6S 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. W-No. 5 



I think the Wfestern Red-tailed Hawk is here, 

 and I saw one small Hawk which I could not 

 tell. I am somewhat puzzled on the Owls here 

 as yet. The little California Gnome Owl (G. 

 gnome) is here. Have also heard a note that 

 sounds very similar to Nyctala acadica. I 

 am told that there is a Screecli Owl here also. 

 I hope to get more interesting notes this 

 spring. C. W. Sivalloiv. 



Clatsop Co., Orep;on. 



Nesting of the Grebes. 



I read with inteiest Mr. Cantwell's com- 

 ments in a recent O. «fe O. relative to the nest- 

 ing of the Pied-billed Grebe. I am glad the 

 subject has been taken up, as the discussion 

 may lead to the settlement of some disputed 

 points. That tlie Pied-billed Grebe sits on 

 the nest in this locality seems quite evident. 

 At least my observation will corroborate that 

 of Mr. Wm. G. Smith. The first nest discov- 

 ered last summer contained seven eggs about 

 two thirds incubated. They were exposed; 

 quite probably the bird had left the nest with- 

 out covering the eggs as my approacli was 

 sadden. On August 8d Mr. Smith called my 

 attention to a Grebe sitting on a nest upon a 

 lake within a few yards of his house. He 

 claimed it was the Pied-billed Grebe, and I 

 had no reason to doubt the correctness of his 

 claim, as the bird was in full view, and could 

 easily have been identified with tlie excellent 

 field glass in his possession. 



In the afternoon of the same day we visited 

 a large swamp to secure some sets of the 

 American Eared Grebe. At one end of the 

 swamp among some reeds we found at least 

 thirty nests. Nearly all contained three eggs 

 each, yet a few contained four eggs. They 

 were uncovered witli but few exceptions, and in 

 tlie four sets wliich I took for my collection 

 incubation was quite well advanced. Upon 

 Mr. Smith's suggestion I examined tlie eggs 

 and found tlie upper side to be tlie warmer, 

 wliich would linrdly have been the case if tliey 

 had been heated through vegetable decompo- 

 sition. The nests were made of fiags and a 

 kind of swamp grass which grows abundantly in 

 the lakes in this vicinity. This grass is not of 

 a nature to easily decompose. I discovered no 

 evidence of heat from that source. Further 

 observation may lead to a change in views but 

 from present light I must believe, first, that 

 the (irebes sit ujion tlu^ir eggs for tlie ])uii)()se 

 of incubation, and second that their eggs are 



not incubated through the heat generated by 

 vegetable decomposition. Testimony from 

 careful observers in the aj^proaching season 

 will dispel all uncertainty. Win. 0>^born. 



Loveland, Colorado. 



Nesting of the Mourning Warbler. 



On .June 27, 1889, while watching a pair of 

 Mourning Warblers {GenfJdyjri.s philadelpJnn) 

 feed their young, which had just left tlie nest, 

 I discovered that there was in the vicinity at 

 least one more pair of birds, and that their la- 

 bors were not as far advanced as the others was 

 apparent by the presence of the male only, 

 which sliowed conclusively to me that the fe- 

 male was at the time incubating a long sought 

 for clutch of eggs, and at no great distance 

 from me. 



I was in hopes that the male would soon find 

 some insect in his movements through the 

 bushes that would be choice enough for his 

 spouse, but my hopes were in vain. I svatched 

 him for an hour and he was not out of sight 

 more than an instant at a time, and during this 

 period he acted as if he wanted to decoy me 

 away from where I was so comfortably seated 

 on a log. So I finally yielded and he led me off 

 some seven or eight rods into a thick patch of 

 undergrowth and briars and gave me the slip. 

 I passed on through the clump and returned 

 by a roundabout way to an old tree top which 

 I could conceal myself in, and whicli was 

 about three rods from my former position. 

 From here within less than fifteen minutes I 

 had the satisfaction of seeing him alight on a 

 stump with an insect in his bill, and after 

 looking around for a minute drop into a little 

 bunch of liard maple bushes which were 

 about five feet from the stump, and in a sliort 

 time I saw him retmn to the top of the stump 

 without the insect. 



I suspected something, but held to my place 

 of concealment until the act was repeated, 

 when I went to the si)ot and commenced 

 parting the bushes, whereupon Mrs. Mourner 

 came out, and although she appeared (piite 

 seriously injured I think she would have lived 

 liad not I shot her a few minutes later. In the 

 centre of the bunch on the top of a little 

 stump about four inches across from where 

 these bushes grew was the nest, which con- 

 tained three eggs, which upon examination 

 jn'oved to be about one third iiiciilnitcd. To 

 make the identity jiositive 1 collected both of 

 the birds. 



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