March, 1883.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



19 



The same day I found the nest of a Black 

 Cap Chickadee containmg six fresh eggs. 



April 23d I found the nest of a Screech 

 Owl in a hollow oak tree twenty inches be- 

 low the opening. It contained three fresh 

 eggs. From this same tree during the 

 Winter of 1881 and '82 I captured five fine 

 sjDecimens of this owl. 



May 1st I took another set of eggs of 

 the American Long-eared Owl. This, like 

 the former, contained five eggs and they 

 were incubated about two weeks. Another 

 nest was found on May 4th with five eggs 

 almost hatched. 



May 6th I discovered the nest of a Red- 

 tailed Hawk in a Red Elm tree fifty-eight 

 feet from the ground. After a very hard 

 climb I found the nest contained four (?) 

 young about two weeks old. On the 18th 

 of May I found two more nests of this 

 hawk, both of which contained eggs ; one 

 two, and the other three. 



May 18th I was informed by a herder or 

 " Cow Boy " that he had found a burrow 

 on the prairie inhabited by a Burrowing 

 Owl. The next evening armed with a spade 

 we repaired to the place and after digging 

 six feet we came upon the nest. It was 

 about two feet under the ground and con 

 tained nine young of various sizes, and two 

 eggs, one of which was pecked. The bur- 

 row was evidently made by some burrow- 

 ing animal, probably a skunk. 



Cooper's Hawk. — The following is the 

 date of different nests found this year : 

 May 11th, one nest containing four fresh 

 eggs. May 15th, one containing four and 

 another containing five eggs, all of which 

 were fresh. May 17th, two more nests con- 

 taining five eggs each. These were slightly 

 incubated. May 11th I received a full set 

 of eggs of the Marsh Harrier, five in num- 

 ber. The nest was placed on the ground 

 in the prairie grass. Two more n'ests were 

 found. May 18th, containing respectively 

 five and six eggs. These last were slightly 

 incubated. May 17th I also foiuid a nest of 

 the Short-eared Owl. It was on the 



ground in the prairie grass and contained 

 eight beautiful white eggs. A good Pointer 

 dog is invaluable to any one collecting eggs 

 here, as these Owls and Hawks give chase 

 whenever he comes near their nest. The 

 dog will come very handy also to find the 

 nests of Prairie Hens, Plover, Larks, &c. 



—H. A. Kline, Folo, III. 



^ 



The Prothonotary Warbler. 



This beautiful little P rotonotaria ci- 

 trea is quite i-are in Kansas, yet I had the 

 good fortune to find four nests last June, 



Early in May I saw a Downy Wood- 

 pecker making an excavation in the dead 

 limb of a small elm tree standing on the 

 edge of a forest and on the bank of the 

 Big Blue River. I watched the tree for 

 several days, but, tor some cause, the birds 

 abandoned the work. 



On June 9, in passing this tree I saw a 

 bird fly from the hole so swiftly that I coiald 

 not determine the species. I hid in some 

 bushes near by, and after waiting about 

 ten minutes was rewarded by seeing a pair 

 of the Prothonotary Warblers approach 

 through the trees. They flew directly to 

 the elm tree ; and, after a moment's hesi- 

 tation, the female entered the hole, while 

 the male flew away into the forest. 



I then crept silently to the nest, which 

 was not more than six feet above the 

 ground. By quickly placing my hand over 

 the hole and allowing sufficient opening 

 between my thumb and finger for the ad- 

 mission of the bird's head but not its body, 

 I easily caught the bird and examined it 

 at my leisure. I have frequently caught 

 Woodpeckers, Bluebirds, Chickadees and 

 Wrens in this manner. 



W^hen the bird was released it vittered a 

 short, distinct call which brought the male 

 bird promptly from the trees near by. They 

 then flew away together. 



Returning to the tree I seciired the nest 

 and complement of five fresh eggs. 



This nest was composed of fine grape- 

 vine bark, dry weeds, and horse hair. The 



