Dec. 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



201 



and a few spots that are almost black, which 

 form indistinct wreaths near the larger ends, 

 and leave the remainder of the surface immac- 

 ulate : .70X.54; .70X.55; .69 x .53 ; .72x.55. 



Set III. June 6, 1887. Saj-brook, Conn. Four 

 eggs, fresh. Creamy white, sjjeckled and spot- 

 ted more or less all over the surface with verj' 

 light reddish brown, as well as a few spots of a 

 darker shade of brown, and lilac. The mark- 

 ings are closer together near the larger ends, 

 where they form indistinct wreaths : .G8 x .53 ; 

 .70X.54; .68X.53; .70x.55. 



Set IV. June 4, 1885. Saybrook, Conn. 

 Three eggs, fresh. Creamy white, and quite 

 glossy ; two of them are niarked with a profu- 

 sion of specks and spots of bright reddish 

 brown and lilac, which are principally at the 

 laiger ends. The third egg has very light red- 

 dish brown and lilac spots, in the form of a 

 wreath at the larger end: .74x.54; ,74x.55; 

 .72X.54. 



Set V. May 31, 1887. Saybrook, Conn. Four 

 eggs, fresh. Creamy white, speckled and spot- 

 ted with light reddish brown and lilac. The 

 markings are larger and thicker at the larger 

 ends: .71x.55; .70x.55; .G8x.53; .68x.53. 



Set Vr. May 26, 1887. Saybrook, Conn. 

 Four eggs, fresh. White, speckled and spotted 

 with reddish brown and lilac, chiefly at the 

 larger ends, where they form wreaths: .67 x 

 .52; .69X.53; .70x.55; .65 x .54. 



Set VII. May 28, 1878. Four eggs. White, 

 spotted and speckled with dark reddish brown 

 and lilac. The niarkings are almost wholly at 

 the larger ends, where they form indistinct 

 wreaths: .71x.54; .71x.55; .75 x .56; .73 x .55. 



Set VIII. June 3, 1886. Saybrook, Conn. 

 Four eggs, fresh. Glossy creamy white, quite 

 pointed for this species. Marked entirely at 

 the larger ends with light and dark reddish 

 brown and lilac spots and specks. The mark- 

 ings are more at the larger ends of the eggs in 

 this set than in any others in the series, and 

 when looked at from the smaller ends the eggs 

 appear Piitircly unmarked. This is a very odd 

 effect, and the writer has never seen another 

 set of eggs of an}' species which lays marked 

 eggs in which this curious phenomenon is ap- 

 parent. It is caused by the markings being 

 confined to the very tops of the larger ends, 

 and the largest circumference of the eggs at 

 their broadest point being entirely unmarked 

 it prevents the spots at the tops from being 

 seen: .75x.53; .73x.54; .72x.53; .73x.55. 



Set IX. June 4, 1886. Saybrook, Conn. Four 

 eggs, slightly incubated. Ci'eamy white, quite 

 heavily wreathed near the larger ends with 



bright reddish brown and lilac: .70x.o4; .71 x 

 .52; .69X.52; .68x.51. 



Set X. May 27, 1887. Saybrook, Conn. 

 Four eggs. Creamy white, with some gloss. 

 Wreathed near the larger ends witli spots of 

 bright reddish brown and lilac, with a few dark 

 reddish brown ones ; the ren)ainder of the surface 

 of the eggs is immaculate: .68x.52; .72x.53; 

 .70X.53; .68X..53. 



Set XI. June 4, 1886. Saybrook, Conn. 

 Four eggs, fresh. Cieamy white, beautifully 

 wreathed near the larger ends with very bright 

 reddish brown and lilac — tlie latter color being 

 almost imperceptable in some of the eggs. 

 This is decidedly the handsomest set in the 

 series: .70x.55; .69x..55; .()9x.54; .69x.55. 



Notes From Raleigh, N. C. 



1887. 



BY C. S. BKIMI.EV, 



Bachman"s Sparrow {Pcncwn a'sticdlis Jiach- 

 mani). Took a specimen of this bird on March 

 19, and another on April 12. We have only- 

 taken five specimens of this bird here, one on 

 April 1, 1885, and two (a male and female, 

 evidently mated), on April 21 of same year, and 

 the two mentioned first. I think from its known 

 range that this bird is a rare resident, or per- 

 haps summer visitor here. All five specimens, 

 except the second of those killed on April 23, 

 1885, were shot as suspicious characters, and 

 several commoner species of sparrow have at 

 different times fallen victims to the same sus- 

 picions. 



Red Crossbill {Loxia curvirostrn). Killed 

 one out of a small flock on June 5, and saw Hie 

 same flock again in the aftei-noon. I took four 

 of this species in March, 1884, as recorded in 

 the O. AND O. for that year, but hadn't ob- 

 served the species since, and was surprised to 

 see them in summer. 



Purple Galliuale (lonornis martiniat). We 

 observed one of this species on June 5, and my 

 brother killed one, propably the same, on June 

 6. This is our first recoid for this species in 

 this locality. 



King Rail {liaUus ehu/aus). Two broods were 

 hatched in this locality in one of our best 

 known meadows, and we knew nothing about 

 it till we were informed of some wonderful 

 birds that had been seen there by some negroes, 

 and which were variously said to be "Injun 

 hens," swamp ducks, etc. Tliinkiog there might 



