Dec. 1887.] 



AIS^D OOLOGIST. 



205 



speckled with bright reddisli browu and lilac. 

 The markings are much closer together at the 

 larger ends, where they form indistinct wreaths. 

 They measure .76 X .56 ; .78 x ..57 ; .76x.56; .76 

 X .57 ; .75 x .57. 



Another set, collected by Mr. McLaughlin, 

 on April 20, 1887, in the same locality, are 

 creamy white speckled with dark reddish 

 brown and lilac. In four of the eggs the mark- 

 ings form indistinct wreatlis around the larger 

 ends, but the fifth egg has tlie markings almost 

 all at the smaller end. They measure .6!) x .51 ; 

 .68X.51; ,69x.51; .66 x .50 ; .69x.50. 



A third set collected by C. O. Tracy, near 

 Hartland, Vermont, on June 20, 1883, are 

 creamy white, heavily speckled with reddish 

 brown and lilac, chiefly at the larger ends, 

 where they form wreaths : .71 x .55 ; .71 x54 ; 

 .70X.52; .70X..54; .69x.54. 



The New Edition of Dr. Coues's 

 "Key." 



The long-delayed new edition of this work 

 has at last made its appearance, and, as pre- 

 dicted in these columns several months ago, it 

 is simpl}^ a mere reprint of the old work from 

 the stereotype plates ; with the addition of an 

 appendix giving the nomenclature of the Amer- 

 ican Ornithologists' Union, and also a few new 

 species. 



The so-called " Sportsman's Edition " is the 

 same as the other, except that it is printed on 

 very thin paper — so thin that the type shows 

 through the page and makes the print bad for 

 the eyes, while the cuts appear to very poor ad- 

 vantage. The margins have also been cut down 

 so close that the book is utterlj- disfigured. 



The only question which will occur to the 

 reader of tliis new " edition " is why was there 

 so much delay in getting out a mere reprint? 



J. P. N. 



The Purple Grackle as a Bee-Eater. 



IJY L. O. riNDAK. 



In my note book for Xov. 7, 1887, is the fol- 

 lowing, which notes a trait of the Purple 

 Grackle. I have never heard of it before, and 

 therefore send it to the O. and O,, thinking it 

 may be new to some other readers of that 

 paper. 



" Several days ago, a neighbor's little girl 

 caught a Purple Grackle which had been slight- 



ly wounded, and made a pet of it. It is now so 

 tame it may be trusted to go all around the 

 yard. This morning, I saw it, (the grackle), 

 standing in front of the bee-hive, and on closer 

 inspection found that it was eating the bees as 

 fast as they came out of the hive. I am afraid 

 the Purple Grackle will liave a hard time in the 

 struggle for existence if he does not behave 

 better. Mr. C'. H. Andros has already recorded 

 (O. AND 0., Jan. 1886), an instance of one de- 

 vouring a robbin. As it is, they are eagerly 

 sought after by many embryo hunters, some of 

 whom consider a blackbird stew a delicacy. 

 The same holds true with Robins and Cedar 

 birds.'' 



Late Nesting of the Black-billed 

 Cuckoo. 



HV S. W. DENTON. 



I have to record the finding of a nest of the 

 the above species by myself on the 21st of 

 August of the present year. 



The nest contained three eggs slightly incu- 

 bated and was composed of the following ma- 

 terials : A layer or platform of twigs on which 

 were a few oak leaves with a thin and sparse 

 lining of pine needles. Nest very shallow and 

 placed in an oak bush about seven feet from 

 the ground near a path on the sunny but wood- 

 ed side of a hill. 



Was this a second laying this season';* If not, 

 then the birds, as near as I can figure it, were 

 over two months behind time in their house- 

 keeping duties and should have been preparing 

 to leave for the South rather than imposing 

 upon themselves the burden of a fannly at that 

 time of year. 



Albino Eggs of the Florida Towhee. 



BY J. r. N. 



Two remarkable sets of eggs of the Floriila 

 or White-eyed Towhee (Pipilo erijthropthahnus 

 alleni) collected by Mr. Walter Iloxie, during 

 the past season, near Frogmore, South Caro- 

 lina, are well wortliy of description. 



Set I. May 28, 1887. Three eggs. In('ul)a- 

 tion advani-ed. Bird seen on nest. One of the 

 eggs has a ground color of white, covered all 

 over with very faint yellowish specks. The 

 specks are so very faint and indistiuct that the 

 egg at a little distance has the appearance of 



