264 



THE OOLOGIST. 



hop oa one leg, stretch out cue wing, 

 and try to decoy him after them. 



We could see the Cranes far out on 

 the prairie for the hour or two we were 

 around there, and even after we were 

 out of sight we could hear their loud 

 singing whoops. The Whooping 

 Crane's note seems to be louder and 

 has a more ringing and resonant tone 

 than the Sandhill Crane's voice, which 

 has a rougher, rasping sound. 



But, let us speak of the nest. It was 

 a mass of grass, rushes and reeds about 

 two feet across and eight or ten inches 

 above the water, which at this place 

 was abovtt a foot and a half deep. The 

 water was open for a few feet around 

 the nest, but in most places was grown 

 up with rushes and saw-grass. The 

 nest was so solid that I sat down on it 

 without sinking it into the water. 



The eggs were perfectly fresh. One 

 was a light greenish brown color, spot- 

 ted quite thickly and evenly over the 

 whole surface with brown and buff 

 spots and purplish shell markings. 

 The ground color of the other egg was 

 of a light brownish color, without a de- 

 cided greenish tinge, spotted about the 

 same as the first egg, but with many of 

 the spots confluent at the larger end. 

 They measured 4.06x2.38 and 4.03x2.50, 

 respectively. 



In comparison with a set of two eggs 

 of the Sandhill Crane, they appear pro- 

 portionally longer and narrower, and 

 have a somewhat rougher shell with a 

 few elevations on the shell like little 

 pimples. 



This nest was found in the marshes 

 along the headAvaters of the Iowa riv- 

 er, two or three miles northwest of 

 Hayfield or Madison Junction, Han- 

 cock county, Iowa. 



Rudolph M. Andekson, 



Foi'est City, Iowa. 



Jiily OoLOGiST was the most intere-sting and 

 instructive of tne U O. and O. papers I take. 

 Isador S. Trostler, Omaha, Neb. 



Habits of the American "Woodcock in Ashta- 

 bula Co-, Ohio, 



F. C. HUBBAKD. 



The American Woodcock, Philohelor 

 mi7ior, is a quite common summer resi- 

 dent, but is rapidly diminishing in num- 

 bers, it may be found from March ta 

 October. 



The Woodcock is one of the most, if 

 not the most highly esteemed of oui*- 

 game birds, may be found at almost, 

 any season of the year when the ground 

 is not frozen. The Woodcock during 

 the breeding season frequents the dense- 

 woods even hill sides, but in this case- 

 in the vicinity of water. After the- 

 breeding season they are found in more 

 open wet places, especially at night for 

 their habits are quite nocturnal. Corn- 

 fields, pastures and commons with a 

 rich loamy soil are favorite places of 

 resort after sunset. 



The Woodcock once so common in, 

 this section of Ohio, are fast diminish-. 

 ing, owing to the draining of our bogs, 

 and swampy lands. However, quite a 

 number of these birds breed yearly, 

 and two sets of four eggs each were- 

 taken during the season of '94, by col- 

 lectors in our village. One of the sets. 

 I was fortunate enough to purchase of a, 

 young man, not a very enthusiastic col-- 

 lector. The eggs were collected by the- 

 boy's father four miles from here in the- 

 Grand River valley while on a fishing- 

 excursion. On May 30, 1890, I found 

 two young Woodcocks nearly large- 

 enough to tiy and ti'ied my best to raise 

 them, although they would eat insects, 

 and worms given them (hey soon died-^, 

 probably on account of the lack of 

 nourishing substances not known tome. 

 I have since come to the conclusion, 

 that it is better to leave them in their 

 element than to imprison them, even if 

 they can be raised. 



When disturbed from the nest or the- 

 young are endangered the parent ex-- 



