THE MUSEUM. 



Their fust set is nearly always situ- 

 ated on the southern slopes of hills or 

 in warm gulches where the snow, if 

 any, is off the ground first. I have 

 seen young birds in the spring that 

 could not tly that must have stood very 

 hard "Nebraska Hli//ards" but I have 

 never found any frozen young or eggs. 



They generally rear two broods a 

 season and three is not uncommon. 

 The second nest is to be found in corn 

 fields or in heavy bunch grass, and the 

 third set I have found most generally 

 in canons or on rough land. The num- 

 ber of eggs range from three to si.\ but 

 four seems to be the prevailing num- 

 ber. In my experience I find the first 

 sets of darker color and with a very 

 glossy appearance, while the second 

 and third sets grow lighter and instead 

 of .being glossy have a chalky appear- 

 ance. The shape also differs in the 

 three sets, the eggs of the first being 

 larger and more elongated than the 

 other sets and shells are also very 

 much thicker, which of course is to 

 brave the cold weater. 



Their diet is exclusively seeds and 

 grass stems. I have never found the 

 crop to contain any form of insect or 

 worm. Their nests are composed of 

 grasses and thistle weed cotton, the 

 first nest being well constructed to 

 stand the cold weather, but the second 

 and third nests are very flimsy affairs, 

 only consisting of a few grasses and 

 very coarse weed stems. 



In all, I think this species one of 

 our most interesting, and can bear 

 very much more study and observing. 

 J. Earl Luuwick. 



McCook, Neb. 



Nebraska Academy of Sciences. 



The eighth annual meeting of the 

 Nebraska Academy of Sciences was 

 held in Science Hall of the University 

 of Nebraska at Lincoln upon Novem- 

 ber 26th and 27th. 



A brief business session was held be- 

 fore noon upon the 26th and in the 

 afternoon the programme was opened 



27 



by the atldress of President A S. \'on 

 Mansfcldt upon "Some Practical Ap- 

 plications of Science." This paper 

 thoroughly treated of the effects of 

 alcoholics upon the hutnan system, the 

 prevalence of excessive drinking, etc., 

 and the speaker asserted that "the so- 

 lution of the problem lies within the 

 province of scientists, whose mission 

 is to bring all sides of truth before the 

 people, etc." The address was follow- 

 ed by a spirited discussion, as were 

 nearly all the other papers upon the 

 programme. 



Dr. H. B Ward of the University 

 of Nebraska presented a paper entitled 

 "Factors in Civili;^ed Life Which 

 Modify the Abundance of Parasitic 

 Animals," wherein the decrease of par- 

 asites infecting man was shown to be 

 due to better care of the body and 

 more thorough cooking of all animal 

 foods. The decrease of parasitic 

 diseases among domestic animals has 

 been brought about largely by stall 

 feeding, improved devices for furnish- 

 ing pure water and thorough methods 

 of slaughtering, whereby all parts 

 of most domestic animals are convert- 

 ed to some use. 



"Our Beds of Diatomaceous Earth 

 and their Associated Fossils" was next 

 presented by Dr. E. H. Barbour. 



The "Flora of a Dried-up Mill- 

 pond" by C. J. Elmore was an inter- 

 esting and instructive paper. In the 

 pond referred to more than 40 species 

 of flora were observed and the method 

 of their seeds having been deposited 

 was discussed. 



Dr. C. E. Bessey next presented a 

 paper entitled "Poisoning by Rhus 

 radicaiis Without Direct Contact", 

 which exhaustively discussed the pois- 

 oning by ivy without having been 

 touched in any manner. Several of 

 the members present reported having 

 been poisoned by the poison ivy with- 

 out direct contact. 



The following papers were present- 

 ed in the order named: "The I'^erns 

 and Fern Allies of Franklin County, 

 Nebraska," by E. M. Hussong; "Ob- 



