I40 



THE MUSEUM. 



The black were by far the most 

 common. The white had pink eyes, 

 and to day unless killed recently there 

 is a pet white (grey) squirrel with pink 

 eyes living with grey, red and fox 

 squirrels among the trees surrounding 

 the State House at Columbus, Ohio. 



Several white sparrows have been 

 shot this winter in this locality. There 

 are four white animals, known in this 

 locality, as meadow moles, meadow 

 mice, praiiie mice [they are prob- 

 ably Arvicola Aitstcrvs, Le Conte, 

 (PedoHj's)] in private collections of 

 which I am acquainted. We hope 

 Mr. Hodgson may be able to grow 

 more of this strange freak in nature. 

 E. E. Masterman, 

 New London, Ohio. 



Notes From Ohio. 



In his article, "Do Birds Reason," 

 in the January number of the Museum 

 Mr. J. L. Davison asks the readers to 

 give their "views on the Ovenbird, 

 nest of young and egg outside," 



As he says, (see page 78) the nest 

 contained three young of the Ovenbird 

 and one young Cowbird. 



No doubt most, if not all, of your 

 readers have noticed that the young 

 Cowbird is nearly always larger than 

 the young of the bird in whose nest 

 it is found, and, therefore, the nest is 

 always more or less crowded, which 

 causes the young birds, especially the 

 smaller ones, to move about in the 

 nest in their efforts to hold possession 

 or prevent being crowded out by the 

 young Cowbird. 



The nest of the Ovenbird being 

 closed on the sides and top, the young 

 birds had not the room to spread them- 

 selves that they would have had in an 



open nest so, in this case had proba- 

 bly forced the egg — which perhaps 

 would never have hatched, or, in other 

 words, was rotten — from the nest. 



Had Mr. Davison told us how large 

 the young birds were, and, stated 

 whether the egg was fresh or other- 

 wise, one might have known better 

 what views to express. 



The above are my views. Am I 



right.' 



I shall an.xiously await the replies of 

 others, also, Mr. Davison's views of 

 the subject. 



L. B. GiLMORE, 



Ducat, O. 

 [.Above note omitted from last num- 

 ber. — Ed. 



My Solution of the Ovenbird. 



I found the Ovenbird egg on the 

 ground and never having seen the eggs 

 of this species I did not recognize it 

 and commenced looking for a nest in 

 the tree above. Not finding any I 

 concluded it was on the ground and 

 was that of Ovenbird — I had not mov- 

 ed my feet after picking up the egg 

 which was whole — noticing a tuft of 

 grass I raised it up and out scrambled 

 four young birds which I had some dif- 

 ficulty in catching, and when I had 

 succeeded the parent Ovenbirds were 

 on hand and very much excited. I 

 put the three young Ovenbirds back 

 in the nest and threw the young Cow- 

 bird as far as possible — as I do with 

 the e;:gs when I find them in nests 

 that 1 do not want. 



Th.3 Ovenbird probably found the 

 Cowbi'd on the nest and unable to re- 

 tain her egg any longer deposited it 

 outside the nest as is often done by 

 domestic fowls. J. L. Davison, 



Lockport, N. Y. 



