IHE OOLOGIST. 



79 



scream, and instantly every mother 

 Heron set up a deafening racket, and 

 leaving their perches began Hying wild- 

 ly about, nor did they settle down 

 again until the old Hawk had left her 

 nest. I presume this show of activity 

 was for the purpose of intimidation, 

 but they must have been continually 

 disturbed as she would return every 

 few minutes. After watching the birds 

 for a time we descended and made our 

 -way back across the canon.' When 

 passing near where I thought I had 

 Hushed the bird on our way to the 

 Here us' nests I thought I would see if 

 she had returned to her nest. So slow- 

 ly, ami cautiously I approached the 

 spot and was fortunate enough to see a 

 Spurred Towht e slip silently from her 

 nest, and I took four line eggs. The 

 nest was placed in the vines about a 

 foot from the ground and was very 

 Well concealed. 



A little later my companion took a 

 . set of eight of Parkman's Wren from 

 a deserted Woodpecker's hole, and al- 

 so found a nest of young Red-tails. 

 Shortly after I took four fresh eggs of 

 the Western Flycatcher, whose nest 

 was built in the opening of a Wood- 

 pecker's hole, and directly over a 

 stream of water. The nest was covered 

 externally with green'moss. 



A tine set of four of California Wood- 

 pecker's eggs next fell to the lot of my 

 companion. Our last find for the day 

 was a G, urdner's Wood pee re r's nest, 

 I which was in- the op of a rotten cotton- 

 wood tree and about thirty feet from 

 the creek bottom. Although we made 

 the attempt we found it was clearly 

 impossible to make it without a mis- 

 hap, and were obliged to leave it un- 

 -disturbed, much to our regret. 



This ended our tiuds for the day. and 

 Ave soon left for home. Although so 

 far as the primary ohjopt of our trip 

 was concerned, it- >\ as an entire failure, 

 yet we felt more than repaid for our 

 trouble, and I shall always remember 

 it with pleasure. 



Harold H. Dodge, 

 Santa Barbaar, Cal. 



The Loggerhead Shrike of Florida- 



One of the best known birds of the 

 Orange Belt or pine hills of Florida is 

 the Loggerhead Shrike. On traveling 

 along through the tall yellow pines of the 

 shade hills or the dark green and much 

 handsomer orange trees, ones attention 

 is attracted by the scolding, noisy call 

 of this bird in his favorite haunts. 



This bird has various local names 

 such as the Butcher Bird, Loggerhead, 

 Flat-head and False Mockingbird, all of 

 which apply very well to some charac- 

 teristic of the bird. I think the name 

 of Butcher Bird is most appropriate. 

 It derives this name from its habit of 

 impaling bugs, insects, lizards and even 

 small quadrupeds (such as young rab- 

 bits) on thorns of bushes or trees. 



A fact worth noting and one that I 

 have never noticed in books on Ornith- 

 ology, is that in all cases of impaling 

 their victims containing animal life on 

 thorns; they force the point of the thorn 

 through the body just- back of the shoul- 

 der. 



This bird is very daring, reckless and 

 warlike; pouncing on and destroying 

 anj- small (and sometimes quite large) 

 bird or insect that may be luckless 

 enough to attract his . yil attention. 

 They are great birds for intimidating, 

 and also seem to realize when any thing 

 is so weakened as to become an easy 

 prey. 



For instance; a friend of mine while 

 gunningshoG and wounded a large Dove 

 which is much larger than the Shrike 

 an*. r'-^-'t, game bird with us at some 

 seasons ol i - \efu\ The Dove while 

 "skating" was set upon by a Shrike, 

 who started to pick out the eyes of the 

 unfortunate dove. The pitiful look of 

 the Dove and the audacity of the Shrike 

 so moved the hunter that he shot the 

 Shrike putting au end to the cruelty. 



But the Loggerhead has some good 

 points .as well as bad ones. He has 

 great powers of imitation and from this 



