28 THE OREGON NATURALIST. 



about I discovered the bird on the ground, flut- was on a small island in the swamu, underneath 

 taring around as if in mortal agony, tumbling a number of small pine trees, from the needles 

 from side to side, and seemingly unable to fly, or of which it was composed, lined with fe:iihers 

 stand; on approach the bird suddenly revived and down. While resting here and eat ng my 

 sufficiently to flutter a few yards ahead of me, lunch, I observed a flock of "Sandhill Cranes" 

 where it repeated the same innocent piece of about a quarter of a mile away, from all appear- 

 deception, attempting thereby to lead me further ances, they seemed to " be a team of college 

 away from its nest, which I knew to be near, students practicin,; liis^h jumping, an I other- 

 On looking around I soon discovered the nf^st wise training tlieir voices in the musical notes of 

 which was only a hollow in the ground, lined the college yell. But f>jr birds of this species 

 witha few sticks, and containing 4 beautiful clay they were actinji very c|ue^•rly, they were con- 

 colored eggs, thickly spotted and blotched with stantly screaming or wliou ing and occasionally 

 amber and dark brown, very pointed at the small one would jump straight up in the air ab )ut a 

 end and blunt at the larger. The eggs were care- fool high or more, this they ke;)t up for a qu irt-i 

 fully laid in the nest with their small ends to- of an hour, whiiel was witching ihem, hut a» I 

 gether in the center, which I also found to be approached they all took flight. 

 the case with two other sets which I found in the I jiad the extraordinary go )d fortune to h id 

 same field. oneof their nests during the afternoon contain- 

 I continued iilong the outlet, through grass i.ig one egt:. The nes-t was coii.-.triicted of reeds 

 kneedeep, looking carefully around for any signs and grass, was placed in siallow wtter, lisnj 

 of a nest, when suddenly there burst froui the about 3 inches above the surfice, and nenly flat 

 grassy sea, a Millard not ten feet from me, and on top, being about 2 teet in diuneter an 1 ir- 

 swiftly STiled oft toward the lake, without utter- reguar in shape. The egg lias a ground color 

 ing a note, or making an attempt to save her nest of greenish huff and is blotched wiin i\(iiish 

 and eggs, as the little Killdeer had done. On brown. I was highly pleased witii my day's 

 going to the spot from which she emerged I found work which added i),ni valutble Sjieci n mi-; to 

 a nest containing 8 eggs, which 1 decided to my collection. 

 leave foi a few days until the set should be com- * — *^^»~-~* 



1 1 J r • •. 1 .u » .u r II • J 11 BeeswiKcan vet occasionally be found on the 



pleted; I visiteu the nest the following day while ' / 



M.» 11 J .1 J r 11. Nehalem Beach. It is traditioi, but ni mm 



rs. Mallard was out shop|)ing, and found that ^'^""'^ ' 



u I 1 i.i r 11 1 111. knoweih, that a French or .Sp.mish ship loulsd 



she had covered the eg^s carefully with a blanket '^"•'""^ ' ' _ 1 . 



cii I u t t/ 1 • u.iu; I 1 • u for, the Catholic M:.ssions on the Coa--t and hiv- 



of fine gray down about |4 ot an inch thick, which •"' ^' •- ^ 



1 . .u ~ .11 L . inti a trood supply of beeswax aboard was wreck- 

 kept them waim till her return. '"t> «* fe 1 1 J 



'r\ ■ •»• .u . r 1 1 .^ I ed on Nehnlem Beach, .\fier a severe storm 

 On visiting the nest a few days later I was 



ti . - u I 1 c T -.^ J .1 J i- in the earlv da\s, lariie cakesof wax and candles 



greatly astonished to hnd It deserted and four '" ^""= '='"'J' '"■} > t, 



eggs missing; a careful seirch in the vicinity of ^"^'^ '''* ^"'^ "'"'' ^'^ "" •"''•'^'"" ^''^''^ "^"''' 



the nest failed to reveal any trace of the eg.s. ^^'^'^'' ^""" ^^'^ ^^^'''"'' ""'" "'' '"^^'''' ''^ '''^ 



Could the Mallard have carried them off-to a new ^^^'^^ "^ ^^^ ^"-'^ '"• 



nest? It seemed impossible; I watched the nest m,._ vV. Malleis of VVasliingio 1 County. Oe., 



for a few days but nothing farther transpired, lately secured a fine specimen of Townsen.l's 



so took the remaining 4 eggs whicii were quite piy.catchei, ( l/yi,i,/esi,s (oit>nsen,/ii Cab) 



' fresh but where the other 4 have gone to has This species is not ronini .n in Washington 



ever remained a mystery. Countv 



Soon after finding the Mallard's nest I reich- — — • — <^»— »- — 



ed the marsh where I waded around for some Portland Univei.sity has secured as an ,. addi 



time without success but toward noon I found tion toils nuis.ni n a valuable collection of exotic 



another Mallard'S'nest with seven eggs; this nest butterflies. .A .. ■. 



