320 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Barn Owl in Indiana!!" Mr. W. K. 

 Saul, I. Eavans, and numerous others 

 I could mention, have in a series of 

 correspondence with the writer, pro- 

 nounced the Barn Owl a resident of 

 this State. So, now, ."Boys of Indiana" 

 if you find a nest of the Barn Owl in 

 Indiana make sure of the identity and 

 then make your data without fear of 

 contradiction, for yon hdfce the best 

 authority of the State on yonr side. 



I folly agree with "the critic" that 

 every collector should carefully and 

 positively identify each and every set 

 they take. I have watched a nest for 

 hours to make sure of the identity when 

 I was in the least doubt. 



I was for a time discouraged and 

 thought perhaps I was wrong, but wiih 

 letters from some of the best authority 

 in this and adjoining states substantiat- 

 ing my judgment I am still in the field 

 more enthusiastic than ever. 



If Mr. Sirrom will kindly correspond 

 with me on this subject I am sure I can 

 convince him that he is mistaken; and 

 then I shall ask him to retract what he 

 has said, as I feel he has done me an 

 injustice as well as cast a reflection on 

 the authority of the Oologist and the 

 sagacity of its most able editor. 



I do not claim to be perfect, nor in- 

 fallible by any means, but Mr. Editor 

 I believe it good policy to "Look be- 

 fore you leap." Investigate before you 

 criticise a thing. Mr. S. certainly did 

 not do so in the case of the Barn Owl 

 at least. 



In the ease of the article in the Jan- 

 uary No. it seems to me it would be 

 owing to his enthusiasm, whether it 

 would be a pleasure to hunt when one 

 was so handicapped, but surely his ob- 

 servations could and would -he of as 

 much profit as though he had traveled 

 in aristocratic style. It appears ac- 

 cording to the very interesting aud 

 valuable articles recently published in 

 the Oologist on "The Life of Alexan- 

 der Wilson," that this noble man ex- 



perienced more hardships than could 

 possibly have attended the author of 

 the aforesaid article. Yet "the ciitic" 

 has not taken exception to that, and 

 again I have found that an ax or a 

 hatchet is almost indispensable to good 

 live collectors. Now, readers in hopes 

 that our elder brother will endeavor to 

 rectify his unintentional mistake, and 

 so right the misinformed "boys of In- 

 diana," I beg to subscribe myself, 

 Geo. W. Pitman, 

 New Castle, Indiana. 



A Nest of the Canvas-back. 



Seaburn, Manitoba, June 4, 1893. For 

 some days I had 'observed a pair of 

 Canvas-backs frequentiug a slough that 

 ran back from the Lake a short distance, 

 the sides of which were covered with a 

 rank growth of small bushes coarse 

 grass, old roots of toes and small 

 patches of dry ground here and there, 

 just the place I thought for a nest. 

 For several days I had paid the place a 

 visit, upon each occasion observing the 

 birds up at the far end of the slough, 

 aud although I searched carefully every 

 time I never could discover the nest 

 which I felt sure was there. On the 

 morning-of the 4th I was awake early 

 and finding it blowing strong from the 

 North with a fine rain falling I deter, 

 mined to go and have another search 

 for the Cauvas-back, as I knew such a 

 day was good for " egging." 



S wallowing a few mouthf uls of break- 

 fast I pull on my rubber boots, don my 

 waterproof coat take my gun and" start 

 off for the slough, which is about 2 

 miles distant. On my way I find a nest 

 of the Sora Rail containing 11 eggs 

 which are transferred to one of my 

 boxes, Yellow-headed Blackbirds nests 

 are numerous, but I am impatient to 

 reach my destination and don't stop to 

 examine them. While I am making a 

 short cut through a path of bush I come 



