92 



THE OOLOGIST. 



few plants of the Piuk Cyrepedium. In 

 my search I entered a deep wood by an 

 unfrequented road. On one side were 

 low trees and saplings intermingled 

 with Inishes' where evidently the 

 attempt to clear the land had long since 

 been abandoned. On the other side a 

 forest stood which had not yet yielded 

 to the encroachment of man. Tall pines 

 their lower branches interlocking ren- 

 dered an ingress a difficult task. Here 

 and there, were open places filled with 

 dense shrubbery snd undei-growth. 

 Clumps of Mountain Laurel and the 

 low whortle-berry bushes were inter- 

 spersed now and then with a bare sandy 

 tract covered with pine needles. 



Into this wilderness I plunged to obtain 

 if possible the object of my search (and 

 here let me say, although I was not 

 particularly successful in this, a greater 

 pleasure was in store.) Pushing aside 

 the branches impeding, I advanced into 

 one of the open spots previously men- 

 tonied, upon my approach, a Hermit 

 Thrush flew from a e-lump of bushes 

 near by, and alighted a short distance 

 away. My suspicious aroused — I pene- 

 trated the shrubbery from whence the 

 bird had fiown. Much to my delight I 

 discovered the nest containing three 

 eggs. The opportunity for making the 

 identity cei-tain was given: for the 

 thrush was still near at hand. The nest 

 was a rather Ijulky aflair composed pf 

 grasses, weed-stalks, leaves and strips 

 of bark, lined with dried grasses. It was 

 placed in a wh(n-ttle-berry bush about 

 two feet from the gi'ound, at the point 

 where the slender branches dividing in 

 several directions form a crotch of va- 

 rying size. The eggs were greenish-blue 

 in color darker than those of the Wilson's 

 Thrush(7';<r(ZM.9 fuscescens) and larger. 

 I regret to say that but one egg was 

 taken. This measui-ed .88x.66, as this 

 specimen was partially incubated, the 

 set must have been complete. 



An Observer, 

 Hartford Co, (/onn. 



Aves Urbis. 



Such a beautiful morning, the air so 

 fresh and clear, the sun so bright! Just 

 the day for a trip in the woods and here 

 3-ou are helpless because of that sprained 

 ankle. Do not give up entirely, there is 

 a good deal of ornith(jlogy to be learned 

 in the trees around ^our citj' home, and 

 many a pleasant half hour may be spent 

 in the discovery of birds you had sup- 

 posed unique to the fields. 



We dwell in the heart of a city of 62000 

 inhabitants but have the good fortune 

 of a roomy back 3'ard with five fine 

 apple trees; as many more stand over 

 the fence in a neighbors yard and in 

 this minature orchard manj' birds dwell. 

 In and about this yard I have observed 

 74 species, 21 of which have been found 

 breeding, quite a numljer for so limited 

 an area. 



Of all the aquatic birds but one has 

 been observed, and that a solitary 

 Woodcock flushed from the long grass 

 in earlj- spring. Bobwhite once made 

 us a flying visit for the purpose of 

 eating our grapes, The Raptores sent 

 only Cooper's and Sparrow Hawks as 

 their representatives while the Picidfe 

 were generous enough to bring to 

 notice five species. The Flycatchers 

 have at various times exhibited six 

 species of which Traill's was the most 

 remarkable. P>oth Orioles, the Cowbird, 

 and Bronzed Grackle^ comprise our 

 Sternidaj but of Fringillidaj we have 

 a goodly number, fifteen species swell- 

 ing the list. The tramp English Span-ow.s 

 have nearly disappeared, thanks to re- 

 lentless persecution on my part, thus 

 leaving room for their more welcome 

 relatives. Purple Finches pay us visits 

 in spring and fall and are especially 

 weli'ome because of their sweet songs. 

 White-winged Crossbills and Pine 

 Finches have once dropped in on us but 

 the Red Crossbills are not on the list. 

 Fox Sparrows and Towhees are with us 

 in spring but soon depart, the one for 



