had the 

 pleasure of viewing a Golden Eagle's 

 nest with the eggs therein. This nest 

 was photographed and in due time an 

 article will be published and giving a 

 history of not only this nest, but of 

 other nests and of a series of the eggs 

 of this most remarkable bird. There 

 are individual matters relating to this 

 particular bird which are peculiar to 

 themselves and of which a record 

 should be made. 



The Passenger Pigeon. 

 The reward of $1,000 for the discov- 

 ery and reporting of an undisturbed 

 nest with parent, eggs or young of 

 the Passenger Pigeon has been ex- 

 tended to October 31, 1912, as have also 

 been a number of other minor re- 

 wards. This is a good thing. All ap- 



California Mountain Quail in the East. 



"Last season a farmer reported 

 eight strange birds around his farm. 

 I did not think much of it at the time, 

 but again this season, a week ago, 1 

 once more met the farmer, and he 

 spoke of the birds again. He said there 

 were now eighteen of them and they 

 resembled small grouse. I told him 

 to shoot one, which he did, and he 

 brought it in for me to identify. I was 

 much astonished to find it to be a Cal- 

 ifornia Mountain Quail. To my know- 

 ledge this is the first time these birds 

 have bred east of the Rockies." We 

 know of no case where they have. — • 

 (Ed.) Carl F. Wright. 



Auburn, N. Y. 



Do Birds Ever Fight to Death? 



While driving up the street in Santa 

 Ana one day I passed a pair of Ari- 

 zona Hooded Orioles fighting. As they 

 did not seem to give up after I had 

 gone by a little way, I stopped, ran 

 back to where they lay, fluttering and 

 tumbling, and picked them up. They 

 had a firm hold of each other, and did 

 not seem aware of my presence until 

 I had them in my hands, when they 

 made a vain effort to escape. 



I doubt their being able to fly if I 

 had released them, for one of them 

 held the wing of the other so firmly 

 that I had to secure help to release it. 

 They had pecked one another till one 

 eve was bleeding and nearly closed. 



After holding them a little while, I 

 let them go. They flew into a walnut 

 tree nearby. I never learned if they 

 had any more fights, but I believe this 

 must have been the death of one or 

 both had no one interfered. 



John L. Xichols. 

 Santa Ana, Cal. 



