THE OOLOGIST. 



43 



The next was on a pine stub and con- 

 tained three eggs. The nest was only 

 twelve feet up. The eggs are white, 

 spotted and blotched with brown. The 

 blotches covered the larger end of two 

 of the eggs and the smaller end of the 

 third. 



The next two nests were situated in 

 black gum trees and contained three 

 eggs each. The first nest was forty 

 feet from the ground and on the end of 

 a limb which projected out thirty feet, 

 the nest being placed near the end. 

 This was one of the most dangerous 

 climbs I ever took. The eggs in both 

 nests were similar to those found in the 

 first nest I described. 



As it was getting toward noon and 

 we were tired and hungry we stopped 

 to eat our lunch and take a rest. There 

 is no water fit to drink here and we had 

 to carry what we needed with us. 

 After lunch our supply was exhausted 

 and we suffered greatly from the in- 

 tense heat and burning thirst for the 

 rest of the day. But being good egg- 

 cranks we were willing to put up with 

 these slight inconveniences. After 

 lunch we dug a Kingfisher (Ceryle al- 

 cyon) out of his burrow and obtained a 

 set of six fresh, pearly white eggs. 



We now proceeded inland and stop- 

 ped at the next nest, which on our 

 climbing the tree proved to contain 

 only one egg which we left desiring 

 only full sets. 



We now found ourselves in a large 

 piece of woods which we canvassed 

 thoroughly until we found the nest of a 

 Red-tailed Hawk {Buteo borealis). This 

 we climbed to and found it to contain 

 only one egg which we left intending to 

 return in a few days and collect the full 

 set. Returning a week later we found 

 only one egg so concluded it was a 

 complete set. 



Toward sunset we came out on a 

 large field thickly covered with brush, 

 sitting down on the edge of the woods 

 were a pair of Marsh Hawks {Circus 



hudsonius) sailing about. Soun one 

 sank down in the bushes and we knew 

 we had another set. Leaving GriflSng 

 to get this I went back into the woods 

 a short distance where I had seen a 

 Crow's nest. The nest contained six 

 eggs [of Gorvus americanus and were 

 typical eggs of that species. 



On returning to where I had left my 

 traps I saw Griffing carefully following 

 a sti'aight line from the point where I 

 was sitting to the place where the Hawk 

 had descended. Suddenly the Hawk 

 started up and after a few minutes 

 search Griffing came back with a fine 

 set of six fresh eggs, greenish-white in 

 color spotted very faintly with pale 

 brown and lilac, one of the eggs was 

 immaculate. The nest was situated on 

 the ground and was built entirely of 

 dried grass. 



Packing up we started home very 

 tired but very happy. We arrived after 

 dark and after partaking of a good 

 supper we blew our eggs and wrote the 

 notes for the day and then retired to 

 rest and to dream of Hummingbird and 

 ostrich eggs in the same nest. 



R. C. WOODHOUSE, 



New York City. 



Observe Bird Day. 



Superintendant Jordan has issued 

 issued the following recommendations 

 for the observance of bird day in the 

 schools of the state: 



The legislature has passed an act for 

 the protection of song birds, and it is 

 now a law. This movement is in re- 

 sponse to a growing sentiment of hu- 

 manity, demanding that the cruel and 

 useless destruction of these happy and 

 charming creatures shall be stopped. 

 A similar law has been enacted in sev- 

 eral of the Southern states and in many 

 of the Northern and Western states. 

 In order to bring children to a proper 

 app''eciation of the merits of this sub- 

 ject, days have been set apart in the 



