100 



THE OOLOGIST. 



fer greatly and can be distinguished 

 from all others in this locality. Color, 

 white, marked sparingly over the en- 

 tire surface with reddish-brown spots, 

 chiefly at the larger end. 



B. R. W. 



Nesting of the Purple Finch- 



This species also known as the "Lin- 

 net" arrives in this locality about the 

 first of April, and but few remain with 

 us to breed. 



I was fortunate enough last 3'ear to 

 have the pleasure of finding a nest of 

 Carpodacus purpureus^ which now is in 

 juy possession, with four of the finest 

 specimens of the eggs I ever saw. 

 1^ While passing through an apple or- 

 chard on June 30th, 1890, my attention 

 was drawn to the opposite side by the 

 Canary-like song of the above species, 

 which I did not recognize at first. 

 After walking to the other side of the 

 orchard, there upon the top-most 

 branch of an apple tree sat the male so 

 absorbed in his song as to be oblivious 

 to all around him; glancing to the op- 

 posite side of the tree I saw a small 

 shallow nest built upon a branch about 

 eight feet from the ground. 



The nest generally consists of a frame 

 work of vegetable fibres, grass stems 

 and strips of bark, and lined with min- 

 ute fibres closely woven together. 



The eggs are oblong-oval, and vary 

 in size and configuration. They are a 

 pale emerald green and spotted with a 

 dark brown. 



The average size of the set taken by 

 me was somewhat larger than any I 

 ever saw. The average measurement 

 being .89 by .69 of an inch. 



Charles A. Ely, 

 Monmouth Co., N. J. 



The Red-eyed Vireo ( Vireo oUvaceus.) 



The Red-eyed Vireo is a quite com- 

 mon summer resident in this locality, 

 as it is in all the eastern part of this 



country. It is one of the most joyful 

 and tii'eless of our feathered songsters. 

 One can hardly stir out of doors during 

 the spring and summer, without hear- 

 ing snatches of its melodious song. Its 

 song seems too large for its body, and 

 to swell and burst out without assist- 

 ance from its owner. It builds its nest 

 between the fork of a small limb gen- 

 erally near the tip. The nest is firmly 

 woven of fibers of bark and lined with 

 grasses or pine needles. 



In some parts of the country the nest 

 is said to be placed almost invai'iably 

 in maples, but I have seen it here in 

 both beech and apple trees. It is us- 

 ually placed within arm's reach, though 

 I once saw one twenty feet up a cedar 

 tree. The eggs are sometimes two, 

 sometimes four, but generally three 

 and rarely five. They have a pure 

 white ground rather thinly dotted with 

 reddish spots. Those in my possession 

 average .80 x .56. The bird itself is a 

 slim, graceful, olive-brown creature 

 about three inches long. It has a way 

 of jumping and darting from limb to 

 limb, in and oxit of sight and peering at 

 you when you are near its nest. 



W. E. Aiken, 

 Benson, Vt. 



A Living Egg-Blower. 



ONLY A SUGGESTION. 



If collectors have tried eveiy possible 

 means of blowing badly incubated eggs, 

 such as eggs that are about to hatch, 

 drill the hole a little larger than usual, 

 and apply a leech. 



The leech will suck the blood out of 

 the chick till it becomes so full that it 

 drops off, keep on applying other 

 leeches which in turn will suck their 

 share of blood, till nothing remains but 

 the skeleton and skin, the latter of 

 which oologists already have their 

 methods of removing. Remember this 

 is only a suggestion . 



Robinson C. Watters, 



Baltimore, Md. 



