70 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 12-:N'o. 5 



and lighter shade of blue ; the similarity like- 

 wise extends to the nests of these two species. 

 In one set of these eggs minute pin point spots 

 of black are apparent to the eye, and upon ap- 

 plying a strong glass they appear even more 

 distinctly. In two eggs of the set these spots 

 are easily observed, and on the third egg en- 

 tirely lacking. A number of applications of an 

 acid wash have failed to remove them. 



The nest is found in swampy or low places, 

 and the breeding range is from Massachusetts 

 northward. Two sets collected in Ontario, on 

 May .SOth and June 23rd, 1886, respectively 

 measure .89x.66; .88x.68; .93x.«5; .89x.66, 

 and .90 x .65 ; .86 x .63 ; .84 x .62. 



Red-wing Thrush (Tnrdus iliacm). In The 

 Ibis for 1861, (c/. Reinhardt) was recorded two 

 examples of this European species having been 

 taken in Greenland, and hence the bird is ad- 

 mitted to our fauna, and occupies its proper 

 place in the standard Nomenclatui-es. Laishley 

 (British Bird's Eggs) 1858, p. 47, says " the eggs 

 closely resemble those of the Blackbird ( Tardus 

 merula), but if there is a difference in size are 

 smaller." It is a winter resident only of Great 

 Britain, breeding in northern latitudes. Hew- 

 iston found them nesting in Norway, where it 

 has the name of " the Nightingale." The nest 

 of the Red-wing, says Mr. Hewiston " is placed 

 like those of the Thrush ( Tnrdiis inusicus) and 

 Blackbird (Turdus merula), in the centre of a 

 thorn or other thick bush. It is similar to those 

 of the Blackbird, Fieldfare ( Turdus pilairis) and 

 Ringouzel {Turdus torquatus). Outwardly it is 

 formed of moss, roots and dry grass ; inwardly 

 cemented with clay, and again lined with finer 

 grass." The English Blackbird's egg {Tardus 

 merula), as figured by Atkinson is about the 

 size of that of the American Robin {Merula 

 migratoria), light greenish, speckled all over 

 with fine brownish specks, and much resembles 

 some specimens of our Cowbird's {Molothrus 

 ater) eggs, only it is larger in size. Seebohn in 

 his British Oology figures several specimens in 

 a realistic manner. 



A set of four eggs collected at Anclam, Ger- 

 many, on May 14th, 1885, have a dull, light 

 greenish ground very thickly and evenly 

 marked all over the surface with brownish 

 specks and cloudings. These are so thick and 

 close that the general efiect is that of a brown 

 egg, quite pointed, measure 1.04x.76; 1.03x 

 .74; 1.03 X. 73; 1.02 x. 74. 



A set of five taken in Lapland, May, 1883, 

 resemble somewhat some specimens of Russet- 

 backed Thrush {Hylocichla ustulata), though 

 much larger. Two-thirds of each egg is dull 



greenish, and towards and around the larger 

 end there are quite heavy markings of bright 

 reddish brown. They measure 1.03x.77; 1.03 

 X .76 ; 1.02 X .74 ; 1.00 x .76 and .98 x .76. 



A set of six eggs, greenish ground, clouded 

 and marked with different shades of brown; 

 taken in Lapland, May, 1883. Size 1.05 x. 74; 

 1.04X.73; 1.03 X. 73; 1.00 x. 70; .98 x .74 and 

 .97X.73. 



Another set of six eggs, greenish, closely 

 freckled with such small spottings of brown 

 that the appearance is that of a dirty uniform 

 green. This set was taken in Lapland, and 

 measure 1. 11 x. 75; 1.08 x. 74; 1.04 x. 74; 1.02 x 

 .75 ; 1.02 X .74 and 1.02 x .72. 



American Robin {Merula migratoria). The 

 number of eggs laid is generally four, though 

 the writer has been especially fortunate once, 

 in finding sets of five and six. Whether these 

 extreme sets were deposited by one female 

 each, it is impossible to say. Such cases are 

 exceptional and establish nothing. The eggs 

 are greenish blue, normally unspotted ; in size 

 averaging 1.18x.81. During the season just 

 passed (1886) every Robin's nest encountered 

 was looked into, in the hope, maybe, of finding 

 those spotted eggs of which we occasionally 

 hear. This peculiar phase was not met with, 

 but it is a fact worthy of mention that in only 

 one instance, in probably fifty, was more than 

 three eggs seen. The writer's experience in 

 this respect was not unique, and conversation 

 with a number of observers confirms this 

 strange phenomena. A long set average 1.25 x 

 .80; a short set average 1.05 x .86. 



Western Robin {Merula migratoria propinqua) . 

 Eggs of this bird seem to average slightly lar- 

 ger, though of course, they could not be dif- 

 erentiated with certainty. 



Varied Robin {Hesperocichla jicevia). Al- 

 though these eggs have been offered by some 

 dealers at ridiculously low figures, it may be of 

 interest to state that there is probably no au- 

 thentic set in any private collection, and the 

 National Museum at Washington, has as yet 

 the only authentic examples known to the writ- 

 er, a very few eggs taken in Alaska. 



Sage Thrasher ( Oreoscoptes montanus) . These 

 eggs are commonly described as looking much 

 like those of the Mockingbird {Mimus polyglot- 

 tus) and if a sufficiently large series of the for- 

 mer was accessible to the writer for comparison 

 he might determine the point to his ow^n satis- 

 faction. To speak within bounds it will be safe 

 to say that all sets of Sage Thrasher ever seen 

 possessed an entirely different appearance. The y 

 ground color being of varying degrees of iuten.- 



