172 



THE OOLOGIST. 



marks occur they are all at the small 

 end. 



There are three form-tj'pes. pear- 

 shaped; oval; suljspherical. The ma- 

 jority have the I'ounded form. 



The largest egg measures 3.15x1.51: 

 the smallest 1.72x1.43; average 1.83x1.5. 

 Most of the sets were complete, pro- 

 bah]j about May 20. Earliest date May 

 14th, latest, June 7th (incubation well 

 begun). 



The nests were mainly rather rude, 

 of medium fine sticks. Most were bark 

 lined and leafy-twig adorned. Adven- 

 titious down was usually found. The 

 nesting situs was, mainly, snug to the 

 trunk, seldom higher than the middle 

 boughs, normally flattish and laid on 

 semi-horizontal branches, mostly on 

 comparatively small trees in the denser 

 woods and seldom more than twenty- 

 live feet up. As to the sites being near 

 water, in case of ou?- birds, it couldn't 

 well have been otherwise. 



Most birds were bold, and noisy, 

 near the nest. There seemed a tenden- 

 cy to cling to the empty cradle, when 

 incubation had begun. Nests were sel- 

 dom reoccupied, but localities were ap- 

 parently revisited yearly. With us, the 

 Broad-wings love to soar, by day, mak- 

 ing the air ring with their cries. As to 

 their food, by dissection, I cannot tell, 

 — my geese lay golden eggs. By obser- 

 vation, I cannot tell. The everlasting 

 number of the exactions of professional 

 life sets a rigid bound to the love for 

 field study that burns in the heart of the 

 enthusiastic naturalist. 



P. B. Peabodt, 

 Wilder, Minn. 



Wilson's Snipe. 



To a certain class of western sports- 

 men whose hunting grounds lie in the 

 immediate vicinity of the cities, spring 

 will bring no more welcome ))ird than 

 that familiarly known as the Jack 

 Snipe. 



Considering that it is a wading bird 

 it finds its way into Minnesota rather 

 early: generally following the first few 

 flights of ducks. Often a return of cold 

 weather freezes the wet ground to 

 which they commonly resort, yet they 

 weather it out and manage to obtain 

 subsistence. The last of April will find 

 them most common just before the 

 mass of them move northward. 



Many accounts report them as breed- 

 ing north of the State, I know not why, 

 for this bird is certainly not an over 

 rare nester in the vicinity of Minnea- 

 polis. 



That twilight chant, characteristic of 

 the breeding season is commonly heard 

 over some of the meadows which I am 

 accustomed to pass on my journeys in 

 pursuit of birds. I have called it a 

 chant for want of a better name. It is 

 a continual whispering sound made 

 while the bird is circling about far up 

 over its selected home, and might read- 

 ily impress one as being made by the 

 wings. Nuttall aptly desci'ibes it when 

 he likens it to the "sound produced by 

 quickly and interuptedly blowing into 

 the neck of a large bottle" and adds 

 that "this note is probably produced by 

 an undulatory motion of air in the 

 throat while in the act of whirling flight 

 and, appears most distinct, as the Snipe 

 descends toward the ground." Mj^ other 

 available accounts either say that it is 

 made by the wings, or give no theories, 

 whatever. 



Dai'k, misty, or rainy days are some- 

 times favorable for this performance, 

 and I have even heard it in the middle 

 of a bright May afternoon, but it gener- 

 ally takes place early in the morning or 

 late at evening when darkness sh;ides 

 the bird. Your attention cannot but 

 be attracted to it should you pass his 

 home at nightfall, for it alone breaks 

 the silence after the notes of the song- 

 sters have died awa,y. 



About eight _yeai's ago I frightened a 

 bird up from her nest at the edge of a 



