THE OOLOGIST. 



21 



linely speckled with chestnut and 

 lilac! 



The number constituting a clutch, 

 varies from four to seven, rarely the 

 latter. The first clutch commonly con- 

 sists of five or six; the second of four 

 and sometimes five. I have found in 

 July, clutches of one, two and three 

 incubated eggs, possibly indicating a 

 third laying. 



Very little remonstrance is made by 

 the birds when the nest is molested 

 and some do not even venture near. 

 In some places, the birds are found 

 breeding in small colonies, and many 

 nests can be found within a surpris- 

 ingly small area. A friend found a 

 double nest in one of these colonies; 

 the lower 'containing seven eggs and 

 the upper five. No . Cowbird's eggs 

 were in either nest although I have 

 found them in-a few nests. 



After the breeding season, the birds 

 remain very quiet, and in September, 

 take their departure for tha sunny 

 South. 



W. E. Loucks, 



Peoria, 111. 



Bird Nesting in an Illinois Swamp- 



The Florida Galinule is very common 

 in some parts of this swamp, and I was 

 able to collect a number of tine sets. 



The hunters of the swamp call this 

 bird a "Red Nose''' to distinguish it 

 from the Coot and the bright vermilion 

 red of the bill '« and frontal shield wili 

 readily be noticed in contrast to the lar- 

 ger whitebill of'] the Coot with brown 

 frontal shield and brown spots near tip 

 of bill. 



The nest is formed by bending down 

 the rushes to form a platform and plac- 

 ing a quantity of dry rushes ||on the 

 platform thus made until it reaches a 

 height of 2 or 3 inches above the level 

 of the water aud will rise and fall vi itli 

 it to a certain extent. 



The ftesl is always placed so the bird- 

 can swim to aud from it. The eggs 

 are from 6 to 10 in number and of a yel- 

 lowish (or sometimes grenish brown) 

 gi-ound color, blotched and spotted 

 with brown of various shades. The 

 markings appear to be in the shell in- 

 self, not on it. 



Six eggs from different sets measure 

 1.90x1.1s— 1.76x1.18— 1.92-X1.24— 1.65x 

 l.iaP-r. 73x1.23— 1.61x1.23. 



The "Cluck cluck" of the King Kail 

 or Stage Driver, from its call, could be 

 heard at any time but very few nests 

 were to be found. The ability of these 

 birds to keep out of sight was amazing 

 and it took five men aud two dogs to 

 flush my first one. 



Their nests are made in a clump of 

 grass aud are composed of line grass 

 and a few rushes, From their location 

 I concluded that the heavy rains had 

 flooded most of the nests, which ac- 

 counted for my not finding more. 



The eggs are from 6 to 12 in number 

 aud are from a dull white to a creamy 

 yellow in color spotted with reddish 

 brown, many of the marks being so 

 deep in the shell as to give the appear- 

 ance of having been washed partly out. 



Five eggs measure 1.66x1.21 — l..)7\ 

 1.18—1.71x1.22—1 67x1.24—1 68x1 24. 



The American Coot breeds quite 

 plentifully in some parts of this marsh', 

 laying from 6 to 10 eggs. 



Its nest cannot be distinguished from 

 that of the Florida Galinule so no de- 

 scription is necessary. 



The eggs, however, are readily distin- 

 guished as they are. of a clayey yellow 

 ground color, finely dotted over the 

 whole surface with black specks. 



They seem to lay earlier than the 

 Galinule for incubation was well ad- 

 vanced in all the sets I took. 



Five eggs measure 1.01x1. Si — 1.92x 

 1.34^1.90x1.36—1.92x1.35—1.94x1.37. 



The marsh where I collected is'-bn ; e 

 of a number layhig in Henry. and : 'a'd- 

 joining < nties, and is abohl 5 miles 



