April, 1885.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



63 



and the Fish Hawk breeds on St. Helena. I have 

 often heard the natives tell of tlie " Eagle's Stone" 

 which is said to be in every nest and to bring 

 special good lurk to the finder. I once shot into 

 a nest thinking the old bird was sitting, anu to 

 my ast(niishment down dropped a smooth quartz 

 l)chble such as "never grows" in this locality. I 

 have it yet, but my wonderful luck is yet to come. 



The Turkey Buzzard, (4r)4,) common resident. 

 Breeds in connnunities often with the next. 



The Black Vulture, (455,) more common than 

 the above. Breeds in communities and some- 

 times singly. The locality is usually a small, se- 

 cluded islet. Eggs almost invariably two. Have 

 once known a set of three taken. The pair usually 

 vary as in Brewer's two figures. I once raised a 

 pair of young Vultures from the same nest, which 

 on dissection proved to be male and female, 

 tjuery — Are the two eggs always one male and 

 the other female? I have never seen their eggs 

 deposited in any way except on the ground with- 

 out any attempt at a nest. Have never taken any 

 from a hollow stump or from any elevated tussock, 

 liut always on a level spot. But they are often 

 well hidden by overhanging Yucca or brambles, 

 and alwa3'S difficult to see in the half light among 

 the bushes. The old birds approach them by a 

 zig-zag path, which is sometimes so apparent that 

 I have often discovered the eggs by following it. 

 Sometimes I have smelt them out. 



The Carolina Dove, (460,) common resident. 



The Ground Dove, (465,) very common. Nests 

 in the cotton fields. Called Mourning Dove by 

 Hie natives who used to have a superstition that 

 any one who molested their nest would be 

 "mourned to death" by the grief-stricken owners. 



The Quail, (480,) is very common. 



The Wild Turkey, (470a,) used to be found on 

 Ladies Island. I have not known of any, how- 

 ever, since 1869. I am told that they have not 

 yet been exterminated in the more retired parts 

 of Port Royal Island. 



Brief Notes. 



Winter Bikds of Socthavestern Vermont, for 188.5. 

 — Pileated Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Wood- 

 Ijpcker, Crow, Blue Jay, Black-cappeji Chickadee, White- 

 bellied Nuthatch, Chipping Sparrow, Snow Bunting, Pine 

 <;ro3beak, Great Northern Shrike, Scrqcch Owl, Ruffed 

 Grouse, Merganser, Golden-eye Garrot, Al8o, February 

 '2StIi, saw four Horned Larks, which are'the first birds ob- 

 served, that are not Winter residents. There has been a 

 noticeable absence of the Snow Bunting, Black-capped 

 Chickadee, Pine Grosbeak here this Winter. 



I have not observed a single specimen of the Golden and 

 Uuby-crowned Ringlet this Winter; last Winter I found 

 several of each. 



Of Pine Grosbeaks, I observed but a few in the first part 

 of the Winter, and for some time back have not found a 

 single bird. I have not found a specimen of Cross-bills, 



Can some of the readers of the "O. and O.," explain why 

 there are so few male birds of the Merganser, or is it be- 

 cause 1 have not had the good luck to find them. I have 

 shot quite a number of the females, Winters back, but 

 have not found or observed a male bird till this Winter, I 

 shot a fine male specimen on the 28th of February last, it 

 was in company wilh one other male and two females. 

 There are quite a number of female Mergansers here every 

 Winter in the river, to the grief of the small fish and trout. 

 One specimen I shot two years ago, had a trout minus head, 

 tb^'f was seven inches long. Since that I have not spared 

 the Mergansers. — ,4. /. Johnson, Hydeoilte, Vt. 



Peculiar Eggs op the Kingbird.— I have just come 

 into possession of a set of eggs of the Kingbird {Tyrannus 

 carolinensis,) which present very ciirions markin;.;8. They 

 were collected in 1882, in the town of Braintree, Mass. The 

 nest was in a tree overhanging a mill pond. Eggs, 4 ; fresh, 

 with the following markings : 



No. 1. Normal in ground color and markings, spots being 

 at large end, forming a sort of wreath. Size .92x.C9 of an 

 inch. 



No. 2. Much like No. 1, but the spots are larger and few- 

 er, with one faint blotch or stain. Size .S7x.T5 of an inch. 

 No. 3. Has no distinct large spots, but is thickly stained 

 with a reddish lilac; at the large end the stains form a 

 blotch. Size .9TX.62 inches. 



No. 4. Has no large spots or stains, but is faintly and 

 finely stained all over. Size l.OOx.7.5 of an inch. 



These eggs arc now in my collection at "3 Hanover street, 

 where I should be pleased to show them to any visitor. — 

 Frank A . Bates, Eoston. 



A Few Notes from Iowa City, Ia.— On February 13th, 

 ray brother shot a Cardinal Redbird, which is the second or 

 third one known to have been shot in this section of coun- 

 try. On February 21st, a friend of mine shot a Yellow 

 Shafted Flicker which, although common in Summer, is the 

 only one I ever saw in Winter around here. Last June I 

 found a Maryland Yellow-throat's nest with three Cowbird's 

 eggs in and none of its own, the eggs were all partly incu- 

 bated. On May 29th, 1884, 1 found a nest of King Rail con- 

 taining twelve eggs, some of which were nearly ready to 

 hatch and one or two that were perfectly fresh. On the 

 same day I flushed a Virginia Rail from her nest in a clump 

 of weeds in a swamp, and got eight eggs which were all 

 fresh. On May 3d, flushed a Ruffed Grouse from her nest 

 and obtained a set of fifteen fine fresh eggs. — Osrar C. Chtte. 

 Notes from North Carolina. Purple Gallinule.— 

 In your February number I made a mistake in stating that 

 a specimen of this bird was procured at New Berne in De- 

 cember ; it was a young Florida Gallinule and was wrongly 

 identified. 



Red-bellied Nuthatch.— On Feb. 28th, I was walking 

 without my gun through some Pine woods, when I heard a 

 bird note which seemed unfamiliar to me; on looking 

 around for the cause thereof, a small bird flew up from 

 among the Pine straw and settling on the trunk of a young 

 Pine commenced running up it. I recognized the bird as a 

 Nuthatch, and was turning away, thinking it the White- 

 bellied, when I was struck by something unfamiliar in its 

 appearance, and on looking more closely, perceived the 

 black bar from its bill along the side of its head, and the 

 white superciliary stripe above it, which distinguish this 

 species from the White-bellied Nuthatch. This is the first 

 time I have observed this species in the State. 



Five days afterwards whilst out collecting with my gun, 

 I came upon this species again and procured a specimen, 

 only about fifteen yards from the place where I had ob- 

 served it before. In both cases there was another bird 

 with it, but I eould not be certain whether that was a Ked- 

 bellied Nuthatch or not. 



