•-80 



THE OOLOGIST 



jsent. Another peculiarity is that they 

 built of one kind of grass, after the 

 manner of the nests of the orchard 

 ■oriole; and this grass is so intertwined 

 ■and woven together that it links the 

 whole series into one piece. The eggs 

 are indisputably robin's, and, indeed, 

 'the bird was seen and recognized. At 

 the time the nests were found the eggs 

 were fresh. This was two months later 

 than the time of robin nesting, even of 

 the second laying. The only plausible 

 theory of the motive for constructing 

 such a domicile is that these nests were 

 constrvicted by a male bird who had 

 jnst arrived from Salt Lake City. — From 

 an old Hartford Times. 



Queer Place for Horned Lark's Nest, 



On the 10th of May, '93, while collect- 

 ing in the foot-hills east of Fountain, 

 Colo., I was attracted by the curious 

 flutterings of a female, Prairie Horned 

 Lark. I watched her un perceived for 

 a few moments, when she suddenly 

 disappeared. Upon search, I found 

 an abandoned Prairie dog's burrow, 

 and failing to find another 

 opening, I decided the bird had 

 gone into the hole. So with a camp 

 axe I chopped and dug into the ground 

 around the hole, when at the depth of 

 4| feet I found a nest composed of dried 

 buffalo grass and feathers, containing 

 five eggs of the Prairie Horned Lark — 

 OtoGoris alpestris praticola-in an advanc- 

 ed state of incubation. 



Will D. Waltman, 

 Colo. Springs, Colo. 



Bird Nesting- Sug-g-estions. 



I have found a strong pole, having a 

 large hook screwed into one end, to be 

 used in drawing the nest of the Balti- 

 more Oriole within reach when it 

 would be inaccessible in any other way. 

 The hook could be carried in the pock, 

 et and attached to a sapling in the 



woods. Have also used a small mirror 

 attached to a pole ten or fifteen feet 

 long to find out whether nests con- 

 tained eggs or not thus saving a fruit- 

 less climb or locating a coveted "set." 



E. J BOTSFORD, 



Medina. N. Y. 



The Return of the Birds. 

 When the spring birds are late, it 

 seems to be the lack of food, rather 

 than the cold that delays them. A cold 

 storm serves to delay migrations, but 

 steady cold does not seem to bother the 

 early birds, if food can be found. Deep 

 snows bring the Snow-bunting south- 

 ward; cold, alone, does not. In win- 

 ters when the snow is deepest. Gold- 

 finches are scarcest in the northern 

 states. Let the weather be ever so 

 fine, the Bluebird and Robin will not 

 appear when the earth is buried deep. 

 If they only feared cold they would re- 

 turn during the "warm spells" of win- 

 ter. An abundance of food, therefore, 

 (at least with us) seems to be the first 

 factor in the return of the birds. 



Willard N. Clute, 

 Bingnamton, N. Y. 



Towhee's Nest Off the Ground. 



In this region it is not unusual to find 

 Towhee's nests "off the ground." Dur- 

 ing the seasons of '94 and '95 I saw no 

 less than six situated in small trees 

 from one to four feet from the ground 

 besides several old nests which appear- 

 ed to have been made by this bird. 

 E. E. Brew^ster, 

 Iron Mountain, Mich. 



"There are others:" — I consider it 

 (The Oologist) one of the best of its 

 kind. — John W. Ingalls. 



A Fault of the Oologist : — I have 

 received a number of responses from 

 my last ad.— Dr. M. T. Cleckley:— 



