12 



ORl^ITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 15-No. 1 



whicli was in a woods, but witliin fifty feet 

 of the edfje. One nest was in a telejiiapli 

 l)ole along the railroad and in the town, close 

 to a large hotel where hundreds of people and 

 teams passed daily. Several were found along 

 the roadside while driving. None were over 

 thirty feet from the ground, and probably 

 three-fourths were under ten feet up. I sel- 

 dom found more than one nest in a field, but 

 (m two occasions I found two within one hun- 

 dred yards of each other. 



Five and six eggs were generally found when 

 sets were completed. In (me case four eggs 

 were found with incubation far advanced, and 

 in two instances I took sets of seven eggs. 



One nest that had been located and watched 

 for several days was visited after sunset and 

 six eggs secured. On rapping on the stub 

 three adult birds fiew out, and I wondered 

 how the sexes were divided in such a happy 

 family. (J. J. Pi'muick. 



Keiinett S(iuare, Pa. 



Answer to a Sarcastic Inquiry. 



In the "O. it O.'' of November last, Dr. W. S. 

 Strode of Beinadotte, 111., insinuates in a very 

 gentlemaidy way that I have trified with the 

 truth and invites me to let the public, and 

 liimself, into certain "difficult climbs'" during 

 an oological trip in Texas which I mentioned 

 in my "well written account" of said trip in 

 the "O. ct O. '• of June, 188!». 



My friend the Dr. goes on to say that he read 

 my poor effort "with much interest"' and 

 draws my attention to certain parts which 

 "particularly struck my (his) admiration." 



First of all I would like to insinuate in my 

 turn, in the most polite manner i)ossib]e, to 

 my friend the Dr., that only hyUjlit men can 

 successfully ridicule. 



1 (lid not say that Mr. (4illiii climbed a 

 "Sycamore"' six feet in diameter, etc., "but I 

 <li(l say that he climbed a Cottonwood of that 

 dimension. Anyone who has seen a ("ott(m- 

 wood knows that its bark is rougli with very 

 deep grooves in it. In all his "tremendous 

 climbs" Mr. (4. simply used climliing irons, 

 and inserting his fingers in the giooves in the 

 bark, by his great strength and suppleness 

 worked his way up sone of the largest trees I 

 liave ever seen in my life. 



All his climbs were made in the presence of 

 two men besides myself, two men who ai'e well 

 known to Mr. ,1. Parker Norris of the " O. A- O.," 



and they were astounded at the feats accom- 

 plished by Mr. Gillin. 



The last Cottonwood he went up, although 

 comparatively speaking a short climb, was the 

 most difficult of all. As soon as he put his 

 spurs in the bark, it gave way like soft earth, 

 and even crumbled away beneath his hands. 

 Once or twice he got up as far as five or six 

 feet, hoping to reach the firm bark above, but 

 only to fall back again. Then, as I said in my 

 "well written account," he climbed to the top 

 of a tree near by, and connecting it with the 

 big one by a rope, climbed over on tlie rope, 

 fifteen feet or more, and at a distance of forty- 

 five feet from the ground. Tiie measurements 

 I gave are not guess-work, but the results of 

 measuring the two or more balls of cord Mr. 

 O. used in lowering from the nest the tin box 

 containing the eggs. 



What wonld my friend the Dr. call me if I 

 were to tell him that I saw Mr. Gillin climb a 

 Cypress (not a "Sycam.>re") fifteen feet in di- 

 ameter, by holding on to the knots and irregu- 

 larities in the bark, and with his spurs? I am 

 afraid the Dr. would forget himself again. 



But such is a fact. Such trees are not mi- 

 common in tlie river-bottoms of Texas, and this 

 one a man had lived in for ten years. 



But then I supp ise my friend the Dr. would 

 have run up it like a scpiirrel, as he .says he 

 "has done some tall climbing."' The Dr. 

 seems to think that Mr. (i. is "entitled to the 

 belt as the prince of climbers," but Mr. Gillin 

 authorizes me to say that he resigns in favor 

 of the Dr. 



I have not, in this short article, attempted to 

 give a very minute description of how Mr. G. 

 made his "difficult climbs"" for why should I? 

 Surely a few woids will be enougli to tell all 1 

 may know to a man of intelligence like unto 

 that of my friend the Dr. 



(i. 11. Benncys. 



Albino Quail. 



I have mounted three albino cpiails which are 

 very handsome. There is said to be a whole 

 covey of them, but I was unable to find any 

 more than the above. Each bird has different 

 markings. The markings arc those of the 

 Virginia quail; small sjiot on crown, spot on 

 neck, part of rump, all the rest pure white ex- 

 cept bills, of which the ujjper mandible is daik 

 horn color and the lower white. 



ir. n. M. Tnrtal. 

 AtfliisoTi, Kan. 



