264 



THE OOLOGIST. 



hop on one leg, stretch out one wing, 

 and try to decoy hiui after them. 



We could see the Cranes far out on 

 the prairie for the hour or two we were 

 around there, and even after we were 

 out of sight we could hear their loud 

 singing whoops. The Whooping 

 Crane's note seems to be louder and 

 has a more ringing and resonant tone 

 than the Sandhill Crane's voice, which 

 has a rougher, rasping sound. 



But, let us speak of the nest. It was 

 a mass of grass, rushes and reeds about 

 two feet across and eight or ten inches 

 above the water, which at this place 

 was about a foot and a half deep. The 

 water was open for a few feet around 

 the nest, but in most places was grown 

 up with rushes and saw-grass. The 

 nest was so solid that I sat down on it 

 without sinking it into the water. 



The eggs were perfectly fresh. One 

 was a light greenish brown color, spot- 

 ted quite thickly and evenly over the 

 whole surface with brown and buff 

 spots and purplish shell markings. 

 The ground color of the other egg was 

 of a light brownish color, without a de- 

 cided greenish tinge, spotted about the 

 same as the first egg, but with many of 

 the spots confluent at . the larger end. 

 They measured 4.06x2.38 and 4.03x2.50, 

 respectively. 



In comparison with a set of two eggs 

 of the Sandhill Crane, they appear pro- 

 portionally longer and narrower, and 

 have a somewhat rougher shell with a 

 few elevations on the shell like little 

 pimples. 



This nest was found in the marshes 

 along tbe headwaters of the Iowa riv- 

 er, two or three miles nox*thwest of 

 Hayfield or Madison Junction, Han- 

 cock county, Iowa. 



Rudolph M. Anderson, 



Fox-est City, Iowa. 



July Oologist was tbe most interesting and 

 instructive of tbe 14 O. and O. papers I take. 

 Isador S. Trostler, Omaba, Neb. 



Habits of the American Woodcock in Ashta- 

 bula Co-, Ohio. 



F. C. Hubbard. 



The Amex'ican Woodcock, Philohela 

 minor, is a qxiite common summer resi- 

 dent, but is rapidly diminishing in num- 

 bers, it may be found from March to, 

 October. 



The Woodcock is one of the most, if 

 not the most highly esteemed of our- 

 game birds, may be found at almost, 

 anv season of the year when the ground 

 is not frozen. The Woodcock during' 

 the bx'eeding season fi'equents the dense 

 woods even hill sides, but in this case 

 in the vicinity of water. After the 

 bx'eeding season they are found in more 

 open wet places, especially at night for 

 their habits ax'e quite nocturnal. Corn-, 

 fields, pastux-es and commons with a, 

 rich loamy soil are favorite places off 

 resort after sunset. 



The Woodcock once so common in. 

 this section of Ohio, are fast diminish-, 

 ing, owing to the draining of our bogs. 

 and swampy lands. However, quite a t 

 number of these birds breed yearly,, 

 and two sets of four eggs each wex'e- 

 taken during the season of '94, by col-, 

 lectors in our village. One of the sets.- 

 I was fortunate enough to purchase of a. 

 young man, not a veiw enthusiastic col- 

 lector. The eggs were collected by the 

 boy's father four miles fronx here in the- 

 Gx-and River valley while on a fishing 

 excursion. On May 30, 1890, I found 

 two young Woodcocks nearly lai'ge 

 enough to fly and tx-ied my best to l-aise 

 them, although they would eat insects 

 and worms given them they soon died:, 

 px'obably on account of the lack of 

 nourishing substances not known to me.. 

 I have since eoixxe to the conclusion* 

 that it is better to leave them in their 

 element than to imprison them, even if 

 they can be I'aised. 



When disturbed from the nest or the- 

 young are endangered the parent ex-. 



