THE OOLOGIST. 



89 



A Novice's Note-book, (No. 4). 



Virden, 111., March 2, 1882.— Black- 

 birds have been here in numbers for 

 more than a week. 



The warbling of the robin and 

 the carol of the bluebird can be heard 

 all day. The bluebird sits on the 

 highest limbs of high trees when sing- 

 ing. 



A snipe (probably a killdeer) was 

 heard today, uttering its notes high 

 in the air, the first of the season. 



Ducks still continue to go north- 

 ward in numbers. 



March 4. — Meadow larks arrived in 

 numbers last night. They are very 

 common in the fields. Killdeers also 

 arrived in numbers and are quite 

 common along small ponds. 



Saw the first butcher-bird (logger- 

 head shrike) of the season. It was 

 sitting in a hedge, uttering its coarse 

 notes. 



Also two thrushes, species un- 

 known, in a hedge. 



Saw spotted sandpiper on a small 

 pond. 



March 18. — Saw first barn swallows 

 of the season. They were flying 

 about the ponds in small numbers and 

 have evidently been here several 

 days. 



Saw a jack-snipe. It was probing 

 in the soft mud on the edge of a 

 pond. 



Also the first golden plovers of the 

 season. Several flocks passed over, 

 flying from west to east. 



Saw the first brown thrasher. It 

 was sitting in a hedge about dusk. ' 



Ducks passed over all day in im- 

 mense numbers, going both ways. 



March 19. — A pair of robins are at 

 work on a nest. Both birds assist in 

 building, the male carrying the dried 

 grass and light material, the female 

 carrying mud and doing all the hard 

 work. 



March 21. — Saw the first house 



wren this morning. It was hopping 

 about in a hedge. 



March 22. — The robins are again at 

 work on their nest. They were stop- 

 ped by the rain and cold weather of 

 the past two days, but today resumed 

 work. 



Also saw the second brown 

 thrasher. 



March 25.— Saw the first turtle 

 dove of the season. I heard them 

 several days ago cooing in a nearby 

 orchard, but today the first was seen. 



Found two crows' nests in a maple 

 grove north of town. One of them 

 contained four eggs, the other con- 

 tained five eggs. One of the five was 

 considerably smaller than the others. 

 The crow builds it nest in a large 

 bundle of sticks, about a foot in 

 depth and somewhat more in diame- 

 ter, the cavity for the eggs being 

 about six inches in diameter and near- 

 ly as deep. The nest is lined with 

 the inner fibers of maple bark, horse 

 hair, and any soft substance. Dried 

 grass is also used in constructing the 

 nest. The trees in the grove where 

 the nests were found were small, the 

 highest of the two being not over 

 twenty feet from the ground. The 

 crows made no noise whatever while 

 their nests were being disturbed, and 

 kept out of sight. 



March 26. — The pair of robins have 

 finished their nest, and the female 

 has evidently gone to laying, as she 

 has spent most of the last two days 

 sitting upon the nest. 



Also saw another house wren. 



Cedar birds have all gone away, as 

 none have been seen for about two 

 weeks. 



March 27. — Saw first purple martin 

 of the season. It was flying high in 

 the air, uttering its few notes. 



Also saw several American creep- 

 ers during the day. 



When the bluebird first appeared, 

 it frequented the tops of tall trees, 



