22 



THE OOLOGIST. 



protruding over the edge of the nest. A 

 more beautiful nest, being so roughly 

 built, I have never seen. Its comple- 

 ment of eggs, four in number, are also 

 particularly handsome. In New Hamp- 

 shire the nests are very artistic, being 

 patched with streamers of the outer 

 bark of the white birch. 



The number of eggs which make up a 

 "full set" is, I believe, al"vaysfour, and, 

 like the nest, they vary from those of 

 other Vireos, being vvhite in ground- 

 color (not the dead white of the Red- 

 eye's egg. nor the creamy white of the 

 Yellow-throats') and marked with 

 rather fine red spots, most thickly at 

 the larger end. Like most other eggs, 

 they are subject to considerable varia- 

 tion in size, the largest of a good series 

 (all taken by myself from first sets) 

 measuring .80 x .60 inches, the smallest 

 .76 X .53 inches. 



In conclusion I will add, as a hint to 

 brother scientists, that this bird has a 

 seemingly unwarranted liking for the 

 society of the Cooper's Hawk. Of all 

 the nests of the latter that have come 

 under my notice, there has invariably 

 been a pair of Blue-heads nesting in the 

 immediate vicinity. In one case; while 

 sitting at the foot of a pine from which 

 my brother was taking a set of Cooper's 

 eggs (I am famous for my aversion for 

 high climbs), I found myself under the 

 curious inspection of a female Solitary 

 Vireo who was sitting on her nest, in a 

 small hickory, not twenty feet from 

 where I sat. 



J. H. BoVi'LES. 



A Pew Notes from Shoal Lake, Manitoba. 



The winter of 1893 Mr. Walter Raine 

 and myself arranged to spend a few 

 days at Shoal Lake, Manitoba, in the 

 month of June, 1894, in hopes of find- 

 ing something new in the line of birds 

 and eggs. 



Early in June I arrived at Reaburn, 

 a station on the line of the C. P. Ry., 



about 35 miles west of Winnipeg, and. 

 spent a few days at Long Lake await- 

 ing Mr. Raine's arrival when we were 

 to drive to Shoal Lake. 



The few days at Long Lake M'ere: 

 profitably spent collecting sets of Gad- 

 walls, Shovellers, Pintail, Mallards, 

 Red-heads, Teal (Blue-winged and 

 Green-winged), Prairie Sharp-tailed 

 Grouse, Prairie Chickens, Bratram's 

 Plover, Western Meadow Larks, West- 

 ern Savanna Sparrows, Leconte's Spar- 

 row, Grebe's, (Horned, Eared and Pied- 

 billed) Sora Rails, Coots, Red-winged 

 Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Black- 

 birds. Of some of the above named 

 birds I collected several sets; of others I 

 could find but one nest. All of 1 he- 

 above named birds were plentiful 

 around Long Lake, and if I could have 

 remained a week or more, no doubt I 

 would have discovered many more 

 nests. 



Mr. Raine arrived at Long Lake the 

 afternoon of June 7th. The morning 

 of June 8th we were up bright and 

 early. 



After several hours of preparation 

 Mr. Raine and myself accompanied by 

 two boys started with a team and wagon 

 for Shoal Lake, a distance of about 

 twenty miles from Reaburn. We had a 

 canvas canoe and tent and several boxes 

 of provisions and a camera. The 

 weather was rather warm, nevertheless, 

 we enjoyed the drive very much. On' 

 the way we saw an old deserted house, 

 the eaves of which were filled with 

 nests of the Cliff Swallow, {Pe^rochelidon 

 1 iinifrons) most of the nests were 

 empty, several contained single eggs. 

 The season was evidently a little early 

 and I succeeded in getting but one set of 

 three eggs. A little further on a Blue- 

 winged Teal flew out of the grass on 

 the side of the ditch close to the road 

 She, no doubt, had a nest close by, but 

 we were unable to find it. We arrived 

 at Shoal Lake about six o'clock, as we- 

 left Reaburn about ten o'clock a. m„ 



