THE OOLOGIST. 



110 



guotl (lone, ;iiid the i)leasure nf lia\iii|j; hcoii (Ictiscly ixijuilati'il by lliiiu in livf 

 such a b'jantiful bird in our country. • years, and thousands have In-en l;illed. 



They have been killed in immense : Tlie^' nest upon the ground in opeU 

 numbers and stripped of their leathers, ' fields. Oat stubl)le lield is a favorabU- 

 the meat bein;;- sent to tiie rorihind resoil I'or tlnnr nest. The nest is made 

 mai'ket. of h'aves and dry grass, placed in a 



Tlie farnii-rs in this county are taking ciunip of grass or perhaps uiuh'r some 

 active stejjs for the {)roleeti<)n of tlie ^ small l)rush. 



bird in the way of jiuttiug up trespass j In captivity the l)irds do well, and 

 notices, l)nt this is not doni' with an! even nest and bri'cd while so contined. 

 idea to keep the species, but to kill tlicm 1 I have an adult male in confinement 

 at their pleasure (which is at every o])- 1 and he will I'at most anything- given 

 portunity atjordcd) for tlie benefit of him, but prefers wheat and oats, and 

 their own table, and I might add they seeds of all kinds generally. In the 



are very delicious for such purposes. 



The bird has many cunning devices 

 to deceive the hunter. At the approach 

 of foot-steps they will squat down close 

 to the ground and a person can pass 

 within a few feet of it and not discover 

 it, nor will the bird fly until seen by 

 you, when it is up and away like a 

 Hash. 



In an open plowed field the bird will 

 lie so cltxse that it can not be seen at a 

 distance of two rods. 



They are also very swift of foot, it 

 requiring a good dog to catch one that 

 has been winged. 



Their breeding habits is somewhat 

 peculiar also. The female deposits her 

 first complement of eggs aljout April 

 15th, or May 1st, laying from seven to 

 fifteen eggs. As soon as the j'ouug 

 leave the nest the male takes charge 

 and the hen again lays about the same 

 number of eggs. By the time these are 

 ready to leave the nest, the first brood 

 is able to take care of themselves, and 

 the male again takes charge of the sec- 

 ond bnjod. A third c<nnplement is then 

 laid and when they are hatched the 

 male and female both take charge. 



Three broods are generally raised in 

 a season by one pair and by a little lig- 

 uring one can form some idea of the iu-^ 

 crease of the species. 



You can also see the same from the 

 fact that from the six pair let loose in 



Orego.i, the .-ntire western coast has ^^^.^.^^ .^,jj craggy banks of the Polonnu 



wild state dining winter they iced ui)on 

 lir seeds a;id buds, ijut during summer 

 they feed upon seeds and green leaves. 



They seem to be fearless coming unto 

 barn-yards and feeding with the domes- 

 tic fowls. Only a short time ago one 

 came within fifty feet of my house rightT 

 in the village. 



The males during the spring, crow 

 similar to a domestic cock and taking 

 advantage of this the hunter locates 

 them and slowly and gently slips up on 

 them and is generally sure of his game. 



Much more might be said in regard 

 to this one of our most beautiful birds, 

 but for fear of tiring the readers I will 

 close. 



Du. A. G. Pkill. 



The Carolina "Wren. 



When I came South, this species was 

 comparatively new to me. I had 

 studied it in New Jersey, but did no^ 

 find it numerous there, and it did not 

 reach Western New York. Around 

 Washington it is abundant, and every 

 where it has its peculiar haunts. If 

 one makes a clearing in the woods, 

 setting a portable saw-mill on a little 

 run of water, these wrens are pretty 

 sure to be found afterwards in the slab- 

 piles and among tiie rubbish. It may 

 also be found in open ravines. For 

 instance, it is very numerous along the 



