64 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 8-No. 8 



Least Bittekn. — One of my collectors, 

 while visiting- a Least Bittern's nest, saw 

 the bird close by in the rushes, in that pe- 

 culiar position they adopt when trying- to 

 conceal themselves, viz. : clinging to the 

 reeds in a perpendicular position with head 

 and bill pointing up in the air, and neck 

 stretched to its fullest extent. My friend 

 approached her quietly and reached out 

 his hand toward her with the intention of 

 catching her, if j^ossible ; but as she 

 showed no signs of fear he first touched 

 her and then stroked her on the breast and 

 back. Another collector, who was with 

 him, then did the same thing, coming up 

 to the bird in another direction, she merely 

 moving her head slightly to look at him, 

 and resuming her fonner position again. 

 My friends left her still clinging to the 

 rushes where they first found her The 

 birds are often seen here in similar situa- 

 tions, but I have never heard of one acting 

 in this manner before. The bird did not 

 seem injured in any way, and only moved 

 her eyes when first touched. At a little 

 distance they look like a stick or some dead 

 rushes, when in the position described. — 

 Snotodon Howland, Newport^ R. I. 



Califoenia Long-billed Maesh Ween. — 

 Jime 18, 1882, a friend and myself started 

 for Soap Lake, San Felipe, with the inten- 

 tion of getting a few sets of eggs of this 

 bird. Arriving there we pulled on our 

 long boots and plunged into the tules in 

 diflferent directions. After an hour's hard 

 work we returned and reported — one set 

 of three badly incubated eggs. My friend's 

 experience was about the same as mine. I 

 had found and examined some twenty-five 

 nests, and of that number only three had 

 been lined and used. Two had been de- 

 serted, the third had the above mentioned 

 set. The other nests were of the same ap- 

 pearance outwardly — being woven of coarse 

 bark of tules — but without the soft, wool- 

 ly lining of fine shreds of rotten tule and 

 ducks' feathers. Some looked new, others 



old, and were situated, mostly, just out of 

 reach in the taller clumps of tules. I saw 

 but few birds, and these were fearless, ap- 

 proaching within two feet and looking me 

 in the eye. Now, what can be the object 

 of all these extra nests? Do the other 

 birds build them for a shelter, and, in case 

 they are disturbed, can immediately occupy 

 another nest ? or, like children, who build 

 mud houses for amusement, and because 

 they have nothing else to do ? I hope to 

 make another trip to the place when I have 

 more time, and to be in better season. — A. 

 D. Butter^ield^ San Jose, Cal. 



Brief Newsy Notes. 



Laege Set. R. M. Mitchell, Sandford, 

 Florida, reports finding a set of seven 

 Mockingbird's eggs April 30. 



Yellow-beeasted Chat. W. H. Wright 

 took a male Yellow-breasted Chat at Fram- 

 ingham, Mass, May 18, 1883. 



Golden Eagle. W. O. Emerson, Hay- 

 wards, California, received a fine specimen 

 for mounting Jan. 26, which was shot at 

 Livermore with quail shot. 



Fish Hawk Shot. For several ^^ears a 

 pair of Fish Hawks have visited East 

 Rochester, N. H., on the Cocheco river. 

 Sportsmen have tried each year in vain to 

 secure them, until April 18 of this year, 

 when Thomas Gotts secured one of them 

 with a shot from a small rifle. It meas- 

 ured five feet six inches in extent. — JE. M. 

 Sinclair, East Rochester, N. IT. 



Humanity. A friend writes saying that 

 dumb animals were made for the comfort 

 of man, etc. We admit this — that is 

 where extreme civilization obtains — dumb 

 animals are made to minister to the wants 

 and comfort of man, but in extremely 

 wild countries, the jungles of India for 

 instance, man is made to administer to the 

 wants and comfort of dumb animals — that 

 is, when they can catch him, and in their 

 home they make out about as well as civil- 

 ized man with his deadly weapons. 



