March, 1883.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



23 



are not neai* as plenty about the post here 

 as at Walla Walla. I presume the marshes 

 near the lake are full of them, but they are 

 almost imjiassible. When the lake and 

 marsh freeze over I expect a lot of birds 

 will be driven up toward the post, and by 

 that time very likely there will be so much 

 snow that I cannot get the birds." 



It has been whispered among a few that 

 Captain Bendire was to take up American 

 Oology where the late Dr. Brewer left it, 

 and it is to be earnestly hoped that this 

 will be brought about at no distant day, 

 for the department can well afford to do it 

 as a very large edition would find a ready 

 sale if it was found necessary to sell it, as 

 the department now does the first volume, 

 besides being one of the very few capable 

 of undertaking this work. There was a 

 warm friendship between him and the 

 late Dr. Brewer that the death of the 

 latter has not in the least diminished 

 in the other. For the above reasons 

 Captain Bendire is the one above all oth- 

 ers to finish the M'ork so well begun by his 

 friend the late lamented Dr. Brewer. 



Night Herons Breeding on the Marsh 



While collecting on the marsh I noticed 

 many Night Herons, and enquired of the 

 huntei's and trappers if they found any 

 nests in the trees on the islands in the 

 marsh, but they did not, but had found the 

 nesting place on the marsh. I went for 

 them with a boy for guide. We rowed up 

 a channel as near the place as possible, 

 when they began to leave their nests in 

 the grass and rushes. When forty rods 

 off we left the boat and waded. The bogs 

 are a kind of floating sod, with two or 

 three feet of mud and water under them, 

 and sink at each step. The first nest was 

 in the rushes and built of rushes, about 

 one foot high and about the same width, 

 with just hollow enough to keep the eggs 

 from rolling out. Other nests were in the 

 grass, but most of them were in the cat 

 tail flags, in holes which had been burned 



in the dry time. The nests in the flags 

 were built of pieces of flags, both leaves 

 and stalk. Those in the grass were built 

 of rushes and flags. The nests con- 

 tained from one to five eggs each, but 

 mostly three — two sets of five and a num- 

 ber with four. I took about forty set that 

 day — the larger sets were incubated, but 

 about half were fresh. I went a second 

 time to the marsh and got a lot of eggs. — 

 Delos Hatch, Oak Centre, Wis. 



Brief Newsy Notes. 



Black-backed Woodpecker. — In Michi- 

 gan, while camping about fifteen miles 

 from Little Traverse Bay, I saw three 

 specimens, but not having a gun I did not 

 secure any. — W. J. Simpscm. 



Large Set of Eggs. — April 29, '82, took 

 a set of seven Bluebirds' eggs, and April 

 30 I took a set of six pure white eggs from 

 Bluebirds of the natural color. — W. J. 

 iSimpson, Ithicci, N'. Y. 



Barred Owl. — A very fine specimen was 

 brought me by a friend a few days ago, 

 who, while driving along saw it perched on 

 the fence. A club was thrown at it, but as 

 it did not move my friend walked up to it 

 and found it was blind. He lifted it into 

 his sleigh and brought it in, when I found 

 that the bird had had iritis, in which ex- 

 treme adhesions had taken place, render- 

 ing the eyes almost wholly useless. The 

 bird has a fine plumage although almost a 

 skeleton. — G. A. McGaUum, iJimville, 

 Ontario. 



Ornithological works, wi-itten by honest, 

 conscientious men, never deteriorate in val- 

 ue, but advance to a premium as soon as 

 the edition is exhausted. 



Bluebirds. As I am writing this 10 

 a. m. I think I hear a Bluebird, and on 

 going to the window I see three sitting on 

 the vane of the church across the street 

 from the house. Now we can hardly put 

 this down as the earliest arrival for '83, 

 but it's certainly the latest for '82. — W. 

 W. Coe, Portland, Conn.. Dee. 31. 1882. 



