162 



THE OOLOGIST 



the typical hillside blackberry patch. 

 One day I counted four Indigo Bunt- 

 ings' nests, two were built away from 

 the bushes, one in a clump of red 

 clover, the other in a mixture of 

 weeds and coarse grass. Another 

 contained the only Cowbird egg found 

 in over fifty small nests. This im- 

 poster and the house cat are very 

 scarce in this immediate vicinity, for 

 which the birds should feel doubly 

 grateful. 



Two Orchard Orioles' nests were lo- 

 cated, one in a little maple in a neigh- 

 bor's front yard. 



May. I found three nests of Yellow- 

 winged (Grasshopper) Sparrow. 



An observing citizen called my at- 

 tention to a Chickadee nesting in a 

 door-yard fence-post. Goldfinches, 

 Cedar birds, Martins, Cuckoos, and 

 Warbling Vireo nest in the village. 

 Bronze Crackles feed in colonies and 

 are objectionable. Meadowlarks, Barn 

 Swallows, Crested Flycatcher, King 

 Bird, Red Wing, Towhee, Tufted-tit, 

 Song Sparrow, Quail, Green Heron and 

 Killdeer stay around the outskirts but 

 often visit the town lots and trees 

 while feeding. 1 found the first Kill- 

 deer's nest March 24th, in an unused 

 pasture, incubation begun. Blue Jays 

 were entirely absent from the town 

 until April first when they arrived in 

 numbers and proceeded to nest. 



Feeding stations, bird houses and 

 baths have not been used to entice 

 the birds. 



Only along the narrow creek bot- 

 toms and neglected slopes cai. one 

 find any timber or bush near at hand. 

 Here Crows and a few Turkey Buz- 

 zards and Sparrow Hawks hold forth. 



June 11th I detected a Ruby-throat- 

 ed Hummer's nest attached to a 

 beech bow, overhanging a shady ra- 

 vine. In this same acreage a dozen 

 yellow-breasted Chats were "acting 

 up" and four nests found. In March 



a beautiful fiock of Purple F'incnes 

 loitered here and Red-bellied Wood- 

 peckers were not uncommon. This 

 same grove harbors the Red-eyed 

 Vireo and Summer Tanager, neither 

 of which spend any time in town. 



Never before have I observed so 

 many varieties breeding on a single 

 town site. 



Gerard Alan Abbott, 



Lancaster, Ky. 



SHORT-BILLED MARSH WRENS 



On June 4th, 1922, the writer, in 

 company with Mr. R. F. Miller and 

 Mr. William Jay, both of Philadelphia, 

 located a small, somewhat scattered 

 colony of Short-billed Marsh Wrens 

 near Salem, Salem County, N. J. 



We found about fifteen nests in all, 

 the majority uncompleted, but birds 

 found near each nest. Only one nest 

 with eggs, a full set of five, which I 

 judged to be about one-third incubat- 

 ed. The nests were all placed low in 

 clumps of "round-leafed sedge grass," 

 composed of dried grasses and lined 

 with fine feathers, mostly from the 

 breasts of King and Virginia Rails. 



Contrary to our belief the Short- 

 bill's nest is much smaller, and in my 

 opinion, much more attractive, than 

 that of the Long-billed Marsh Wren. 

 The bird itself is not as confiding, nor 

 does it sing as often as its long-billed 

 brother. This, of course, is my own 

 short experience with them. Perhaps 

 in other environments their breed- 

 habits might be different. 



The marshes where this small col- 

 ony was found are especially suited 

 to those birds usually found in such 

 places. Situated as they are, on the 

 Delaware Bay and divided by Salem 

 Creek, these marshes offer an excel- 

 lent breeding place for many of our 

 common water birds. 



Several pair of Black Duck were 

 noted with young. One nest from 



