THE OOLOGIST. 



237 



the Dogwood berries. I have a fine j four), crystal white eggs, f mall for so 

 pair mounted in my eollection, one of large a bird; size about 1x1.25. 



which was shot a few days ago by my 

 husband, the other by myself. 



It is almost impossible to get a shot 

 at them unless they are feeding. 



A few mornings ago I heard an un- 

 usual commotion in some trees near 

 the house, and went to see what it was 

 all about. It proved to be a Sparrow 

 Hawk trying to catch a Golden-winged 

 Woodpecker for his breakfast. Soon 

 another Golden-wiuged put in appear- 

 ance, and in a few minutes a Pileated 

 came to the rescue. He would swoop 

 down on the hawk from his elevated 

 position in some tall tree, and drive it 

 screaming away. He would then return 

 to his choseu position uttering his loud 

 metalic cry, and await the coming of 

 the hawk. They kept up the battle till 

 the hawk seemed completely tired out, 

 and gave up in despair. 



They ul ter but one note, so far as I 

 have been able to discover. This is a 

 a series of cuk, cuk, cuk, with each letter 

 sounded, thus cuk (short), repeated many 

 times in succession, with a variation in 

 pitch of vcice and rapidity. The note 

 somewhat resembles that of the Golden- 

 winged Woodpecker, though it is much 

 louder and more metalic. 



The towering top of some dead pine 

 furnishes a good "lookout," and from 

 these the males keep watch in the morn- 

 ing hours uttering their peculiar note 

 and making the hills for miles around 

 resound with their "music." 



There ai'e Tailor-birds, Oven-birds 

 and Masons, and the Woodpecker is 

 truely a carpenter. He shapes his home 

 to suit his taste, the entrance being 

 made with the precision of a compass. 

 He is nit a "jack of all trades," but 

 works only iu wood, and often in live 

 hard timber, making large excavations 

 which are sometimes three feet deep. 

 The eggs are placed at the bottom of 

 these excavations, the complement be- 

 ing from three to six,(generally three or 



The adult is about 18 inches in length 

 color, black, with a narrow white stripe 

 above the eye; a wider one from the 

 nostril feathers (inclusive), under the 

 eye and along the side of the head and 

 neck. 



The chin is white, tinged with sulphur- 

 yellow. Entire crown from the base of 

 the bill, with a well developed occipital 

 crest, bright scarlet. Cheek patches of 

 the same. 



The female and young male lacks the 

 red on the cheek, and the anterior half 

 of the top of the head is rep'aced by 

 black. 



These birds inhabit North America, 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in tim- 

 bered districts, but seem to shun civil- 

 ization; foivas a country becomes thick- 

 ly, settled they all disappear. 



.1 took a set of four fresh eggs this 

 seasou from a large dead white oak tree 

 three of which were average sized eggs, 

 and the fourth not more than half as 

 large and almost spherical. 



Mrs. Liixie Pleas, 



Clinton, Ark. 



Kusset-tiacked Thrush- 

 No. 758. Tunlus ustualtus (nutt.) 



North 



Hab. — Pacific Coast Region of 



America. 



This bird is a common resident of 

 Linn county, Oregon, during the breed- 

 ing season, and can be found in the low 

 shrubery along the many small moun- 

 tain streams, at any time during the 

 nesting season. During the morning 

 and afternoon the birds are generally 

 silent, but in the evening twilight, it* 

 song rings forth and fibs the hills and 

 valleys with its joyous melody. The 

 bird is generally perched upon some 

 small bush, head erect and thrown back 

 white singing. At these times one can 

 approach within a short distance, with- 



