THE OOLOGIST 



37 



was 9 inches deep and the opening 2^/4 

 inches across. Nest typical, of fine 

 grasses, weeds and feathers." 



Then we replace the note-book in 

 our pocket and place the figure (1) on 

 the nest stub, stand it up against the 

 foot of the tree where we can get it 

 when we return home, and pass on. 



Next we find a Phoebe's nest un- 

 der a bridge across the road, stuck 

 onto one of the projecting rocks of 

 the retaining walls. The bird is gone 

 in a fiash but we know her. The 

 nest contains six eggs, a very unusual 

 number, but they show signs of incu- 

 bation, however we decide to chance 

 it, so carefully remove the eggs and as 

 with the Blue Bird's eggs, roll each 

 one carefully in cotton and place them 

 in our collecting box. Then, after 

 removing the nest and wrapping it in 

 a newspaper cornucopia and marK- 

 ing it (2), we enter in our note-book: 



"(2) 456 a-6. Nest stuck on a pro- 

 jecting stone of a retaining wall of a 

 bridge across the Lacon and Hemy 

 road 5 miles north of Lacon, 7 feet 

 above the creek bed and 3 feet from 

 bridge floor. Birds seen. Nest of root- 

 lets, moss, fine grass and mud, lined 

 with hair and feathers. Eggs, size a 

 very unusually large number; incuba- 

 tion commenced. Nest saved." 



We pass on and find a Kingfisher's 

 nest in a hole in the cut bank of this 

 same creek. As the birds fly about we 

 admit we are for sure stumped. We 

 remember reading in one of the 

 Wood's books that the nest of this bird 

 was almost untakable in its natural 

 state and likewise have a vivid recol- 

 lection of reading in THE OOLOGIST 

 Vol. XXVI, page 92 of the tragic death 

 of Richard Smithwick, who dug into 

 a bank after a nest of this species and 

 crawled into the hole he dug when the 

 earth caved in on him and smothered 

 him. But we must have these eggs! 

 Are we not forming a collection of 



eggs and we have no Kingfisher's eggs 

 yet? Well, we go to a nearby farm 

 house and borrow a spade. As luck 

 would have it the nest was not over 

 three feet below the top so we scram- 

 ble up to the nest hole and insert an 

 arm full length without finding any- 

 thing but air. Then we get a small 

 switch and push it as far as possible 

 with the same result. This makes ful- 

 ly six feet of the tunnel we have ex- 

 plored. Then we go on top and dig 

 down to the burrow. To our surprise 

 we find it at two feet and four inches, 

 showing it slopes upwards. After 

 cleaning away the dirt and digging al- 

 most two times as much as was really 

 necessary in the hot sun, we get where 

 we can see the eggs. Seven of them 

 at the enlarged end of this nine foot 

 tunnel lying there on the soil with 

 only a few straws about them. Disap- 

 pointed? Yes! Where is the beauti- 

 fully fashioned and delicately assem- 

 bled nest of white fish bones and 

 scales that we had been taught to ex- 

 pect? A myth? Yes, and nothing 

 more. Then the eggs were not as 

 white at we had expected. Or are 

 they dirty? Yes, and they, like Wood- 

 pecker's eggs, must be the most care- 

 fully cleaned both inside and out of 

 all dirt, foreign matter and the last 

 vistage of contents with perfectly 

 clear water, else the taking of them is 

 in vain. They will surely spot and 

 blotch and ultimately become entirely 

 ruined unless this care is used in pre- 

 paring them. We pick these speci- 

 mens, with more care and more cotton 

 because they are larger and heavier. 

 Then we carefully collect the few 

 straws composing the nest, place them 

 in some more newspaper marked (3) 

 and in our pocket. Then we enter in 

 our notebook: 



"(3) 390 a-7. Nest in a burrow 9 

 feet deep in the side of a creek bank 

 7 feet above the creek and 3 feet 



