THE OREGON NATURALIST. 27 



But I supjiose they may eat some nuts, judging nest about twelve feet up in a veiy slial>y stub, 



from their nnme. Nuthatch, which was given to There was a small green tree about five or six feet 



this family of birds on account i)( their habit of fioni the .stub, so I went home and pincured a 



placing nuts ill crack.s and ( levices and hauimer- small rope and biou{;ht my mothtfr hack with me. 



ing away on ihem to bitak ilie shell. I (;liinbe<l (lie iiee and ihitw the roj^e over the 



Very often in winter three pr four of these birds top ol the Mn!) ;ind lit d it, ho ; s to ki tp the stub 



may be seen with a flock of Oregon Chickadees fum falling. '1 1 tn < 1 ml ir g ij to ihe r.tsl I 



in an orchard, in the timber or in the bushes an. I found it contained six beautiful Cf:gs. 

 trees along some stream searching (or food. My I loil.tr was afiaid that I cc'uld r.ot gel 



Nesting time is in April and May, but they thtm out of the nest and into the coUfctirg can 



very often commence digging the nest excava solely, so he clinibtd the tiee to luild tie can. 



tion in the latter part of March. 'I'he nest i-> We ^Ul cecded ingeltuig twoof the eggs all rlglit 



usually placed in some small fir stub horn six to l>ni I'e siipj'ed and both ol them were broken, 



twelve feet from the ground. 1 luld him that next time I went after Nutl'.atclie's 



I'hey do not dig as deep an excavation as the eggs Ins help would not be needed. 

 Chickadee but it is generally in harder wood sj COLLECTING AMONG AQUAITC 



It sometimes takes thera nearly a month to com- BIRDS. 



plete the nest. 



The birds take turns at excavating and bjth 1^^^.) it tlie thiid aniiu.il meeting of the N. O. 

 work al the nest, which is composed ot grass, a. . at .Salem, Ortgon, 1.) H. I'. B<,hlman. 



hair, stiijis of liark and a few feathers. 



1 have noticed that while working at the ex- [„ Ma> 1893 [ was the fununate po.sse.ssor of a 



cavalioii itiey seem to prefer to be al)ove the nest, ,nonlirs v .cation, which I determined to spend 



and reach duwn, which is just the opposite to m hunting and Ornithological work ; for my field 



most birds. q{ lahoi and [)leasuie I selected a seluded 



The best time to collect fresh eggs is the lasr mounlain prane numtd by the Indians, Camas 



week in Afiiii. The eggs are from four to s.\ I'raiie, on account of the abundance of Camas 



in numlier and area wliite ground color the «ur- , 1 ,„,s gr.wing there, when in blcom, turn the 



face be.ng evenly covered with reddish spotv ,,iarie into a sea o( purple. 



Oneeggin each set seems generally to be light- The Prarie is situated on the sloi)e of Mt. 



erin color than the others. Adam-, nlout 15 miles fiom (he summit and is 



It is a curious fact that this bird always dau'ps about 10 miles in length by 3 in wi<ith, almo.st 



a quantity of pitch around the entrance to the entirely surrounded by hills, the water fioiu 



nest. It is uncertain just what this is done for which diains into the j>rai ie and foims a shallow 



but it is i>rol>ibiy fur 1 iine-iion, aliliough <oiiie lak' or marsh, several miles long, in which grow 



think tlui i'. IS used as a tia:. fm insects, winch reeds, huilrushes, wn| aloes, and every variety 



coining in coiitart with ili- pitch will.aliiK.si 111- of ncjuntic plant, in whirli water fowl delight, 



variably slick fa-t, and then the birds can devour It is an ideal place f >r 1 uniing and collecting, 

 them at their Irisire. Before I knew this trait On the ir.oining of May 3, I started at day 



of the biidl remeinlieri.fofteniindiiigtheii nests li^ln Ixiit on a colleitmg irip; following up the 



d would r.ijMm thestul>and not flushing the bird, outlet of the lake, ^hich was several miles dis- 



•biit noticing pitch ari>iiiul tiir- entrance with tant and wading knee deej) through the swett 



feath.-'sstu'-k in i', wou'd si 'pose thai it was a seemed grass almost before the birds are awake, 



Chi( ka<lee re>t and that ihey had siruck a pitch is a delightful exptrience, which comes only to 



I ocket, .".Tui the pitch running out had liotheied the lover of nature. After walking a quuter of 



flieni sf) that they had left it. a mile I rnme uiion n fallow: field, and wasattrat- 



Last .April I founci a Red !ireasie<i Niithatrlie's ed by the shriH -.cries' of a Killdeer, on looking 



