THE OOLOGIST. 



of trees but directly to the old nest, 

 so furnishing a double nest. My note- 

 book shows the full description. 



On going to collect a set of Red- 

 breasted Nuthatche June 4th, '05, in 

 Taylor county, Wis., I followed a trail 

 which goes about one mile from my 

 house, along a very peaked ridge. 

 To both sides of the trail the hill 

 slopes very steeply for 60 feet down 

 into the low land, somewhat swampy. 

 This ridge is thinly grown with high 

 poplars or aspen, while between those 

 there is a heavy growth of balsam, 

 hemlock and hazel, mostly theformer, 

 and so thick that it is very difficult to 

 pass through without cutting about 

 with a hunting axe, like a madman. 

 This heavy growth is from 1 to 6 feet 

 high. When passing, I heard the 

 notes of my favorite Black-throat, 

 which I knew from last year. I start- 

 ed to go and look for their last year's 

 nest and hoped to find the new site 

 near it when, escorted by the singing 

 male, I saw the female flying with a 

 piece of inner bark into the same 

 little balsam, where they reared four 

 little babes last year. I went my way 

 without interfering in the least. The 

 tenth, I went on purpose to see how 

 they were advancing with their work. 

 I was astonished to find the new nest 

 finished (snugly embedded to the old 

 one) and containing one egg. Again 

 I visited it June 12 to find it to contain 

 3 fine typical eggs with large clear 

 markings. I made up my mind to 

 wait a few days more, and then col- 

 lect set and nest as a rarity for my 

 collection. 



You will understand my suspicions 

 when on returning to the place June 

 14, I listened in vain for the cheery 

 kee-kee-kee (as I translate the note) 

 of my little friend. I expected that 

 something had happened. On hasten- 

 ing to the nest I saw the lining all 

 pulled out of order, two or three eggs 

 all broken up, were thrown on the 



ground, also several pieces of shells 

 were laying in the nest and only one 

 of the fine set was spared. It lay in 

 one of the big dry leaves that stick 

 at the side of the nest. I searched a 

 long time for a trace of the birds 

 along the ridge, but in vain, no Black- 

 throat to be heard or seen. I am en- 

 tirely uncertain with what fate they 

 met. 



Well, I took the remaining egg, 

 measured the height of the nest (it 

 was 17 inches above the ground) cut 

 it off and returned still reflecting what 

 could have happened to the birds. 



As you will see, the nest is built 

 between the two pencil sized branches, 

 the one a tiny 2-ft. high balsam fir, 

 the other a very scanty little hemlock. 

 It was very close to a trail used by 

 two and four legged creatures of var- 

 ious kinds. The material used in con- 

 structing the nest is the inner bark of 

 the aspen, which comes off in great 

 quantity from dead branches. The 

 egg I still have. It was fresh. 

 Yours very truly, 



E. J. DIETRICH, 

 Perkinstown, Wis. 



We give a half tone of this nest 

 on another page. The lower, or old 

 nest, was dark colored, flattened and 

 weather-worn, and the new nest eas- 

 ily distinguished. 



The dark line in the picture shows 

 the juncture of the two nests. 



The nest wag probably disturbed by 

 Red Squirrels, who are the usual ma- 

 rauders in these cases. 



It is not uncommon for Robins to 

 build on top of old nests and many 

 Swallows, Hawks and Crows reline 

 and use old nests, but our smaller 

 song birds rarely do this. One of the 

 rarest instances I remember was a 

 Redstart's nest in a deserted Vireo's 

 nest. — Editor. 



Mr. C. F. Stone, of Yates, N. Y., re- 

 ports two nests of Ruby-throat Hum- 

 mer built on remains of last year's 

 nests. 



