THE OOLOGIST. 



119 



from its nest and poised before me then 

 darted back again. It's nest was like 

 the one seen earlier in the day but- it 

 contained eggs. 



It would make my story too long to 

 recite much more detail, so I will mere- 

 ly mention what we took during the re- 

 mainder of the day. 



During the afternoon we went below 

 our camping place. In the rose thickets 

 we found several sets of eggs of 

 of the Lazuli Bunting. The eggs usu- 

 ally three or four are of a light blue 

 color and vary greatly in shape in the 

 different ,sets. In the same brushy 

 places we found the Long-tailed Chat 

 nesting and had some success with 

 them. Further down I came suddenly 

 upon the nest of a Bullock's Oriole sus- 

 pended about 10 feet above the water. 

 I had to exercise a great deal of in- 

 genuity to get it but was at last reward- 

 ed with a set of three fresh eggs. One 

 of the prettiest nests I found was that 

 of the Warbling Vireo. I took three 

 that clay each containing four eggs. The 

 nest is a perfect basket made of blades of 

 grass and leaves and hung in a crotch 

 usually within reach from the ground. 

 These pretty birds slip quietly away as 

 you approach but I know they must treas- 

 ure their cosy homes. Well to 

 make a long story short our cans were 

 full of eggs so we started home. I have 

 had mauy detightful trips out this one 

 had so many pleasant surprises that it 

 is one of the cherished pages of my 

 memory. 



C. Chambkelin, 

 Golden, Coloaado. 



Illinois River Valley. 

 From an Ornithological Standpoint. 



Have you heard of this river ? Per- 

 haps, yes ; perhaps no. Peradventure 

 you have an idea that it is a small stream 

 running through a prairie state, has no 

 particular beauty and attractions from 



an ornithological standpoint. But such 

 is not the case. 



Flowing across the state of Illinois, 

 from the north east to the south west, it 

 empties into the great Mississippi in its 

 downward course to the Gulf. A river 

 having not only beauty but historical 

 events. In days gone by, flocks of 

 brilliant Paroquets dashed hither and 

 thither, buffalo wander over yonder 

 prairie, and the swarthy Indian paddled 

 his own canoe, and lived on the fat of 

 the land. Ah ! how changed. 



The Illinois River Valley is a rich 

 ornithological field notwithstanding the 

 encroachment of civilization. The char- 

 acter of the country is varied enough to 

 break the monotonous similarity which 

 is found in so mauy places, and one 

 will not tire of traveling within its bor- 

 ders. 



The valley consists of bottoms, mead- 

 ows, fields and bluffs. 



The bottoms or low lands, which are 

 an important factor in a large avian 

 fauna, predominate along the river. 

 The heavy timbered portions, chiefly 

 elm, maple, cottonwood and sycamore, 

 extend along the river, broken here and 

 there by long stretches of willow-swamps 

 know to fame as the resort of Prothon- 

 otaria citrea, and sloughs, and small 

 lakes innumerable. The sloughs, in 

 most cases, surround small bodies of 

 water, and consist of a heavy growth of 

 reeds, flags, wild rice, and marsh grass 



Here and there where bluffs extend to 

 the river, high banks are found and 

 saudy beaches. 



Between the low lands and the bluffs 

 are fine meadows where the Bartramians 

 delight to dwell, and grain fields out of 

 which comes the merry whistle of the 

 Bob-white. 



We next approach the hills, covered 

 with thickets of hazel brush and black- 

 berry vines, in which lives the noisy 

 Chat, by growth of oak and hickory, in 

 whose \ohy branches the Buteos delight 

 to build, and mingled here aud there 



