30 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 15-JS"o. 2 



university. He went west with a determinatinn to 

 make his mark, and we believe that lie will. 



A number of Great Gray Owls have been taken in 

 New England this winter. Snowy Owls fairly common, 

 other owls scarce. Redpolls common. Snow Buntings, 

 Fine Grosbeak and Crossbills, scarce. 



H. H. Hrock, Portland, Me., reports a specimen of 

 the European Corn Crake ( Crex crex) killed by John 

 Whiting at the dyke in Falmouth, Me., about four miles 

 from Portland. Another was shot at the same time but 

 was so mutilated that it was thrown away. He also 

 reports two Great Gray Owls. 



C. F. Xewell, an energetic taxidermist, located at 

 Calais, Me., last fal!, and during the winter has ihme 

 (juite an extensive business. He was enabled by his 

 location to obtain a large number of deers' heads, for 

 which he found a ready market. On Nov. 10, the 

 hunters reporte<l to hiui that they ha<l seen four white 

 (yl/6ino) Bucks. He succeeded in securing one. It was 

 entirely white except a patch on the head. Last sum- 

 mer he had a set of moose horns that weighed 40 lbs., 

 and the extent was 4 ft. 9 in. He has re])orted some 

 (ireat Gray Owls. He is now preparing to take a trip 

 north tor the i)urpose of collecting mammals. 



One of our correspondents calls our attention to the 

 fa(^t that Dr. Morris (;ibl)s in his new magazine refers 

 to us as an amateur publication. The doctor for a long- 

 time has been a contributor to our columns, and in his 

 enthusiasm evidently forgot for the mouient " flat dis 

 chile hab crep some time." 



It would be very, very sad if an open ruiiture should 

 occur between a scientific and the minor ]iublications. 

 The clouds seem heavy and threatening in certain 

 ()uarters. 



It is to be regretted that through sonu; blunder of 

 either printer or binder some imjierfect coi)ies of 

 '• Davies' Nests and Eggs" have got on the market. 

 Without consulting Mr. Davie we feel assured that he 

 would wish to have any such case reported at once. 

 Examine your copy and see if all the pages are present 

 or accounted for. 



The Loon has been sold to the i)ublisher of the Oolo- 

 gists' Exchange. Mr. Surber, its former i)ul)lisher, has 

 .sent us a complete file. 



The following sinsrle numbers of the O. & O. are ex- 

 hausted and to procure them now parties will be 

 (/bliged to buy complete volumes. Others will soon be 

 in same condition. Look through your file and see 

 what you require. Vol. X, Nos. 2, 4, T. 10, 11. Vol. XI, 

 No. 1. Vol. XII, No. 7. Vol. XIII, No. 1. 



A party of Boston gentlemen, Messrs. Perkins, Cod- 

 man, Keyes and Storrow, recently returned from a 

 trip to the northwest. They brought back as trophies 

 six heails of the Rocky Mountain sheej), one ewe and a 

 number of goat and deer, ^v■hen mounted they jire- 

 sented an interesting and novel sii;ht,at least to Boston 

 sportsmen. 



Ji;^" The A. O. U., as was predicted by outsiders, 

 ])roniptly sat down on Mr. Maynard's two new species 

 — the Smoky \V'oo(lpe(-ker and Coast Jay. .A. t the same 

 time did they not i)ro(luce a little chalf '.' ,^31 



Texas Ben walked into our office a few days since 

 and tenderly laid his |)et on the counter, a 7 ft. sjieci- 

 men of the Bull Snake that Boston's east winds had 

 proved too much for. We natu'-ally handed him a copy 

 of the O. & O. that contained Honda's article, and 

 asked his opinion. He replied, " I have shot eagles in 

 Texas 9 ft. froui tip to tip." We calli-d his attentiou 



to the fact that scientific bird men never allowed over 

 C ft. 8 or 9 in. He was very emphatic that 9 ft. was not 

 an exaggeration . Texas Ben is a well-known character. 

 Now what are the facts? 



The snake was a beautifully marked specimen, and 

 was tanned successfully in twenty-four hours, by the 

 Currier Tanning Compound. He will use it for a belt. 



We have a fine mountain lion from A. S. Bennett, 

 Colorado. 



Two caribou heads from the interior of Newfound- 

 land are the largest that we ever received. 



John C. Cahoon started for Brownsville, Texas, sail- 

 ing from New York. La Grippe took passage with 

 him, and when he reached Galveston he took the next 

 steamer back. Not everyone can afford an ocean trip. 

 We simply took ([uinine. 



Some of the members of the Massachusetts Fish and 

 Game Association have started the project of stocking 

 this state with game siudi as Wild Tuikey, I'lumed Par- 

 tridge, Pineated and Sharp-tailed (irouse, and already 

 have a fund subscribed. In this they should have sub- 

 stantial supjiort and we sincerely hoj)e that the experi- 

 ment may be a success. 



A set of eight eggs of the Brewer's Blackbird was 

 taken May .5, 1889, at iMonte Blanco, \'entnra County, 

 Cal. The nest was located in an oak, thirty feet from 

 the ground. The set. is in our possession. 



Louis Barrett, formerly in our employ, started on a 

 collecting trip early in January. He intends to visit 

 Florida and Mexico. " I^ewy " is an enthusiastic young- 

 taxidermist, and although of limited means he under- 

 takes the tri)) entirely for hiuiself. He surely deserves 

 success. 



Two Great (iray Owls rec^eived from Belfast, Maine. 

 Color of the eyes of one a light straw yellow. 



A postal bearing an advertisement of a typewriter, 

 from Pope Manf'g' Co., addressed to the editor who 

 furnishes the poorest co]>y after being ignored by us, 

 was referred to A. E. Pettit (Oologists' Exchange). He 

 fired it at Thad Surber (The Loon) wh() despatched it to 

 Frank H. Lattin (The Oologist) who promptly for- 

 warded it to R. B. Trouslot (The Naturalist), and back 

 it came to us. It did not go around the world but it 

 struck a hard crowd just the same. 



A lot of Sulphur Rump Tanagers found their way 

 into the market this season. They are a beautiful bird 

 from South America. The plumage is a rich velvety 

 black with a bright sulphur yellow patch on the back. 



The IT. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of 

 Ornithology, is sending out the forms for reporting 

 migration notes for ]S9(t, also f<u' lists of birds known 

 to breed at various localities. The importance of this 

 work is well known to our ornithologists. 



We note in the .lanuary Oologist a report of an 

 eagle taken near Prairie Du La(% Wis., that measureil 

 9 ft. froui tip to ti|)'.' 



We note with pleasure that the citizens of Tiffin, 

 Ohio, are making a move to secure the collection of 

 Dr. J. Kost, who has charge of the Polytechnic Depart 

 ment of the Heidelberg University. 



This collection will, of itself, form one of the finest 

 museums in the country, and it is gratifying- to see 

 that nourishing city has sufficient i)ublic sjiirit to ])re- 

 vent a fine collection from having its usefulness de- 

 stroyed by being scattered broadcast, as is too often the 

 case, from the apathy and short-sightedness of the 

 people. 



