160 



THE OOLOGIST. 



its wings. It is, on the whole, a most 

 noble bird and inspires one with a feel- 

 ing of not exactly awe but something 

 similar. 



A gentleman from Nebraska, who 

 has seen many, says this is a very large 

 one, the largest he ever saw and this is 

 a young one. 



This bird was captured about twelve 

 miles from Decorah and in a different 

 direction from Bluff ton. 



A. V. Thomson, 

 Deeorah, la. 



Some Notes on the Breeding of the Carolina 

 Snowbird. 

 Junco hyemalis carolinensis. 

 Brews. 



Davie, in his "Nest and Eggs," says, 

 'According to Mr. Wm. Brewster this 

 new variety of the Black Snowbird dif- 

 fers from J. hyemalis in being larger, 

 with lighter, blue and more uniform 

 coloration, and a horn-colored instead 

 of pinkish white or yellowish bill. Mr. 

 Brewster found this bird at Highlands 

 and on the Black Mountains of Western 

 North Carolina. He states that it is 

 probable that the birds represent the 

 form which breeds on the mountains of 

 Virginia and Pennsylvania." 



I know of at least two breeding 

 grounds of the Carolina Snowbird in 

 West Virginia, one on Job's Knob, the 

 other being Cold Knob in the western 

 part of Greenbrier county. At the last 

 named place only have I studied their 

 habits. Here at an altitude of prob- 

 ably 3500 feet I found them breeding 

 abundantly during May, June and July. 

 I am positive from notes taken and ob- 

 servations made they raise at least two 

 broods in a season, probably three as I 

 found a nest containing three young, a 

 few days old, the latter part of Augu st, 

 1889. 



Their nests may be looked for along 

 the roadside under the overhanging 

 bank and in tussocks of grass at the 

 foot of a bush, but I have never yet 



found a nest in a bush, although I have- 

 found at least twenty nests during two- 

 years collecting. They are quite tame, 

 allowing one to approach within a few 

 feet before leaving the nest which they 

 do somewhat in the manner of the Oven 

 Bird. The nests are generally a small 

 quantity of moss and fine roots lined 

 with fine rootlets and a few feathers;they- 

 are about the size of the nests of the 

 Phoebe in interial diameter. 



The eggs cannot with certainity be- 

 distinguished from eggs of the Black 

 Snowbird, but probably average larger.. 

 One set of eggs in my collection meas- 

 ure as follows: 16.5 x 13.1; 16.4 x 13.0; 

 16.0 x 13.1 ; 16.0 x 13.0 millimeters. The, 

 average size of 30 specimens is 15.5 x 

 13.0 millimeters. 



Mr. Wm. D- Doan,in his list of "Birds 

 of West Virginia" (Bulletin No. 3, 

 West Va. Agricultural Experiment. 

 Station) says: "Resident in the higher 

 mountains. I found them August 26th, 

 on Rich Mountain, where I was inform- 

 ed they breed." 



Dr. Wm. C. Rives, in his "Catalogue 

 of the Birds of the Virginias" says, 

 "They are not found in the main Alle- 

 ghany Range near the White Sulphur 

 Springs." 



If they are not found in the main 

 Range they are very near it. Cold 

 Knob only lies 25 miles north-west of 

 White Sulphur Springs and near to the 

 main Alleghany Range, or at least a 

 spur of it. 



Thad. Surber, 



June 8, 1891. 



A Curious Find. 



On the 26th day of April my cousin, 

 Thos. A. Smithwick, took a set of" 

 Brown-headed Nuthatch of four eggs, 

 which also contained one single Blue- 

 bird's egg. Can any one else record a. 

 case like this? 



J. W. P. Smithwick, 

 Sans Souci, N. C^ 



