Feb., 1883.] 



AND OOLOCxIST. 



13 



in incubation that I only saved one. The 

 only lining the nest had was two or three 

 horse hairs." Mr. T. only measured the 

 body of the moss and not the lower portion. 

 Diu'ing the season of 1881 Mr. Jimius 

 A. Brand of Norwich, Conn., took us to a 

 colony of Blue Yellow-backs. One of the 

 nests to which Mr. B. climbed contained 

 one of the old birds an unwilling prisoner, 

 as by some laeans it had become entan- 

 gled in the moss and could not escape un- 

 til aided by Mr. B. There were no eggs 

 in the nest. In this small colony of a few 

 trees we found somQ five or six nests be- 

 side some old ones of the year previous. 



Eggs in a Set. 



In May, 1880, I took a set of six robins' 

 eggs, and in July, 1881. a set of eight 

 with this peculiar history : Late in June 

 I discovered a pair of robins building in a 

 small plum tree in the yard. I visited the 

 nest daily when completed, and at noon of 

 the day the fourth egg was laid, I took the 

 set of four. Imagine my surprise in go- 

 ing out the next morning to find the nest 

 gone from the plum tree and at seeing it 

 nicely settled in the crotch of a young 

 maple, the next tree to the plum, with the 

 female upon the nest. This was about 9 

 a. m. About 5 p. m. I visited the nest and 

 found one egg, to which three more were 

 added in the next three consecutive days. 

 The sixth day I took the four, making my 

 set of eight. Queries : How did those 

 birds remove that nest intact? as they 

 must have done, and would the female 

 have laid the eight eggs had I not takeri 

 the first four from the nest ? I think she 

 would as they were laid in eight consecu- 

 tive days. I have also caused a robin to 

 lay eight eggs by removing one egg daily. 

 There were three eggs when I first discov- 

 ered the nest. 



A young collector here has taken three 

 sets of five and four of four Rose-breasted 

 Grosbeak's eggs this last season. I had 

 always supposed foiir was the average 



number until I saw your article in June 

 number giving three as the average. 



That " prolific sparrow " of one of your 

 correspondents reminded me of a Phoebe 

 that I thought was quite prolific; still do 

 not know as it was unusual. May 14th, 

 1881, I took a set of five. May 21st, (just 

 one week) seeing the bird on the nest, I 

 visited it and secured a second set of five. 

 May 28th, (just one week later) still seeing 

 the birds around and on the nest again, 

 visited it and found a set of four. I had 

 not the heart to again rob her. 



Will some one please tell me the average 

 number of eggs laid by the Green Heron 

 and give me descriptions, measurements, 

 etc., of the eggs of the Clapper, Virginia 

 and Carolina Rails. — 31. Day Murphey, 

 Jr., Cortland, N. Y. 



CoERECTioNS. — Washington, D. C, Dec. 

 30, 1882, Dear Mr. Wade.— In "Notes 

 from Colorado " in the December number 

 of O. and O., which I have read with much 

 interest, are some points to which I should 

 like to call your attention. When speak- 

 ing of nest and eggs of the Mountain 

 Mocking Bird, Mr. Stone evidently means 

 Townsend's Solitaire, {Myiadestes town- 

 sendi,) which has nest and eggs exactly 

 like those he describes. The Mountain 

 Mocking Bird, {Oreoscoptes montanus), is a 

 bird of the sage-brush plains and mesas 

 exclusively : makes its nest in " sage " (i. e. 

 Aj'temisia tridentata) bushes, and lays 

 eggs of a bright bluish green color, spot- 

 ted with clove-brown. His '* Oregon ? 

 Snowbirds" are probably Junco caniceps, 

 (Gray-headed Snowbird); his " Steller's 

 Jay " is the Long-crested, and " Canada 

 Jay " is the White-headed Jay, {Perisorens 

 capitalis.) I make these corrections with 

 no intention of criticising your friend 

 Stone, but rather for his information, since 

 he probably is without books to aid him in 

 his identifications. Very respectfully, 

 yours, — Robert Ridgway. 



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