28 



THE OOLOGIST. 



than this one,— the Pewee. Reaching 

 us a little after the first of April, they 

 soon pair off, and, after inspecting all 

 old sheds, bridges, and culverts, they 

 finally settle down in earnest to the 

 nest-niaking and afterwards to the rais- 

 ing of the hungry brood. A second 

 nest is sometimes commenceid before 

 the young have left the nest. One May 

 morning while strolling along the banks 

 of a small stream, which runs along 

 side of a clay bluflf (about 30 ft. high) 

 for quite a distance, I noticed a green 

 ball of moss on the perpendicular side 

 of the bluff, and, out of curiosity, threw 

 a stone at it. I was surprised to see a 

 Phoebe leave the spot and climbing to 

 the top of the bluff I looked down and 

 saw a beautiful nest of this species con- 

 taining a full set of eggs. On account 

 «)f a number of springs, which trickled 

 down from the top, the moss, of which 

 the framework of the nest was com- 

 l)osed, was always kept green. The 

 young reached maturity; yet the danger 

 during rains must have been great. A 

 pair of Kingfishers, nesting in the same 

 bluff, seemed to take great sport in 

 scaring the wits out of the sitting bird 

 and the young by Hying back and forth 

 over the nest, just as near as they 

 could, making a great noise; but it 

 seemed to me purely in sport. About 

 two rods from this nest, in the stream, 

 was a stump which had l^een brought 

 down by the spring freshet and the 

 roots had, become tilled with drift 

 material. In this drift, not over eight 

 indies from the water, a Phcebe had 

 built her uest, and, while glistening 

 to the purring, water had brought up 

 her brood. 



Arriving about a month after this 

 .species and none the less highly esteem- 

 ed, by those who do not confuse the 

 two species, is the Wood Pewee. 



The songs of the two birds are very 

 much the same but the way Wood Pe- 

 wee renders his puts him far in ailvancc 

 as a musician. And how beautifully 



Wood Pewee can harmonize his song: 

 with his surroundings so we ever come' 

 to associate it with his ha^ints, and,, 

 when wandering through our beautifuH 

 groves, listen, unknowingly, for hfe 

 sweet cadence. It always gives me a 

 thrill of pleasure when I find its nest, 

 for to me, when containing its comple- 

 ment of eggs, it presents such a beauti- 

 ful contrast; and I doubt if I ever shalt 

 experience as much joy when 1 find my 

 first Ruby-throat's nest, if I ever do, as 

 I did when I found my first Wood Pe- 

 wee's nest. Two broods are often 

 raised in a season as I found on Aug 

 30, '89 four nests of this species all con- 

 taining eggs. Six nests, lying Ijefore 

 me, average two inches in diameter and 

 three-fourths of an inch in depth inside. 

 One of these nests is lined with wool 

 and I have collected two sets lined with 

 skeletons of leaves with but. a slight, 

 covering of baik fibers over them. The- 

 nests are always on a horizontal limb 

 and sometimes saddled on a crotch. 

 Most of my nests were found in oak 

 trees in woods which are high and dry. 

 Only twice, have I found nests in but- 

 ternut and once in ash trees. Some- 

 times the eggs are deposited at quite st. 

 little time from each other but 1 never 

 noticed, myself, whether they all hatch- 

 ed. My friend, Mr. Strong, did watch, 

 however, and he found, in one case, 

 that one egg was deposited uearl^^ two. 

 weeks before the rest; but on careful: 

 observation he decided that it nevev 

 hatched. Mr. Strong found, also, a. 

 most beautiful nest of this species^ 

 which was lined with the green seed- 

 pods of a weed found growing near by 

 and when just completed was very 

 striking. It is verj' easy to locate nestSi 

 of this bird but not so ea.sy to find them 

 even when you know about which Iree^ 

 they ai"e in so much do they look like- 

 ilie tree. 



The Least Flycatcher is often seen in 

 this locality' but I never have been so 

 fortunate as to find its nest with eggs._ 



