84 



THE OOLOGJST 



later, when they sit up in the wreck of 

 a nest and hiss spitefully at the collec- 

 tor, making stupid lunges with their 

 long, ungainly beaks. 



By using care I secured nearly two 

 hundred fresh eggs for my cabinet and 

 my collector friends at the north. 

 These eggs were packed in a big box 

 with plenty of grass and were about all 

 one man wanted to carry through the 

 long rank grass on the island. 



The eggs are white and covered with 

 a thick incrustation of lime. After the 

 eggs have been in the nes.t a few days 

 they become much soiled and in this 

 way can be told from the fresh eggs. 

 They may be readily scraped with a 

 sharp knife and cleaned, but of course 

 7 to an accurate oologist this plan is not 

 preferred, as eggs should be allowed to 

 remain natural. 



There are hundreds of interesting 

 points on which I would like to speak, 

 especially on the habits of the old birds 

 in flying, fishing and feedirfg their 

 young, but space forbids more at pres- 

 ent, although I may give additional 

 notes if requested. 



After shooting a number of specimens 

 for the collection we ranged along on 

 the shore and Mr. Henry Young took a 

 view of the party with his camera, with 

 a foreground of nests, eggs and young.* 



Next day I blew all the fresh eggs 

 and packed them in Spanish moss, and 

 they arrived at my Michigan home in 

 perfect condition. I attempted to eat 

 a Pelican's egg, but the flavor was too 

 strong for me. 



Morris Gibbs. 



W. A. Oldfield of Port Sanilac, Mich., 

 writes that on the night of Feb. 3d his 

 store and contents were desti'oyed by 

 tire. He also lost his bird notes, his ac- 

 counts with collectors and a portion 

 of his collection. 



* A half-tone of this photo is given in this 

 Oologist. 



Evening Grosbeak. 



(Coccothraustes vespertina) 



Truly this is well named a bird of the 

 night for, though not literally of noc- 

 turnal nature, it is canopied by black- 

 ness of such ebon hue as might make 

 Pluto envious or the shades -of Erebus 

 pale. Here, found in the plumage of 

 our bird is a most remarkable triad of 

 colors, blending, too, as they do, in 

 such beauty that, to say nothing of the 

 beak which can be distinguished almost 

 as far as the bird itself, it must indeed 

 be one who cares not for the wonderful 

 and mysterious in Nature that will pass 

 this Grosbeak without more than cur- 

 sory notice. 



Prof. Coues sees in this bright avian 

 being the allegory of diurnal transmi- 

 tation. I have watched them with 

 wonder akin to awe, as they congre- 

 gated in the tree tops at early morn or 

 at eventide, with the soft rays of a ris- 

 ing or declining sun heightening or les- 

 sening the degree of intensity of their 

 colors, and can well see wherein he 

 draws his illustration. 



In the adult male the plumage colors 

 are black, white and yellow, with in- 

 termediate shades of the same. The 

 crown, wings, tail and its upper cov- 

 erts are glossy black. Frons and line 

 over the eye, rump, under secondary 

 and tail coverts, yellow. Tertiaries 

 and inner greater wing coverts are 

 white, forming a broad patch that con- 

 trasts deeply with its setting of black 

 and gold, and is conspicuous either 

 when the bird is on the wing or resting. 

 Breast and under parts are yellow-olive, 

 shading to deeper olive on the throat 

 and around neck, and fading into the 

 yellow of the under tail coverts. Feet, 

 dark flesh color. Bill, greenish-yellow. 

 Length of both sexes about the same, 

 averaging 7.75. 



Male and female differ much in 

 shade of markings, the latter being 



