THE OOLOGIST 



125 



Purple Gallinule, Red-winged Black- 

 birds, and Great-tailed Grackles. Al- 

 so saw one Least Bittern, numerous 

 Green Herons and Black-crowned night 

 Herons which were nesting in willow 

 and mesquite trees, about six pairs 

 Pied-billed Grebe, several Ruddy 

 Ducks, one pair Yellow Legs, several 

 Killdeer, a flock of Black Terns (not 

 breeding), and a small colony of An- 

 liinga. 



The following are some of the nest.s 

 noted on the lake and not mentioned 

 above: 



Purple Gallinule — One with 5 fresh 

 eggs, several with from 1 to 3, and 

 about fifteen new but empty; perhaps 

 some of these were shams. Some were 

 in the willow swamp, but most of them 

 in the weeds. They were rather shal- 

 low platforms made by bending down 

 the grass and weaving it together. 



Red-winged Blackbird and Great- 

 tailed Grackle — "We found nests of 

 these two birds scattered all through 

 the weeds, the former being the most 

 numerous. Some were just commenc- 

 ing to lay, while many had already 

 hatched. A few had full sets of fresh 

 eggs. 



Pied-billed Grebe — One set of \i 

 slightly incubated. 



Ahinga — Four new nests apparently 

 just completed, three with 1 egg each, 

 two with 2 eggs each, one with 3 eggs 

 and 1 Cuckoo, and one with 4 fresh. 

 The nests were large, but not bulky — 

 compactly built of sticks and willow 

 leaves, lined with leaves and willow 

 down. They were placed in crotches 

 or on horizontal branches of trees 

 from four to ten feet above the water. 



The Coots had not commenced nest- 

 ing. 



On our way up from the boat, we 

 found a set of 4 fresh Mexican Crest- 

 ed Flycatchers, in a fence post. A set 

 of Golden-fronted Woodpecker was 

 taken from the same hole two weeks 

 before. F. B. Eastman. 



Will Crispin and E. J. Darlington's 

 Work. 

 Mr. E. M. Ketttworthy into whose 

 possession came the collection of E. 

 J. Darlington after his untimely death, 

 likewise the records and bird eggs of 

 both Darlington and Crispin, gives us 

 the following interesting information: 

 "I have added the sets and eggs 

 taken by each of these gentlemen 

 and find that between the years 

 1898 and 1915 Mr. Darlington col- 

 lected 298 sets, and 1031 eggs. 

 And that Mr. Crispin between 1892 

 and 1913 took 811 sets totalling 

 2686 eggs." 



These figures are interesting as 

 showing that both these collectors 

 were moderate in their methods. 

 MY LAST PIGEON HUNT. 

 It does not seem possible but it was 

 forty-six years ago last October, I was 

 out after Gray Squirrels and had no 

 idea of Pigeons, when I started up 

 some dozen pigeons on a side hill 

 where they were feasting on poke ber- 

 ries and sweet acorns. They had be- 

 come so scarce in Litchfield County, 

 Conn., where I was at the time that 

 finding them was a great surprise and 

 all got out of range before I could 

 shoot. They settled down about a half 

 mile and 1 started for them. They 

 were not at all wild and I got quite 

 close to them and watched them feed 

 and play for some minutes for I like 

 to study every bird's habits when I get 

 the chance. Finally hearing some one 

 else in the woods close by, they all 

 rose and as they flew over me I shot 

 just one, and such a beauty. I wish 

 they all lived once more; yet up to 

 that last bird I had done my share of 

 the killing. Several times later I could 

 have killed more of them and now I 

 am quite thankful I did not do so. Sup- 

 pose all hunters had done the same, 

 the birds, a few at least, would still 

 be with us. F. M. Carryl. 



