120 



THE OOLOGIST 



The three egsjs show quite a little 

 variation and are markedly different 

 from those of the Noddy. They are 

 quite bluish in ground tint, the first 

 one thickly sprinkled with cinnamon 

 specks, the second much less liberally 

 marked with large dots and the third 

 with less and still larger markings. 

 They measure as follows: I 74x1.27, 

 1.80x1.23, 1.80x1.36. The birds like the 

 Sooty dart about one's head with angry 

 cries, the latter distinct from those of 

 their relatives being quite like the high 

 pitched enquiring note the crow some- 

 times utters in fall and early winter. 



I lacked time to investigate as to 

 land birds but noted one Mourning 

 Dove and was quite sure I heard the 

 notes of ViTeo calidris and also of Mar- 

 garopsfuscatus . That evening as we 

 sat about the little camp fire sipping 

 the coffee, which only the Porto Ricans 

 know how to make, I felt as though I 

 would gladly have put in a month in 

 this favored spot. At about 8 p. m. we 

 went aboard but the wind was so strong 

 that the natives were unwilling to 

 hoist sail Finally, after vain waiting 

 until midnight, during which time I 

 slept, they pulled up the anchor and 

 leaped to the oars, and it took a half 

 hour's hard pulling to take us off the 

 rocks sufficiently to set sail. In a few 

 minutes I was again slumbering, and 

 during the larger part of the trip I con- 

 tinued to doze unmindful of the boat 

 tossing like a cork on the waves, or the 

 sheets of spray which were drenching 

 me. It was 1:30 p. m. the next day 

 when we again reached Aguadilla, and 

 notwithstanding the fact that I was not 

 overladen with specimens, still I felt 

 well repaid for my trip and a bright 

 spot in my memory will long be occu- 

 pied by the wild little island of DeCi- 

 cheo and its feathered denizens. 



Note. — Since writing the above it 

 appears highly probable that had there 

 been opportunity for thorough work at 

 least two and perhaps more species of 



Booby would have been developed, also 

 that the Dove may have been the Zen- 

 aid a. 



Nests and Eg-gs. 



Perhaps no bird in America, certainly 

 no bird in the Great Lake Region, 

 equals the common Bob-white or quail 

 in the number of eggs it sets upon. 

 This bird not infrequently lays eighteen 

 eggs, and even more are found in one 

 nest, but I can assure the readers that 

 with any other shaped eggs the Bob- 

 white could never succeed as a success- 

 ful setter. I will suggest that my 

 friends with the specimens at hand, 

 compare a set of twenty eggs of this 

 species with an equal number of the 

 same size in longer and shorter diameter 

 in any other bird, and note which lot 

 occupies the smaller space. We may 

 say for illustration, that the egg of the 

 quail is triangular shaped, and fits in 

 as no other egg can. 



With all birds that lay a good sized 

 set, so far as my observations go, the 

 eggs are deposited in an exact circular 

 shaped group. The bird must use 

 reason in thus arranging them, for it is 

 only by this order that they can all 

 be properly covered. Not infrequently 

 when a grouse is startled from her nest 

 she tumbles one of her treasures from 

 the hollow. If the egg is not too far 

 removed from the nest it will be found 

 returned to the nest within a day. 



I have been informed that the Brown 

 Pelicans, which nest in vast colonies, 

 steal eggs from one another's nests in 

 order to fill their complements, or at 

 least take possession of those they find 

 on the ground and roll them into their 

 nests. Although this does not seem 

 likely, I cannot dispute it and moreover 

 there were strong proofs that such was 

 the case in many of the nests that I ex- 

 amined in Florida. These nests which 

 were always near together, contained: 

 four eggs, never more; one to three of. 



