THE OOLOGIST. 



139 



A Novice's Note-Book — No. 5. 



Virden, Illinois, April 20, 1882 — 

 Kingbirds appeared today, several be- 

 ing seen on the telegraph wires along 

 the railroad in town. 



April 21. — Several wood thrushes 

 were seen about the hedges near 

 town. 



April 22.— The first Baltimore Ori- 

 ole appeared. It was uttering its 

 notes in the top of a maple tree in 

 town. 



April 25. — Yellow warblers appear- 

 ed in numbers. Saw a pair of king- 

 fishers along the creek near town. 

 Also sand martins or bank swallows 

 along the creek, digging out holes in 

 the high clay banks. 



April 28. — Maryland yellowthroats 

 appeared in numbers. They are very 

 common along the hedges. The cat- 

 bird appeared, the first being seen 

 about dusk in town. 



April 29. — Found a nest of the 

 chickadee or black-cap titmouse, in a 

 hole in a post along the railroad. It 

 was composed of rabbit hair woven to- 

 gether, forming a very snug and cozy 

 nest. It contained six eggs, of a 

 white color, finely dotted with reddish 

 brown. Also saw another pair of 

 chickadees excavating a hole in a 

 fence post in town. In both instances 

 the hole was about six inches deep. 

 Yellow-birds, or thistle-birds, (gold- 

 finch) about in numbers. 



Found a nest of the butcher-bird 

 containing six eggs, the most I ever 

 found in one nest. There is a great 

 difference between this nest and the 

 first one I found. The last one is a 

 very poor affair. It was built in a low 

 thorny tree, composed of hedge sticks 

 and lined merely with dried grass. 

 The eggs also were not arranged 

 around in the nest, but were in two 

 rows with three in each row. These 

 birds evidently belonged to the poor- 

 er class «f butcher-birds. 



May 4. — Found a dove's nest in the 

 corner of a rail fence about three 

 feet from the ground. It contained 

 two eggs. The first orchard oriole, 

 a male, was seen. Saw a butcher-bird 

 at work on a nest, gathering fibers 

 from a dead hedge branch. 



May 5.— The notes of the Balti- 

 more oriole can be heard almost con- 

 stanly during the day, from the tops 

 of the maples and other trees. 



May C. — Bobolinks have been about 

 the low pastures in small flocks for 

 several days, probably appearing 

 about May 2. Recognized the first 

 white-crowned siparrow today. 



Found a nest of the "chicken hawk" 

 (Cooper hawk), in the same maple 

 grove in which I found the crows' 

 nests. It was an old crow's nest, com- 

 posed of maple sticks, and scarcely 

 lined at all, and of hardly any depth. 

 It contained one egg, freshly laid, of a 

 light blue color. The old bird flut- 

 tered off the nest as if wounded, and 

 I saw nothing of her while I ex- 

 amined the nsest, but an old crow" 

 flew about overhead making a great 

 outcry. 



May 7. — A nest of a yellow-hammer 

 was found in a hole in an apple tree, 

 containing six eggs. It used the same 

 hole last year. (As I remember it 

 20 years later, I can't see where I got 

 authority for the foregoing state- 

 ment. P. M. S.) 



May 8. — Witnessed a fight between 

 bluebirds andi martins for possession 

 of a box in which the bluebirds had 

 located. The bluebirds drove the mar- 

 tins away after a sharp conflict. 



May 10.— The Maryland yellow- 

 throat frequents low bushes and the 

 bottoms of hedges. Saw several red- 

 starts, the first I have ever seen. Al- 

 so the first rose-breasted grosbeaks, 

 flying about in the woods. Saw the 

 first indigo bird of the season. Saw 

 bluebirds and martins peaceably oc- 

 cupying a box together. Goldfinches 



