IS'ov. 1887.] 



AKD OOLOGIST. 



189 



The American Bittern in Oswego 

 Co., N. Y. 



BY C. C. MAXFIELI), WILLARD, N. Y. 



The Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosns), is as far 

 as my observations go, not a very abundant in- 

 habitant of Oswego county, although found 

 under favorable conditions in most of the 

 swamps of the county, but rather hard to find. 

 Several have been taken in a swamp three or 

 four miles directly north of Phoenix. This 

 place is not more than half a swamp, but is 

 composed of extremely swampy woods, and 

 also many acres of meadow that is annual!}- 

 overrun with water, some of which remains 

 the whole j-ear. There is a small creek run- 

 ning through it. 



I secured a fine specimen, a male, in the 

 spring of 1885, in a vei*y small swale, which is 

 completely dried up in the summer months, 

 and of not more than two or three acres in ex- 

 tent. This swale was not more than three or 

 four rods from the Oswego Eiver. I had seen 

 a pair there a day or two before and went pur- 

 posely to get a specimen, which I did without 

 getting my feet wet. I was walking directly to- 

 ward the swale with intentions of entering it, 

 when I noticed a small object move slightly at 

 the very edge of the shallow water. I did not 

 see exactly what it was at first, but it being 

 but about three rods distant, I walked at right 

 angles to my first course, as I soon saw it was 

 the specimen wanted. It stood with its bill ele- 

 vated at an angle of about forty-five degrees 

 and breast squarely towards me. 



Seeing that it could not easily get away from 

 me, I tried walking back and forth in front of 

 it, observing it at the same time. The actions 

 of the bird interested me and I walked in front 

 of it several times, the bird always keeping its 

 breast directly towards me, no matter which 

 way I turned ; doing so by raising one foot and 

 then the other and still standing in the same 

 spot, not offering to flJ^ After watching it for 

 some little time I shot it, and found it to be a 

 fine, adult male. 



1 then made a very thorough search for a 

 nest through the swale, but was unable to find 

 one, although I started another fine looking 

 bird, which I missed. 



Returning to the spot a few days after, a 

 Bittern was started, a fine shot, but I had no 

 gun with me. The swale was again thoroughly 

 searched, but no trace of nesting found. Dur- 

 ing the search for the Bittern's nest, a Sora 



Rail's nest was found, containing ten eggs, all 

 slightly incubated ; no fresh ones. 



The Bittern usually rests in some marsh, ad- 

 jacent to a stream of water or swamp. Nest 

 composed of dry and green grass in about equal 

 proportions. Nest is raised above the surface 

 of the ground from six to eight inches and 

 completely covered over with dead, drj^ grass, 

 onlj' leaving an opening in one side for the en- 

 trance of the bird. 



The nests found in this vicinitj', for the find- 

 ing of which we ai-e indebted to Benj. F. Hess, 

 have only contained two and three eggs, all of 

 which were fresh, showing a possibility of the 

 sets not being full ones. 



The eggs are of a light creamy, brown color, 

 and vary somewhat, but the a\'erage with us is 

 2.10x1.63. 



My Experience with the Breeding of 

 the White-breasted Nuthatch. 



BY HARRY K. JAMISON, MANAYUNK, PHILA., PA. 



Looking over the results of my season's col- 

 lecting, I find that I prize my set of White- 

 breasted Nuthatch's (Sitta carulinensis) eggs 

 above any other set taken. It was only after a 

 long period of patient watching that they were 

 finally secured and for that reason they are 

 valued highly. 



On April 3rd I noticed a pair of these birds 

 in an open woods, and knowing that it would 

 soon be time for them to nest, I sat down to 

 watch them. In a short time one of them en- 

 tered a knot-hole in the trunk of a niaple tree, 

 fifty feet from the ground. During the next 

 half-hour both birds entered this hole several 

 times and brought out bits of decayed wood, 

 which were either placed in a fork just below 

 the entrance to the hole or taken oft" some dis- 

 tance into the woods. A week later I watcjhed 

 this tree three hours and during the balance of 

 the month visited it several times, but did not 

 see a bird near it again, so I did not consider it 

 necessary to climb up and examine the cavit}-. 



On the 17th of April I saw one of the birds, 

 probably of the same pair, about two hundred 

 yards from where I had seen them first; it kept 

 in the tops of the tall trees, continually utter- 

 ing its notes. Not having the time to spare I 

 sent a friend to follow the pair. On the 20th of 

 April he saw but one bird and watched it three 

 or four hours. Twice, at an interval of half an 

 hour, he saw it enter a knot-hole in a limb of a 

 chestnut tree, sixty feet up. I spent three 



