THE OOLOQIST 



177 



patches near the larger ponds. Their 

 eggs were from eight to twelve, rarely 

 the latter number. They also nested 

 later than the hardy Green-winged; 

 June 4th and 16th being the extreme 

 nesting dates. 



The eggs of the Green-wing were 

 usually smaller and had more of a 

 buffy tinge with a decided greenish 

 case. They were also more elliptical 

 than the eggs of the Blue-wing, and 

 always an abundant amount of down 

 was furnished by the females for both 

 species for the eggs to lay among. 



The Mallard was often found nest- 

 ing up close, once within three feet of 

 a Green-wing's home and rarely the 

 Pintail was the neighbor. I have found 

 the nests within twenty-five yards of 

 an occupied cabin, and one nest of 

 the Green-wing was found in the midst 

 of a large black sand plain, with the 

 grass not over three inches in height 

 and no tree for an eighth of a mile. 

 In just such a position and surround- 

 ings as I took my only set of Lesser 

 Yellow Legs, excepting the Yellow- 

 legs nest was underneath a lone scrub 

 pine, not over a foot in height. Of 

 all the sets I discovered of both spe- 

 cies only one set of each with their 

 profusion of down remain in my pos- 

 session. Needless to say they are 

 the choice sets of a very large num- 

 ber, but some day somebody will want 

 them worse than I do and of course 

 then the sets and I will part. 



W. H. Benjaman. 

 Algona, Iowa. 



New Hampshire Mountain Notes. 



In June, 1911, while descending Mt. 

 Monadnock I discovered at the foot of 

 a large White Ash tree a Ruffed 

 Grouse's nest containing eighteen 

 eggs. In my opinion that is an un- 

 usually large set. 



July 10, 1912, I found a set of four 

 Nashville Warbler eggs slightly incu- 



bated. It is a late date for this region. 

 The slate-coJored Junco is a very 

 abundant breeder on this mountain. 

 Despite this fact nests are very hard 

 to locate, as they are so skillfully con- 

 cealed. We have such a cold clim- 

 ate that this bird leaves us in Octo- 

 ber, not to return until April. 



Stuart T. Danforth. 



Another Unusual Nesting Site of 

 Brewer's Blackbird. 



1 have recorded in the pages of THE 

 OOLOGIST the common occurrence of 

 the Brewer's Blackbird (Euphugus 

 cyanosephalus) nesting in cavities in 

 dead trees, stumps and snags, in the 

 North Williamette Valley of Oregon, 

 but the most peculiarly situated nest 

 of this species was examined on May 

 25th, 1916, near Hemlock, Tillamook 

 county, Oregon. 



This nest was placed in the center 

 of a clump of rushes or wire grass as 

 it is locally called and which is char- 

 acteristic of the low meadows and 

 open bottom lands. The sides of the 

 nest were not fastened to the upright 

 stalks or stems and the bottom of the 

 nest rested upon the ground. The nest 

 was of the usual type, built by this 

 specie, the inside being lined with fine 

 dry rootlets. The five eggs were fresh 

 or nearly so. 



The meadow in which this nest was 

 located is bordered by a stump pas- 

 ture, and Brewer's Blackbirds were 

 abundant both in the pasture and the 

 meadow. They nest in the stumps and 

 no doubt frequent the meadows be- 

 cause of the abundance of food. 



In August and September, this spe- 

 cie in company with the northwest 

 Red-wing (Agelaine P. Caurinus) con- 

 gregate in large flocks to feed in oat- 

 fields after the grain has been cut for 

 hay. Both species are residents in 

 Tillamook County. 



Alex. Walker. 



