THE MUSEUM. 



79 



and it was yet alive when brought to 

 us. Its skin is now in the writer's cab- 

 inet. If this species has ever before 

 been found in this county we have not 

 heard of it. In the nothern tier of 

 counties, and in Chicago and vicinity 

 it is not uncommon, but its presence 

 this far south has heretofore been in 

 dispute. 



We received our first Short-eared 

 Owl this year about October 20th. 

 Another was killed near this place the 

 last of November. Two Snowy Owls 

 were taken within the county about 

 November 25th. Three Great Horned 

 Owls, killed by boys, have been brought 

 to us within the last ten days. 



This winter our club is studying the 

 ducks. We meet every Monday night. 

 The first Friday night in each month 

 we have an open meeting at which pa- 

 pers are read, and the meetings are 

 well attended. 



W. S. Strode, M. D. , 



Lewistown 111. 



Crane Mormonism. 



While collecting among the alkai 

 lakes and sandhills of Cherry County, 

 Neb., and Lugerbeel County, So. 

 Dak. last spring, I saw what I took to 

 be a case of mormonism among birds, 

 which beats everything I ever heard in 

 the line of peculiar breeding. 



In the afternoon of June 24th, while 

 wading among the tules and rushes 

 near the shore of a lake, (locality 

 known as North Lake) located about 

 200 yards north of the Nebraska line, 

 in Lugenbeel County So. Dak., I flush- 

 ed a female Sandhill Crane from a 

 small clump of tules. 



I went quickly to where the bird 

 arose from, expecting to find a set of 



eggs, and found the nest, and to my 

 sorrow and joy saw upon the nest five 

 young cranes. These young birds ap- 

 parently about four to si.x days old, 

 were about the size of adult Meadow- 

 larks and were partly covered with 

 down of a grayish yellow colof. 



Upon my picking up one to examine 

 it, it let out a squak that started the 

 old birds calling in their low gutteral 

 notes and one of them flew around me 

 in a very threatening manner. 



The nest was a large platform com- 

 posed of dry tule stalks and top of 

 nest was twelve inches above the water 

 which was ten inches deep. Nest was 

 ten inches wide by sixteen long, slight- 

 ly hollowed on top, and resembled the 

 nest of American Bittern but was 

 much larger. 



I stayed near this nest for some 

 time, watching the birds and observed 

 thpt there were tlircc Craiu's who ap- 

 paiently had an interest in it (two fe- 

 11, ales and one fine majestic plumed 

 male). 



When I returned to the cattle ranch 

 where I was stopping I remarked that 

 I had found a Crane's nest; and was 

 told that three Cranes h&d been around 

 the North Lake every summer for the 

 past five years and after thinking the 

 matter over, I have come to the con- 

 clusion that it is a case of Crane mor- 

 monism and that the five young are the 

 product of polygamous breeding. 



I would like to hear from other nat- 

 uralists who have observed anything 

 in this line and am sure that the edi- 

 tor of The Museum will give space 

 for you to relate your experience or 

 voice your opinions regarding the 

 above observations. 



ISADOR S. TrOSTLER, 



Omaha, Neb. 



