65 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 15-^0. 5 



with contents purported to be types of Pacific 

 coast races, but they are saddled on our own 

 liumble and lichen-covered maple twigs, and 

 are undeniiibly Ruby-throats. The eastern 

 collector and dealer who sent me the Hummer's 

 nests and eggs is dead. A locomotive engine 

 could not draw his name from me now for 

 publication. 



Nor would it be any gain to our cause to 

 ever disclose the names of those western egg- 

 men whose eccentricities made my early col- 

 lecting days very lively indeed. We trust, 

 indeed we feel quite sure, that they have long 

 ago seen the errors of their way and repented. 

 It is given out on good authority that some of 

 them are hard at work trying to deduce a new 

 sub-species from an irregular scutellation of 

 the tarsi, and an apparent lack of color on the 

 retrice.s after the summer moult. 



In the great standing army of oologists which 

 fills our land, we are fain to believe are now 

 enrolled only men of honor, and in the new 

 and brighter era of our beloved science we 

 will try to forget the freaks and "mistakes" 

 of an obscure past. -/. M. W. 



An Interval Between the Laying of 

 Eggs, etc. 



Some time ago I read an article by Mr. 

 McLaughlin in the O. & O. to the effect that 

 when a bird only laid two eggs to the set she 

 didn't lay them on consecutive days, but 

 dropped a day between laying the first and 

 second eggs. I have only had occasion to test 

 the accuracy of his statement once, and that 

 was a Whip-poor-will in 1888, and she missed a 

 day exactly as he stated. Now all this is 

 merely introductory to a theory of my own, 

 viz., that when the Acadian Flycatcher and 

 Wood Pewee lay three eggs to tlie set they are 

 at least four days in so doing, and I hereby 

 present my facts. 



May 21), 1S81), I observed an Acadian' s nest 

 with two eggs in it. May :!Oth, still two eggs. 

 May 81st, took set of three from the nest. 

 •Tune 1st, ! observed two Acadians' nests with 

 one egg each. .June :5d, both nests contained 

 t)nly two eggs. .June ")th, took a set of three 

 from each nest. June (itli, Wood Pewee' s nest 

 (two eggs observed). June 7th, still only two 

 eggs. June 8th, three eggs in nest. 



The evidence, I must confess, is ratliei- slim, 

 but it all points one way, and 1 mean to work 

 up the matter this year. Last year I did not 

 appreciate the fact until May MOth, and so did 



not then have much opportunity of testing my 

 theory. 



Has any one ever noticed any symptoms of 

 irregularity in the laying of the Cardinal ? I 

 have on several occasions known them to miss 

 a day or two while laying, and on one occasion 

 in ISSo I found a nest containing one egg 

 nearly fresh, one about one tliird incubated, 

 and one about two thirds incubated. Another 

 point in connection with the Cardinal is 

 that nearly twenty-five per cent, of all nests 

 found will have broken eggs in them or 

 else the eggs will be desti-oyed before the set 

 is completed. I think the Catljird is mostly 

 responsible for this as the nests are usually 

 placed in situations where Catbirds abound, 

 and I once found one sitting on the edge 

 of a Cardinal's nest which contained broken 

 eggs. 



Apropos of the Catbird's egg -eating propen- 

 sities, I saw one last summer settle on a rock 

 near our house with something in his l)ill, 

 and on scaring him he left the remains of an 

 egg of his own species on the rock and de- 

 parted, so I suppose we must dub him canni- 

 bal as well as thief. 



AVhile on the question of food I at one time 

 kept two Screech Owls which I used to feed on 

 birds and mice (they would not touch reptiles 

 or insects), but the feature which most aston- 

 ished me was that they would often bolt small 

 birds such as Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, 

 etc., whole instead of tearing them to pieces, 

 and the way tlie big bulge would glide down 

 their throat and pass away was truly ])athetic, 

 and the way they immediately called for 

 more, still more so. C. S. lir'niilcy. 



Ralei^l), N. C. 



A Few Spring Notes from Monomoy 

 Island, Mass., i8go. 



Brant shooting at Monomoy this spring has 

 been good, better than for several seasons past. 

 The birds arrived early owing to the mild- 

 ness of tiu>, wintei- and for tlie same icnsoii 

 they did not linger about as long as usual, tiie 

 latter part of tiie migration force leaving April 

 J7th, fully a week or ten days earlier than 

 former seasons, 'i'he weather was not violent 

 enough to split tlie flocks up but this was 

 offset by an influxicm of young birds which 

 always insures good sport. April 14th and 

 l")th weie exceeding fine days for siu)oting, the 

 wind blowing very fresh on shore, which caused 

 the birds to swing in over tiie boxes as the 



