200 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 12-Ko. 12 



the American Scoter or Butterbill Coot, O. amer- 

 icana, which is rarer, but found under the same 

 circumstances. The young of 0. pprspicUata and 

 0. americana resemble eacli other very nmch 

 and can easily be confused, which accounts for 

 the latter being often overlooked. 



Mr. Dexter, in his article on the Limicoke of 

 this county, records only one authentic spec- 

 imen being taken of the Yellow legs. Tutamis 

 flnvipes, and the Solitary Sandpiper, Bhyacophi- 

 lus solitarius. 



My experience with these birds has been far 

 different. 1 liave found the latter bird connnon 

 in difterent parts of the county, and have shot a 

 great many of them. The former bird occurs 

 very regularly every year in company with the 

 Greater Yellow legs and Red-backed Sand- 

 piers in September. 



I think if Mr. Dexter would take a trip to the 

 Norton Reservoir after a northeast storm late 

 in August or in Sei>tember, he would find 

 plenty of both kinds of Yellow legs and Sol- 

 itaries as well. 



Can Birds Control the Laying of 

 Their Eggs? 



BY J. 1'. N. 



The question as to whether birds can control 

 the laying of their eggs or not is a very inter- 

 esting one, although but little seems to be 

 known about the subject. 



Dr. Coues says in the /le;/, page 223, that " it 

 is difficult to say how quickly an egg may ripen 

 in the ovary; for, during the activity of that 

 organ, several or many are to be found in all 

 stages of immaturity and the date of the initial 

 impulse cannot well be determined. As there 

 is probably but one egg at a time in the oviduct, 

 the whole process of finishing ott" the yelk-ball 

 with its chalaziform, soft albuniinous, putam- 

 inous, and calcareous envelopes may go on in 

 twenty-four hours, most of which time is con- 

 sumed in the shell formation." But he does 

 not tell us, nor does any other author whose 

 work is known to the writer, how it is that 

 when a bird, whose full complement of eggs is 

 four or five, has the misfortune to have a Cow- 

 bird deposit an egg in lier nest, the fennile will 

 then often stop laying after the intruder's egg 

 is placed there, even if only two or thiee eggs 

 are laid, and at once pioceed with the duties of 

 incubation. What becomes of the eggs which 

 have been gradually ripening in the ovary? 

 That such is the case there is abundance of 



proof. How otherwise can the fact of the 

 many incubated sets of eggs, of less than the 

 normal number, that are found every year, 

 with Cowbird's eggs, be accounted forV 



Another curious question will occur to many 

 in this connection. A bird lays the normal 

 set. Incubation is commenced, and in the case 

 of a species that does not raise a second brood, 

 it may be presumed there are no more eggs 

 forming in the ovary. The bird is then de- 

 prived of her set of eggs, and in a very short 

 time she often connnences to lay again. This 

 has been known to occur several times, until at 

 liist the eggs will frequently be much smaller, 

 or deficient iji coloring matter. In the case of 

 the Flicker (Cohiptes auratus) there are in- 

 stances on record whei'e an egg has been re- 

 moved every day, (leaving a nest egg) until 

 the bird has laid over forty times in succession. 



Again, if a bird, whose normal set is five or 

 six eggs, is depiived of them after she has laid 

 only two or three, what becomes of those 

 which are forming in her ovary, and which 

 would, in the ordinary case of nature have 

 been laid on the following days? 



These are all interesting questions, but there 

 has been very little light thrown upon them by 

 writers, and the above thoughts have been put 

 into words in the hope that some one who reads 

 them, may be able to explain some of these 

 matters whicli have often puzzled him who has 

 here set them down. 



A Series of Eggs of Myiodioctes 

 mitratus. 



BY J. r. N. 



The eggs of the beautiful Hooded Warbler 

 {Myiodioctes mitratus) do not show as great a 

 variation in size and coloring as those of many 

 other species of Warblers, but still the study of 

 a series of them will reveal many ditterences. 



The following series of eleven sets were all 

 collected by the Hon. John N. Clark, with the 

 exception of Set II, which were taken by Mr. 

 Aithur T. Wayne. 



Set I. May 27, 1S87. Saybrook, Conn. Four 

 eggs, fresh. Creamy white, speckled at the 

 larger ends with dark reddish brown and lilac. 

 The markings are principally confined to the 

 larger ends: .66x.51; .G9x.52; .68x.53; .69 x 

 .52. 



Set II. June 7, 1886. Charleston, South C!ar- 

 olina. Four eggs, fresh. White, quite gloss}"^. 

 Marked with specks of lilac and reddish brown. 



