76 



THE OOLOGIST. r^bi^s '^P^O'-A 



Plenty of Birds. 



While sitting out in our front yard 

 I counted the following birds in five 

 minutes time: 



Chipping Sparrow, 20. 



Meadow Lark, 4. 



Blue Bird, 4. 



English Sparrow, 2. 



Field Sparrow, 3. 



Mocking Bird, 4_ 



Mourning Dove, 5. 



Flicker, 1. 



Turkey Vulture, 9. 



Song Sparrow, 2. 



Black Poll Warbler, 1. 



Robin, 1. 



Crow, 1. 



Sparrow Hawk, 1. 



Boat-tailed Grackle, 3. 



Phoebe, 3. 



Mai-yland Yellow-throat, 1. 



A. S. BRAND, 

 Culpeper, Va. 



April IS, 1909. 



Common Tern in IVIonroe County, 

 New York. 



On April 23d, I found myself in the 

 midst of a flock of twenty of these 

 birds in the beautiful Spring dress. 

 They were fourteen miles south of 

 Lake Ontario. 



Have seen scattering birds about 

 the Genesee Falls during migration on 

 several occasions, but this was the 

 lagest flock and the farthest from the 

 Lakes that I have ever observed. 



E. H. SHORT. 



A Freak Robin. 



For the past week I have noticed 

 a pair of Robins nest building on the 

 grounds of the Baptist parsonage at 

 Chili Center, Monroe county. New 

 York. The female, which I have had 

 several opportunities to closely inspect 

 is in at least one respect, the most 

 unique albino I have ever seen. 



I have seen may types of albinism 

 from pure white to an isolated patch, 

 but in all cases, except those of com- 



plete albinism, there has been no reg- 

 ularity about the markings. 



In this case there are two semicir- 

 cles of grayish-white on each side, 

 apparently exactly alike, an equidis- 

 tant as to each other, and also the 

 other side One band is on second- 

 aries, the other on wing coverts on 

 each side. They give the effect of 

 perfectly normal markings, and pe- 

 haps I should have a species named 

 after me. 



Owing to the strict interpretation 

 of York State Laws on the subject I 

 am not at liberty to preserve this 

 unique specimen, which I presume, will 

 fail to transit its peculiar coloring to 

 any of its offspring. 



ERNEST H. SHORT. 



April 22, 1909. 



Abnormal Eggs. 



I have in my collection two eggs of 

 the Flicker (colaptes auratus) taken 

 near Morristown, Tennessee, on June 

 5, 1906, from a nest in a cavity in a 

 walnut tree, about 40 feet from the 

 ground. The eggs measured respect- 

 ively 1.121/2 X 1 inch and .93% x 

 .68% inch, the latter being one-third 

 smaller than the first mentioned. 

 I once saw a set of the Meadow Lark 

 Sturnella magna) one egg of which 

 was great deal smaller than the rest. 

 I have also a very small English Spar- 

 row egg which measures .68% x 56^/4 

 inches. 



I have heard these abnormal eggs 

 called "Maiden Eggs." Can you as- 

 sign the cause of this marked differ- 

 ence in the size off eggs laid by the 

 same bird ? 



J. F. TAYLOR. 



Knoxville, Tenn, 



The laying of runt eggs or so-called 

 maiden or pullet eggs, seems to be a 

 habit of nearly all birds, both tame 

 and wild. Many causes or theories 

 have been assigned therefor, but none 



