14 ORNITHOLOGIST 

snugly and regularly lined with the bark of the 
Altogether it did not look unlike cer- 
tain Crow’s nests which I can recall. During my 
ascent of the tree the birds manifested the liveliest 
concern, but in no wise interfered with me. I 
had come, with astout box and plenty of cotton, a 
distance of eight miles, for the express purpose of 
taking home a set of eggs, and so I was corres- 
pondingly disappointed when I saw before me a 
newly-made and empty nest. However it only 
served to whet an eager oologist’s desire, and on 
May 14th I returned. Again [ attacked the sturdy 
tree, and again I slowly made my way up and 
around it. This time the birds both manifested a 
determined resistance, the female especially flying 
quite close to me as I approached the nest. We 
all have certain moments in our lives which stand 
out pre-eminently and remain forever associated 
with certain actions or exploits. This was one of 
mine when I leaned over, and saw the three beau- 
tiful eggs which it contained. The ground color 
of this set is a clear yellowish white, scarcely 
seen under the spots, blotches and scratches of 
reddish brown which cover the greater portion of 
the eggs. They measure 2.02x1.64; 2.00x1.62, 
and 2.00x1.60. Their clean appearance is due 
solely to the fact that they had not been sat on 
more than four or five days, as evidenced by their 
comparative freshness. 
red cedar. 
The tree from which I took this set was situ- 
ated in a dense wood, in a solitary spot, and fully 
half a mile from the nearest house. This pair of 
hawks were the only ones occupying this spot, 
and the nest was undoubtedly newly made. 
Numberless Crows found suitable building places 
in the locality, and may have felt slighted at my 
discrimination in climbing to the nest of their 
nobler neighbor to the entire exclusion of their 
own. 
This is the only set of eggs of Buteo penn- 
sylvanicus which I have heard of being taken in 
Delaware County and I would gladly essay climb- 
ing a more difficult tree, and journey twice eight 
miles to duplicate the performance in any succes- 
sive season. Another visit on June 2d showed 
the nest to have been deserted, and the Butcos 
to have left the neighborhood. 

Blue Yellow-backed Warbler.—A 
Large Set. 

A set of six eggs of Parula americana, was 
taken June 4, ’85, being the only instance of my 
finding the above number in one set in ten years’ 
collecting. Is it common to find as many as six 
in a set ?—B. F. P. 

— [Vol. 11-No. 1 
BNTOMOLOGSs 


WRIGHT & BATES, 
73 Hanover St., Boston, Mass., 
ASSOCIATE EDITORS. 
Address all communications for this department as above. 
In inaugurating this department we respectfully 
call the attention of Entomologists to the necessity 
of making the study of the science so simple and 
attractive, that the young will be interested in tt, 
and at the same time furnishing such information 
as will be beneficial to all. This shall be our aim, 
and we ask their kindly aid and encouragement in 
the undertaking. 
Practical Entomology. 


BY WRIGHT AND BATES, 73 HANOVER ST., BOSTON, 

(Continued from page 172.) 

RAISING LARV 2. 
One of the most important aids to the entomol- 
ogist is the Vivarium. By this means the larve 
of many rare Lepidoptera may be fed until they 
transform, and the images obtained in a state of 
perfection which is impossible when captured 
with the net, and better still we are enabled to 
study the forms and changes of the insect in its 
various stages of existence. The Breeding Cage 
consists of a case, one or more sides being glass, 
with a door extending the entire length; the top 
should be covered with wire gauze to afford air to 
the inmates and still prevent them from escaping. 
In the bottom a zine pan, four to six inches deep, 
filled with moist earth, is placed. In this earth a 
bottle or glass jar, filled with water and contain- 
ing the food-plants, is fixed. 
This cage admits air and light and also conven- 
ience for removing the grass and excrement. The 
size of the cage will of course be determined by 
the means of the owner and amount of room re- 
quired, but it should not be less than two feet 
high to admit good-sized branches of the food- 
plant, as the larger they are the longer will they 
keep fresh. The insects in transforming will 
either enter the earth or attach themselves to va- 
rious parts of the cage or food-plants. 
To some convenient part of the cage should be 
affixed a memorandum showing the varieties con- 
tained and the food of each with some mark re- 
ferring to the note-book, where a record should 
be kept of the name (or if unknown, a description), 
place and date of capture; the food-plant and 
amount eaten; length of larval state, date of birth 
if raised from the egg, and dates of transforma- 
tions and moultings, 
