Aug. 



1890.] 



AIS^D OOLOGIST. 



125 



"short, poetical" names in the least. The old 

 names — in so many cases descriptive of plum- 

 age, etc. — furnish the young student of orni- 

 thology an instant clue to the identity of any 

 bird with which he is unfamiliar. So put me 

 down as favoring the old, first, last, and 

 always. F. W. M.— Ala. 



NOT THE ONLY ONK WHO THINKS THE CHANGES 

 A NEEDLESS BOTHER. 



Editor of O. it O.: 



I decidedly prefer the old names, not only 

 because they are familiar to us all but more 

 for the reason that there is nothing to gain by 

 such changes, while there is much to lose. It 

 is a loss to any brancii of science if changes 

 are made that will confuse the student, and 

 when such changes are made merely to bring 

 notoriety for a few men who are well able to 

 use their kuowledge in a way that would ben- 

 efit ornithology, it brings dissatisfaction and 

 retards the study am mg those who must be the 

 ornithologists of the next decade. Sucdi 

 changes only confuse without giving any sat- 

 isfactory results. 



It seems a pity the Union cannot find work 

 enough to do among our winged friends in 

 studies tliat would increase our knowledge 

 and ennoble this gre;it branch of Natural His- 

 tory instead of devoting its time trying to 

 retard and depopu'arize what we would sup- 

 pose they ought to uphold and increase. 



L. E. H.—Mass. 



Nesting of the Worm-Eating War- 

 bler near Leighton, Ala. 



On the 29th of April this year I was fortu- 

 nate enough to find a nest of tlie above species 

 containing five fresh eggs, and seeing but little 

 in our oological papers concerning the nest- 

 ing of this Warbler {Ilelmitlierufi vermivorus) 

 I thought an account of it would be interest- 

 ing to the readers of the O. & O. 



I was on La Grange mountain looking for 

 nests of the Black and Turkey Vultures, and 

 having walked along the bluff some two miles 

 was becoming rather discouraged at finding 

 nothing, when happening to glance down I saw a 

 small bird running along the ground with its 

 wings outspread as if wounded. I knew at a 

 glance that it had a nest, and therefore com- 

 menced looking for it; and seemingly examined 

 every inch of ground for yards around but no 

 nest could I find. So I walked off a short dis- 

 tance and sat down, determined to wait until 



the bird returned. In a few minutes its distant 

 chl})., cJiip, was heard, and soon both birds 

 were seen anxiously flitting from tree to tree 

 and by degrees coming nearer. I sat very still 

 and watched their every movement for some 

 half hour or so, as it was about that length of 

 time before the bird summoned up sufficient 

 courage to alight on her nest. I walked 

 quickly to the spot and there was the nest 

 deeply imbedded in the dead leaves with which 

 the ground was covered. 



It was at the foot of a small bush on the hill- 

 sides and could only be seen through one 

 small opening from below. It was composed 

 chiefly of dead leaves lined with fine grasses, 

 and contained five fresh eggs thickly marked 

 over the entire surface, but more heavily on 

 the larger end, with two shades of brownish- 

 red and obscure lilac on a pure white ground. 



The Worm-eating Warbler is a very rare 

 breeder in this locality, and indeed the above 

 pair are the only ones I have seen here in the 

 spring. Last year the fall migration of this 

 species here was as follows: First one, a $ ap- 

 peared in the swamp July 19tli; next one seen 

 on August 5th, a gradual increase from this 

 date until the 10th ; from 10th to 15th, height of 

 season, decreasing in numbers from this date; 

 last one seen on September 9th. F. W. M. 



Leighton. Ala. 



A Motherly Pelican. 



A very curious sight is to be seen in Central 

 Park of this city. There is a pet Pelican to- 

 gether with a lot of Canada geese, and a pair 

 of Trumpeter swans and ducks kept in the park 

 for the pleasure they give the people. 



Now this old Pelican thought it was about 

 time for her to begin to raise a family, so 

 being without a mate she gathered all 

 the duck eggs she could find in the pouch un- 

 der her bill and deposited them on a pile of 

 sand and stone in a somewhat secluded part of 

 the park. She has now been incubating for 

 about ten days, and I suppose she will soon 

 bring out her " chicks." Will de la Barre. 



Minneapolis, Minn. 



liAKE Birds in the Vicinity of Ottawa, 

 Ontario, Canada. — In the month of May Mr. 

 J. Fletcher shot six specimens of Lapland 

 Longspur (5o6) within a short distance of the 

 city. On the 9th of May I obtained a specimen 

 ( 9 ) of Dowitcher (231), and on the 27th of June 

 obtained a fine specimen (?) of tlie Yellow- 

 bellied Cuckoo (387). Geo. E. White. 



Oltawii, Ont., Can. 



