THE OOLOGIST. 



135 



eggs are shaped like quails (Colinis 

 virginanus) and this along would serve 

 to identify them from the immaculate 

 ovate shaped eggs of the Long-bill, 

 should the bird be absent, which is 

 hardly probable. 



The Marsh Wren can be heard sing- 

 ing at any hour of the night as well 

 as day, no matter whether it be clear 

 or moonlight, overcast or cloudy, such 

 a restless sprite of the marsh is he 

 that he can not or will not be quiet. 

 The song heard on a quiet night, 

 mingled with the hoarse croakings of 

 frogs, the squawks of Nycticorax and 

 the weird, quivering screech of Meg- 

 ascorps, seem to possess a certain un- 

 explainable charm, quite unlike and 

 different from when heard in the day- 

 time. This is perhaps a fallacy due 

 to the quietness of the night and like 

 the night song of the Chat, seems dif- 

 ferent than it usually is on account of 

 the surroundings, etc. Whether it per- 

 forms its aerial song or ecstasy flight 

 during the night I have never been 

 able to ascertain. 



The food of the Marsh Wren con- 

 sists of insects, their eggs and larvae, 

 which they find in abundance in the 

 marsh. Have seen them devour and 

 feed their young caterpillars of a 

 white moth about an inch in 

 length, that are quite common in the 

 marsh. 



The Long-billed Marsh Wrens de- 

 part for the south in October, by the 

 twentieth they are gone, except, per- 

 haps a straggler. 



The foregoing observations, incom- 

 plete though they are, constitute my 

 experience with this active, erratic 

 and restless bird, which will some day 

 perhaps be completed. 



(Concluded). 



R. F. MILLER. 



Ordinary natural heat in any de- 

 gree effects incubation but little in 

 birds' eggs in our climate. 



I have seen two sets of eight and 

 one of ten eggs. 



There is no difficulty in distinguish- 

 ing between immaculate sets of 

 Long-bill and the eggs of the Short- 

 bill Marsh Wren. 



I have never seen an entire im- 

 maculate set of Long-bill, but the odd 

 eggs I have examined differed much 

 in shade of color and appearance. — 

 Ed. 



From Warren Co., Penn. 



Mr. E. H. Short: 



Dear Sir: — I have read with much 

 interest the notes on the Solitary 

 Sandpiper in Summer in Penna. 



Here is Northewestern Pennsylva- 

 nia, although the original forest of 

 pine and hemlock is badly cut off and 

 has given place to mixed second 

 growth, brush and barrens, we still 

 have many of the more northern 

 breeders. 



The Magnolia Warbler is a quite 

 common breeder and although in the 

 woods but little this spring, I saw 

 fully a dozen nests. The Black-throat- 

 ed, Green, Canadian, Chestnut-sided 

 Warblers and Redstarts, Junco, R. B. 

 Grosbeak, Purple Finch ami Savanna 

 Sparrow all breed regularly, while the 

 Solitary Vireo, Wilson's, Hermit and 

 Olive-backed Thrushes, Mourning, 

 Black-throated, Blue, and Blackburn- 

 ian Warblers and Winter Wren are 

 regular breeders, but are scarcer. 



I have the eggs of the Brown Creep- 

 er, and occasionally find a pair in 

 summer. Also have the nest and eggs 

 of the Olive-sided Flycatcher, which 

 occurs in this region in the mountains 

 as a rare summer resident. 



The Crossbill is still found here in. 

 summer in the heavy forests of hem- 

 lock and possibly breeds. I have 

 found several nests of Yellow-bellied 

 Woodpecker high up in tall stubs 

 and inaccessible to me. Have also 

 noted the Pine Siskin in summer and 

 this past season in Clearfield county. 



