THE OOLOGIST. 



121 



and listen for hours to its beautiful 

 notes as it Hies back and forth over the 

 water and fairly makes the eonon echo 

 with 'its vibrations. 



Its nesting place and nest is in full 

 accord with all these surroundings. It 

 is generally found upon some rock near 

 where the water is swift and where the 

 spray keeps the outside damp. The 

 nest is made of sticks and coarse grass, 

 which are placed in the shape of a 

 dome. This is covered with mud, 

 which makes the whole quite solid. It 

 then receives a coating inside and out 

 of green moss, such as is found growing 

 on rocks. This moss often takes root 

 in the mud, of which the nest is made, 

 and grows very green, so that the whole 

 nest has simply the appearance of a 

 tuft of moss, except to a practiced eye. 



It has been my pleasure to find three 

 nests this season, as follows: 



(a) Found May 1, 1891. Contained 

 four slightly incubated eggs. The nest 

 was fouud on the underside of an old 

 deserted mill. It was on a beam just 

 over the water falls of the mill. It was 

 so situated that the spray from the falls 

 was keeping the moss damp. The nest 

 was made of usual material. The 

 female was shot and the nest and eggs 

 secured and all preserved. Length of 

 nest twelve inches, width eleven inches, 

 height seven and one-half inches. The 

 entrance was placed on one side near 

 the center, but a little below the middle 

 line. In order for the bird to reach the 

 nest proper, she must pass a little up- 

 ward and backward through the open- 

 ing. The bed upon which the eggs lie is 

 made of tine grass and moss. The 

 eggs, four in number, are pure white 

 and measure 1.01 x .74, 1.00 x .73, 1.01 x 

 ,73, 1.01 x73. 



(b) The second nest was found May 

 4, 1891, and contained three young. 

 This nest was placed on the side of a per- 

 pendicular cliff about four feet above the 

 water and sixteen feet from the top. 

 It was only accessible by lowering one 

 over the cliff by a rope. . 



(c) The third nest was found the 

 same day, (May 4, 1891), but the femal e 

 had not deposited her eggs. The nest 

 was located similar to the previous one 

 (b), but not in quite so perilous a posi- 

 tion, though one must be lowered by a 

 rope in ordei; to examine the nest. 



I will close by adding that although 

 the haunts of this bird are as wild as 

 could well be, the bird itself is not so. 

 It will often light within a few feet of 

 you, and remain for some time. 



Dr. A. G. Prill, 

 Sweet Home, Oregon. 



Bird Migration. 



Following are the dates on which the 

 birds named arrived at White Sulphur 

 Springs, West Virginia. Latitude 37 

 degrees, 48 minutes, N. Longitude 80 

 degrees, 22 minutes, W., i. e.: 



For March. — House Wren, 1; Phoebe, 

 17; Meadow Lark, 10; Red-wing Black- 

 bird, 15; Kildeer, 2; Red-bellied Wood- 

 pecker, 24. 



For April.— Osprey, 10; Flicker, 11; 

 Bank Swallow, 13; Brown Thrasher, 14; 

 Yellow Warbler, 15; Whip-poor-will, 18; 

 Chewink, 17; Kingbird, 19; Barn Swal- 

 low, 19; Balto Oriole, 21; Warbling 

 Vireo, 21; Green Hei'on, 22; Least Fly- 

 catcher, 23; Spotted Sandpiper, 23; 

 Chimney Swift, 23; Catbird, 26; Red- 

 start, 28; Orchard Oriole and Humming- 

 bird, 30. 



For May. — Indigo Bunting, 1; Red- 

 headed Woodpecker, 2; Scarlet Taua- 

 ger, 4. 



On May 1st, a Mockingbird {Mimus 

 polyglottus) was seen here. This is the 

 first record for about ten years (May, 

 1880.) A Northern Raven (Corvus cor ax 

 sinuatus) which is now considered rare 

 here, was also seen May 1st. 



I have noted at least five Red-bellied 

 Woodpeckers here this spring, the first 

 for several years. Redstarts are more 

 abundant than I ever seen before as 

 are also Brown Thrashers. 



Thad. Surbur. 



May 5, 1891. 



