70 



THE OOLOGIST. 



the loose ends left sticking out for eight 

 inches on each side. There was no 

 other material used in the nest, which, 

 on May 29, contained 8 eggs. Other 

 nests are made more like the Wood 

 Pewee's but deeper and with a softer 

 lining. It may be well to mention here 

 that, although no Least Flycatchers are 

 seen here in the breeding season, they 

 are abundant in August, moving 

 through the leafy branches, quite un- 

 like the rest of their brethren who sit 

 and wait for a job. 



All this time they utter a pair of sharp 

 notes, swick! swick' n lingering a little 

 on the first letter. I have heard the 

 Great Crested Flycatcher frequently in 

 the spring but have found no nests. 



The Maryland Yellow-throat is found 

 abundantly in the sunny thickets sur- 

 rounding the woods, loudly singing its 

 leisurely "yijyp-o-tvhiilie,''' "yipowhiitie" 

 in the top of a tree, or in lower notes in 

 the thicket, where its nest may be found 

 on the ground, or rather on a platform of 

 leaves built up six inches high, from the 

 wet soil and built of fine weeds and 

 coarse grass. It is a rough nest for so 

 trim a bird. 



That the Woodcock breeds in these 

 dark and gloomy woods, I do not doubt; 

 but I have never found a nest there. 

 Last spring while crossing a deserted 

 wood, then grown up in swamp grass, 

 I flushed a 'female who flew into the 

 thicket, carrying a young one in her toes 

 as she went off. This is a sight one 

 does not see every day. She lit near by 

 behind a log. I looked down and at 

 my feet I saw another bunch of gray 

 down squated in a hole. I picked him 

 up and examined him, and then, setting 

 him clown, he spread his long blue- 

 quilled wings, and standing very high 

 on his legs, he wandered away after his 

 mamma, uttering a shrill whistle. As I 

 moved, I noticed I had been standing 

 upon another, also squatted in a hole, 

 which saved his life probaby. 



Other species found in these woods 



during the breeding season, are, the 

 Summer Tanager, the Scarlet Tanager, 

 Mourning Dove, and the Blue-winged 

 Yellow Warbler. The latter is quite 

 common in the thickets near patches of 

 swamp grass; and many a time have I 

 searched the grass tufts for a nest with- 

 out success. Its only song is a lively 

 ra-a-y, chee, the first syllable in the ris- 

 ing, and the second in the falling inflec- 

 tion. 



The owls are represented by the 

 Great Horned, Screech, and Barred 

 Owls, named in the order of their 

 abundance. The Screech Owl take the 

 lead, however, the county over. A nest 

 of the Barred Owl, containing a downy 

 youth a little shorter and broader than 

 a Screech Owl, was found on May 9th. 

 This owl afterwards got into numerous 

 scrapes. 



Birds abundant in migration are 

 Cerulean Warbler, Redstart, Black- 

 throated Blue and numerous other 

 Warblers not yet identified. 



The tract of woodland this article des- 

 cribes contains eighty acres. 



Falco. 

 Montgomery, O. 



A Day with the Ducks. 



I think it was about March 10, 1887 

 that I had an invitation from an uncle 

 to spend a clay down at his clucking 

 shore with him. I accepted, of course, 

 and will try to give you a short account 

 of our trip. 



Leaving Baltimore at 7 p. m. oy the 

 Philadelphia, Milwaukee & Baltimore 

 railroad, in about 40 minutes we arrived 

 at Chase Station where the wagon met 

 us. After a drive of nearly three miles 

 we reached the shore, which is on the 

 Gunpowder River a few miles above 

 Maryland's celebrated ducking resort, 

 and club place, Carroll's Island. 



After a hot supper we set by the fire 

 smoking and talking until bedtime. 



It seemed to me that I had only been 



