THE OOLOGIST 



o s . 



Oregon Jay. The latter is not common. 

 In my observation I have found it 

 rare, Having only seen four birds in 

 three years. The two former both have 

 crests, the latter has none and in color- 

 ing much approaches the Eastern Bird. 

 But I am wandering from my subject. 

 Passmg on we soon enter au opening 

 and here we search deligeutly for a uest 

 of the Riug Pheasant, but are disap- 

 pointed. A male with a brood ofyoung, 

 perhaps ten days old is seen. 



Coming next to a scrub oak grove, we 

 search for nests of the Oregon Chicka- 

 dee and are rewarded by finding two 

 nes r s in dead stubs, only a few feet 

 above the ground. One contained six, 

 the other seven beautiful eggs of a 

 white ground color spotted with umber 

 and brown chiefly at the larger end. 

 This bird is quite common, but its nest 

 is so well concealed in the foi'ests and 

 briar patches that it is not as often 

 found as might be expected. It had 

 been a giorious morning, and we had 

 been feasting upon Nature with all it's 

 beauty but it was approaching one 

 o'clock, and the inner man began to 

 feel the wants of refreshments At this 

 point we came to the Santiam River 

 and seating ourselves in a shady nook 

 we proceeded to eat our lunch, which 

 by the way it disappeared, was very ac- 

 ceptable 



During this time, however, a pair of 

 American Dippers were flying back 

 and forth near the bank, and we pro- 

 ceeded to look for their nest. A short 

 distance down from where we were sit- 

 ting a log extended out over the water, 

 and on the very end a ball of moss at- 

 tracted our attention. My friend hast- 

 ily scrambled out on the log but slipped 

 and secured a ducking although the 

 water was only about 2 feet deep. Not 

 at all discouraged by this he waded out 

 the balance of the way. But instead of 

 four white eggs he found four young 

 birds and they were not disturbed of 

 course. 



This bird is common along our moun- 



tain streams but their nests are general- 

 ly not often found, resembling so much 

 only a bunch of moss and many times 

 art? built in inaccessable places. After- 

 gathering up our baskets, we started 

 homeward, flushing several Quail but 

 no more nest were found of this specie. 

 When nearly home we found a nest of 

 the Red-shafted Flicker in a hollow 

 stump some 40 ieet high and seven pure 

 white eggs were soon in my possession. 

 Preparing these specimens we soon 

 reached my friend's home. 



After having a hearty dinner I started 

 to drive home and reaehed'there just at 

 dusk and thus ended one of the most 

 pleasant and profitable days of the 

 season. 



Bird Wit and Lack of It. 



One of the chief attractions of the 

 study of birds is the fact that they are 

 not mere animated machines, living 

 over and over, a certain routine of life, 

 but on the contrary, to a certain extent 

 at least, are thinking and reasoning 

 beings, differing one from another in 

 their personality and in the skill with 

 which they adapt themselves to their 

 environments 



To the new-comer from the East, one. 

 of the strange sights in this locality is 

 the abundance aud familiarity of the 

 Blue Jay. aud though like "Yorick"' of 

 old, in most of his actions, he may 

 prove "a fellow of infinite wit," still in 

 the choice of a nesting place he some 

 times seems to be blessed with a plenti- 

 ful lack of it. I remember the only 

 nest of this species I ever found in New 

 England. It was in a scrubby pine in 

 the deepest recesses of a large tract of 

 timber land, and was only discovered 

 by catching a glimpse of the old bird as 

 she silently stole away. 



In this vicinity, where its experience 

 with the white man, or rather boy, is 

 measured by decades rather than cen- 

 turies, it is much more confiding; A_ 



