78 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Notes From the Virginia Coast. 



The following observations on some 

 of the more characteristic birds of the 

 Virginia coast are from notes taken by 

 Mr. Elliott B. Cones and myself during 

 three trips to that locality in the seasons 

 of 1883-89-90, and are simply the result 

 of our personal experience which was, 

 perhaps, somewhat limited. 



Seaside Fistch, (Ammodramus'mari- 

 tirnus.) 



This species we found breeding abun- 

 dantly on all the larger islands and 

 along the shore, inhabiting the beach 

 grass and the dryer poi'tion of the 

 marshes. Their nests varied considera- 

 bly in construction some being open 

 while others were round and, domed 

 like a Marsh Wren's, all built in the 

 grass close to, but never touching, the 

 ground. In all the eggs which I have 

 exa mined the ground color is white or 

 gray and has no greenish tint. 



Boat-tailed Grakle, (Quiscalus ma- 

 jor.) 



Of all the land birds the "Jackdaw" 

 was perhaps the most conspicuous, 

 their peculiar cry being constantly 

 heard. They are exceedingly shy, par- 

 ticularly the old males and we had con- 

 siderable difficulty in shooting speci- 

 mens even at the nests. They breed in 

 colonies, the largest we observed being 

 on Manckhom Island, in a grove of 

 scrub pines, the nests being placed near 

 the tops of the trees and built much 

 like those of the Purple Grakle but larg- 

 er. By the middle of May many of these 

 nests held young of good size while 

 others contained fresh sets of 2, 3, or 4 

 eggs. 



Fish Cro w, Corvus ossifragus. 



Abundant, much more so than C. 

 amerieanus . They breed about a month 

 later than the latter species, nidifica- 

 tion being at its height during the third 

 week in May. They build only in the 

 taller pines, generally selecting one 

 close to the water. On one small islet 



nourishing a half dozen low oaks and a 

 lone scrawny pine, dwelt three pairs 

 of Jackdaws (from which we took three 

 sets of 4 eggs,) a number of White-bel- 

 lied Swallows' with a pair of rash and 

 misguided Fish Crows who had located 

 a nest most conspicuously in the top of 

 aforesaid pine. But their corvine con- 

 fidence was badly misplaced for their 

 eggs paid the penalty of reckless impu- 

 dence. We found sets of four and five 

 the latter being the most common. 



Clapper Rail, {Ealliis longirostris 

 crepitans .) 



Exceedingly abundant on all the 

 marshes, but the seclusive birds we 

 seldom observed. The nests Avere neat- 

 ly built, as a rule placed on the ground 

 with the tall green marsh grass pretti- 

 ly twined and plaited into a bower 

 above the eggs. Many others were 

 built in the thick beach grass by which 

 they are completely concealed, some 

 again being placed on the piles of brok- 

 en reeds thrown on the edge of the 

 marsh by high winter stovms. These 

 latter nests were entirely open and ex- 

 posed, being visible from a considera- 

 ble distance. 



Eggs commonly 10, many sets with 

 less, and one which consisted of 12. 



The Terns. 



Five or six species occurred as fol- 

 lows, named in order of their abun- 

 dance: Common, Forste's,Least, Gull- 

 billed and an occasional glimpse of a 

 Royal or Caspian. Though formerly 

 abundant neither of the last two species 

 now breed regularly in NorthamptonCo. 

 The Common Terns breed on all the open 

 beaches making little or no nest, unlike 

 the Forster's which built a compact 

 nest back in the marshes. Doubtless 

 exceptions to this rule occasionally oc- 

 cur, but it is of importance on account 

 of the impossibility of otherwise identi- 

 fying eggs of these species. 



The only colony of Gull-bills which 

 we investigated was on Hog Island, 

 where the birds were breeding abun- 



mn- 



