THE OOLOGIST. 



99 



above you see that it is as hard to get 

 to the nest after you find it, as it was to 

 find it. The Golden Eagle also is 

 known to breed in the mountainous dis- 

 tricts of New England and New York. 

 These are the birds that trouble the 

 sheep-raisers of the West. I have been 

 told that they swoop down upon and 

 carry off the young lambs so unexpect- 

 edly and easy that it is impossible to 

 keep a lookout for them and prevent 

 them from catching the unfortunate 

 lambs. But the eagles must be fed, and 

 I suppose that this is as good as any 

 way. It is only a lamb gone, and the 

 eagles feast thereon . 



In the cliffs and high trees where 

 th#y build, they lay generally two, but 

 sometimes three eggs. In color they 

 vary from almost pure white to thickly 

 spotted with brown, with shell mark- 

 ings of lavender and purplish. 

 gray sea eagle {Halioeetus albiciUa. 

 This eagle is admitted to the Check 

 List of North American Birds upon its 

 occurrence in the southern part of 

 Greenland. As its name implies, it is 

 truly a Sea Eagle hardly, if ever being 

 found far inland. They breed D quite 

 commonly in South Greenland, and 

 abundantly along the coast of Great 

 Britain in the rocky cliffs that over- 

 hang the ocean. They, like other eag- 

 les, lay two and sometimes three eggs — 

 plain white in color. 



Nesting of Black-capped Chickadee in Kala- 

 mazoo Co., Mich- 

 {Pains rtricrjritlvs .) 



The Black-capped Chickadee may be 

 found in these parts through the entire 

 year. Although I think it migrates 

 and those found here in winter breed 

 farther north. 



Its bold habits make it to most people 

 a well known bird. The nest of the 

 Chickadee when once its habits and 

 general nesting sites are known, is very 

 easy to find. The nest according to my 



observations is usually placed in a hole 

 made by the birds in a small stump 

 from four to eight inches in diameter, 

 and from one to three feet from the 

 ground, always in a swampy place or 

 near water. A nest found April 22d, 

 1889, in a small ash stump 18 inches 

 from the ground. The entrance to this 

 nest was one and one half inches in 

 diameter and the cavity five inches 

 deep, larger at the bottom than top and 

 filled about half way with moss, fur, 

 hair and fiberous bark. The eggs seven 

 in number were covered over, a habit 

 of the Chickadee bofore leaving the 

 nest.. 



A nest found April 27th, 1889, in a 

 stub that leaned over a creek. The 

 birds had drilled in from the under side 

 and had a young bird fallen from the 

 nest, nothing would have prevented it 

 from going in the water. The entrance 

 was about three feet from the surface of 

 the water. This nest contained six 

 slightly incubated eggs. 



A set of six slightly incubated eggs 

 was taken from a small poplar stump 

 May 6th, 1889. The stump was in a 

 swamp nearly covered with tall, rank 

 grass. 



The bird was on the nest when found 

 and had to be removed in order to se- 

 cure the eggs. Another set taken May 

 9th, 1890, from a stub that ran oblique- 

 ly from the body of an alder bush, con- 

 tained eight nearly fresh eggs, a large 

 set. 



The stub was about four inches in 

 diameter and two feet from the ground, 

 when I first found the nest I broke 

 open the hole and found but one egg. 

 I went to a marsh near, got some long 

 grass and with it tied the thin shell 

 back to its place. Ten days later I 

 went to the nest and found eight eggs 

 as above stated. This nest I have in 

 my cabinet. It is built of green 

 moss and bits of bark, lined with bits 

 of fur, hair and a few small feathers. 

 The eggs of the Chickadee do not dif- 



