184 



THE OOLOGIST. 



of our apple ti-ees and had laid three 

 eggs, as I found on taking a peek at 

 them one day, but what was my sur- 

 prise to see a fourth and larger egg 

 With the rest, the color of which was 

 white. The egg in size was about the 

 same as a black-billed Cuckoo and I 

 have always thought that it was an Al- 

 bino egg of this bird. 



[More likely of the Cowbird. — Ed] 

 H. Miller, 

 West Chester Co,, N. Y. 



How I Found a Killdeer's Nest- 



Killdeers are very numerous in this 

 neighborhood, although, I only found 

 one nest last season. I was out collect- 

 ing one day when I came across a pair 

 of Killdeers they seemed to be very 

 miich frightened about something. I 

 thought they must have a nest near, so 

 began to hunt for it, but after looking 

 for a long time I gave it up as a bad 

 job. I came back the next day but met 

 with no better success. At last I 

 thought I woidd play a trick on them. 

 There was a stone fence near by, so I 

 turned as if starting for home when I 

 had gotten to the fence I got over it, 

 but instead of going home I stooped 

 down and looked through a hole in the 

 fence. The Killdeers still ran about 

 screaming just the same way that they 

 had done when I was right by them. 

 After a while they quieted down and 

 then went to a rock that had a hollow 

 in the top and one sat down in the sand 

 on top the rock, while the other stood 

 up on the highest part of the rock as if 

 Watching. I then got back over the 

 fence. As soon as the Killdeer that 

 Was sitting on the nest saw me she slid 

 off and ran around the rock and came 

 around on the other side and sat down 

 in the sand as if slie had her nest there, 

 when I came around she jumped up 

 making a great deal of noise, but I 

 knew she was trying to fool me so I 

 went straight to the top of the rock 



there I found four eggs in a hollow iu 

 the sand about an inch deep. The nest 

 had no lining and was situated on a, 

 steep rocky hill over-lookigg a stream 

 of water. 



J. T. Bur WELL, 

 Millwood, Va- 



Range of the Towhee- 

 By F. T. Pember. 



Granville, Wash. Co., N. Y. 



In the July, '91 Oologist is an artiv 

 cle entitled, "The Chewink iu Orleans 

 Co." The writer refers to two nests of 

 that species found in the county, and 

 evidentlj' considers the bird rare, and 

 that the extreme noi'thern limit of its 

 migration is reached in that section. 

 Now I have nothing to say against Mr. 

 Posson's well written article, but feel 

 sure that the Chewink, in some localit* 

 ies, has a more northerly range. 



I have collected eggs and skins for 

 many years here, and about Lake 

 George, and the southern half of Lake 

 Chamjjlain, in this state, and to the 

 base of the Green Mountains in same 

 latitude, in western Vermont, and have 

 found the Towhee a very common bird, 

 if the surroundings were such as they 

 prefer. It is not a "Swamp Robin,'* 

 and I never found it in swamps, or in 

 the low valleys, but it is most abundant 

 on high hills or low mountains, partic- 

 ularly where the timber was cut off ten 

 to fifteen j'ears ago, and where a new 

 growth of maple, beech, birch, poplar 

 and cherry has sprung up. The bord- 

 ers of such places if well covered with 

 briars and vines are the chosen home 

 of the Towhee, and I can shoot a dozen 

 any day within a mile of this village. 

 I take tine sets of eggs every season if 

 here at the proper time. 



This bird is ver}' abundant about 

 Lake George, and bj' this I mean that I 

 could shoot a dozen on a morning 

 tramp. Now the localities where I 

 have found them plentiful are from tlf. 



