THE OREGON NATURALIST, 



43 



graphical features, the most lucrative. For 

 instance, my route consists of a stroll of about 

 a mile in length, first clown into a valley along 

 the south side of a hill, which slopes gradually 

 to a marsh and is thickly covered with oaks; 

 and here lev me say, is where I find my birds 

 the most plentiful — from here across a i^asture 

 and thiough some isolated clumps of trees 

 standing in it, thence across a low marshy 

 stretch of land to the sea shore, and then for 

 some distance along the sea shore to where the 

 forest runs down to the shore, and then through 

 thejjine forest home. 



Of course, all are not blessed with such a 

 wide variety of "locations" as have been^ des- 

 scribed, but where it is not, the route should 

 be made as varied as possible. As you walk 

 along with your eyes on the tree toji, or bush 

 top as the case ^_mayj be, each s]3ecies or if 

 possible each individual (approximate) should 

 be carefully noted in your note book'and then 

 when you return, be sure and note the tenipeia- 

 ture direction atid force of wind, aud condition 

 of atmosphere, and don''t forget to put it down. 

 Then at night after having gone over the route 

 again, you should reduce the whole to as com- 

 pact a form as possible, draw your own deduct- 

 ions from your notes as to the effect of temp- 

 ertureetc, ujion the number of Hirds seen, and 

 enter the whole under its proper date in your 

 note hook. 



If this is kept up throughout the year; by 

 glancing over your notes you will be at once 

 able to tell the beginning, height and ending 

 of the migration of any of the species you have 

 observed, and many a valuable hint have I 

 received from my notes as I have read them 

 over. At the end of the migration season I 

 always make it a practice to recapitulate the 

 Seasons work and write it out in full. 



Before you are fully familiar with the birds 

 of your location, take along your gun for the 

 purpose of identification, and if you are a col- 

 lector, cairy it with you always; you will learn 

 why, before you have gone over the route very 

 many times. 



Merganser, 







The above are outlines of some Indian relics 

 I found in Champaign county not long ago. 

 Fig. I is a grooved stone ax. Fig. 2 a stone 

 bead made of jet black material with bluish 

 green lines running through it. Fig. 3 is a 

 stone hatchet which I found when I found the 

 ax. All three are perfect specimens and highly 

 polished. The bead has been used considerably 

 as can be seen from the worn end. 



Harry E. Spalding. 



Champaign, 111. 



In Oregon Naturalist for January, I 

 advertised a catalogue of Government Publica- 

 tions. The first order for it came by telegraph, 

 reaching me the same day that the magazine 

 containing the notice. Other orders have been 

 coming in ever since. Hereafter I will not 

 advertise a book in your journal unless I have 

 a whole library to dispose of. I don't know 

 how many readers you may have but those 

 whom I hear from are widely scattered. 

 ANGUS GAINES. 



"Blue Jays, in several instances have been 

 seen preying on the English Sparrow." 



Chas. C. Camp, 

 Portage, Wis. 



