THE OOLOGIST. 



247 



tirst experience with tliis bird was dur- 

 ing the past spring. In companj- with 

 J. C. Wood I took several sets of this 

 bird. The usual numl)er of eggs found 

 was four, but one set of eight Avas taken 

 These were very badly incubated. The 

 nests are simply masses of decayed 

 flags and weeds placed upon some Hats, 

 and often floating. The eggs are al- 

 ways covered .with a mass of decayed 

 weeds e.xcept in one instance. The 

 eggs measure aboul 1.65x1.15, l)ut vary 

 a good deal in size. They are bluish 

 white in color, but so coated and stain- 

 ed by the decaying vegation that they 

 look like dirty white. This however 

 will wash off. The Grebes are said to 

 incubate their eggs at night, and let the 

 snn take their place during daytime. 

 One thing is certain, that it is- very sel- 

 dom one can catch a (irebe on her nest. 

 They have a peculiar habit of sinking 

 suddenly under water [without leaving 

 hardly a ripple to indicate where they 

 have gone. 



B. H. Swales, 

 Detroit, Mich. 



World's Fair Notes. 



The native flora of each State and 

 Territory will be shown at the Exposi- 

 tion, under the direction (jf Chief 

 Thorpe, who has enlisted the Lady 

 Managers to undertake tlie collection 

 of specimens. 



All Indian exhibits at the Woi'Id's 

 Fair will be under the direction of the 

 Government or of Chief Putnam, of the 

 Deparment of Ethnology, 'i'lie ways 

 and means Comittee has decided that 

 it will consider no applications by j)ri- 

 vate individuals for an Indian exhibit. 



Some rare old curios in the way of 

 saddles and ancient harness will |)ro])- 

 ably be seen at tlie World's Vu'iv. 'J'he 

 National As.sociation of Saddlers has de- 

 cided to i"ai.se .So'j.OOO for an exhibit i)f 

 their trade at the Fair. This will be ex- 

 pended, largely for ancient saddlery 

 and harness which will be procured 

 through special collectors. 



Aciualic fowls of all climes will prob- 

 ably swim through the lagoons of Jack- 

 son Park during the period of tlie Fair 

 Land.scape Architects F. L. Olmsted & 

 Co., recommend the purchase of a great 

 variety of waterfowls. The list inchub's 

 widgeons, sea gulls, swans, i)rown peli- 

 cans, storks, sand-hill cranes, American 

 wild geese, blue geese, tonlou.ses, llani- 

 ingoes, snowy egrets, and .scarlet iijis. 

 '1 he purchase of at least ten of each 

 species of the birds as enumerated was 

 recommended. 



Prof. Dyche, of the Kansas University, 

 one ()f the finest taxidermists in Ameri- 

 ca, is prei)aring a notable exhibit con- 

 sisting of ai)out 150 of the largt'st mam- 

 mals in the United States, including 

 huflfalo, elk, moose, antelope, deer, 

 mountain sheep and goats, wild cats,_ 

 wolves, bear, etc., etc- The tlitTerent 

 species of each are represented anil al- 

 most all of the animals have already 

 been secured. 



The party which, under the direction 

 of Chief Putnam of the de])artment of 

 Ethnology, of tiie Exposition, has been 

 ujaking excavations of the mounds in 

 Ohio for three months or more, met 

 with rare success on Novendjer 14lli near 

 Chilicothe, in making one of the richest 

 linds of the century in the way of pre- 

 historic remains. While at work on a 

 mound 500 feet long, 200 feet wide and 

 28 feet high, the excavators found lu-ar 

 the center of tlie mound, at a depth ol" 

 14 feet, the ma.ssive skeleton of a man 

 incased in cojjper armor. The head 

 was covered by an oval-shaj)e coi)i)er 

 caj); the jaws had co])per moldings: the 

 arms were dressed in copper, while 

 copper i)lates covered the chest and 

 stomaih, and on each side of the head, 

 on protruding sticks, were wooden ant- 

 lers oniamcnti'd with coiipcr. The 

 mouth was stulTcil with genuine pearls 

 of immense size, but much decayed. 

 Around the neck was a necklace of 

 bears' teeth, set with pearls. At tlie 

 side of this skeleton was a female skele- 

 ton, the two being suppo.sed to l)e those 

 of mall and wife. It is estimated that 

 the bodies were buried fully (iOO years 

 ago. The excavators believe they iiavo 

 at last found the king of the mound 

 builders. 



This OoLOGisT was mailed to each 

 .subscriber on Dec. 22d. 



