THE OOLOGUST. 



219 



"A slumberous silence fills the sky, 



The fields are still, the woods are 

 dumb, 



In glassy sleep the waters lie" 

 that the Thrasher sings at his best. 

 The low warbliugs turned to an even- 

 ing's song sweeter far than the music of 

 the lute, touch upon the ear like the 

 beatings of seraphic wings, and with 

 them come a feeling of content, a spirit 

 •of rest, that lulls one to the slumberous 

 land of dreams. 



The bird is a continual resident 

 wherever found. When spring blos- 

 soms with the gentle rains, the Thrash- 

 ers ai'e at match-making and scarcely 

 has summer come before the fledglings 

 have abandoned the nest. The eggs 

 are of a bluish green color, dotted with 

 reddish brown, and number from two to 

 four, usually three. The nest is placed 

 in some thickly foliaged tree at no 

 great height from the ground, it is loose- 

 ly constructed of grasses, roots, twigs, 

 and moss. The bird is a close sitter 

 and remains on the nest until almost 

 touched by the hand. 



H. C. Lillie, 

 Ann Arbor, Mich. 



Ornithologists Association. 

 Secretary's Report. 



At the monthly meeting the following 

 new members were elected: 



Active members: — Wm. McKnew, 212 

 G. St., N. E., Washington, D. C. 



Corresponding members: — E. H. 

 Short, Chili, Monroe Co., N. Y.; Wm. 

 A. Achilles, Cor. 15th and Lavoca[Sts., 

 Austin, Tex. 



Remarks were made by President 

 Langille on the Ring-billed Gall and its 

 nesting in Georgian Bay. 



Mr. Aspinwall reported the taking 

 during the past season of a set of six 

 eggs of Least Bittern at Colonial Beach, 

 Va. 



E. J. Brown has a set of five Albino 



eggs of the Long-billed Marsh Wren, 

 that they are eggs of the Long-billed. 

 There is no doubt as they have been 

 examined by both Prof. Ridgway and 

 Capt. Bendire, who pronounced them a 

 great freak of nature. 



Some incidents regarding the Blue 

 Grosbeak were given which I give be- 

 low supplemented by a few of my notes 

 on that bird. 



The Blue Grosbeck is rather smaller 

 than its Rose-breasted and Cardinal 

 relations and bears quite a l'esemblance 

 to an overgrown Indigo B'.nting. 



Its range is rather southerly but it 

 has been taken as far north as New 

 York and Michigan. 



It is mentioned as a straggler only in 

 but one of five lists of the birds of 

 Chester County, Pa., hence I conclude 

 that this section (D. C.) is nearly or 

 quite its uorthern-most breeding range. 

 In Coues and Prentiss, Avi Fauna 

 Columbiana it is given as a summer 

 resident, rather rare, breeding. 



They state that it frequents and 

 breeds in mnch the same situations as 

 the Cardinal, though it is also found in 

 orchards and open grounds. 



I first made the acquaintance of this 

 bird in the summer of '87 when a pair 

 nested twice on my father's farrn about 

 one-half mile east of the District Colum- 

 bia. As both nests were near the build- 

 ing the opportunity for observations 

 was good. 



On June 24th I took the first nest and 

 four eggs, from the fork of a peach tree 

 about seven feet from the ground near 

 the barn, 



The eggs were colored much like a 

 blue-birds and consiclei'ably larger. 



The nest was much neater than the 

 Carninals, was lined with horse-hair 

 and had a snake skin nicely woven in. 



In August of the same year the same 

 birds (evidently) nested in a small cedar 

 tree not more than twenty feet from 

 the front of a hen-house which was 

 used by about fifty fowls. 



