70 



THE OOLOGIST. 



pied, as the boys put it, something in 

 my bones informed me there were eggs 

 in the nest. I stationed my friend at 

 the top of the ridge of land, where he 

 could get a good view of tJie nest and 

 asked him to look out for old Bubo's 

 ears as scon as I struck the tree with 

 my spurs. I had an idea she would 

 not leave the nest and would simply 

 stick up her ears as soon as I struck 

 the tree. 



I walkeddown to the tree and struck 

 it a vicious blow with my spur. Old 

 Bubo floated out as noiselessly as a 

 cloud and sailed away about 400 yards 

 to witness the spoliation of her 1895 

 home. 



The exultation an enthusiast feels in 

 seeing a bird leaA^e her nest and eggs, 

 especially the first find after a hard 

 cold winter, came over me and I was 

 all anxiety to climb the tree, and add 

 the prizes to my cabinet which already 

 contains over 150 Owls' eggs, 300 Hawks' 

 and 6000 of other species. 



I soon had the spurs securely strap- 

 ped on, slung a small satchel on my 

 shoulder, containing a ball of twine to 

 lower the eggs, and started for the nest. 

 The climb was a hard one as I had to 

 break a lot of rotten limbs off on my 

 way skyward. The nest was 72 feet up. 



However I was soon up to the nest 

 which was a large one, four feet in 

 circumference, made of large and small 

 twigs and sticks lined with leaves, bark 

 and feathers from the breast of the 

 parent bird, quite a cosy nest and well 

 hollowed out. 



The nest contained two very large 

 eggs, globular shaped, much resem- 

 bling an egg of the Bald Eagle in 

 my cabinet, incubation about one week 

 so the eggs were probably laid the lat- 

 ter part of February, during very cold 

 weather. I hope to take one or two 

 more sets from this same nest to find 

 out how long an interval thei'e is be- 

 tween the laying of successive sets. 



The evening was far advanced, so I 



had to give up looking for another set, 

 which I feel satisfied this swamp con- 

 tains. 



I arrived at Battle Creek at 7:30 p. 

 m. and the eggs now are numbered and 

 are part of my collection and will no 

 doubt be handled a number of times in 

 years to come and each time bring 

 back recollections of a tamarack 

 swamp and a hai-d but delightful tramp 

 and climb in early March. 



E. Arnold, 

 Battle Creek, Mich. 



Standard Datas, 



And similar ideal, things, throng the 

 writer's brain, on sleepless nights, and 

 bid him speak. One first, of other 

 things, for example the blowing of eggs. 



How many thin-shelled eggs have 

 crumbled in our hands, and how many 

 frail-shelled eggs have ''blistered" on 

 one side where a mass of unremoved 

 yolk had congealed, or at the blow 

 hole, whither the albumen had gather- 

 ed, in the draining of the egg, had con- 

 tracted and cracked the edges of the 

 shell! There ai'e two remedies to be 

 used in consecution: First thoroughly 

 rinse the egg; second, rinse it thorough- 

 ly the second time. Not only does the 

 shell of an unrinsed egg become brittle, 

 but its uncleanness and its harboring of 

 vermin make it an object of disgust. 



Why do not more oologists make use 

 pf a lamp, in the drying of eggs, after 

 the rinsing? I used a lamp for several 

 years before learning, to my surprise, 

 that the idea was a new one to some. 

 In no other possible way can the un- 

 removed clots of yolk, adhering to the 

 inner walls, be detected, in eggs of 

 dark and heavy markings, — and no oth- 

 er way drives out the moisture so rap- 

 idly. But, be wary! — that dainty shell 

 will burst, of an instant in the lamp's 

 heat, if a clot of yolk ran foul of the 

 blow-hole, or if a film of albumen have 

 dried across it. 



