74 



THE OOLOGIST. 



too early, and they had discovered the 

 fact in short order. 



A flock of geese was seen flying north, 

 ward at noon, but they became dis- 

 couraged at the snow, rain and wind 

 which they encountered and struck off 

 to the east in a driving rain. 



At one o'clock in the afternoon seven 

 Bluebirds were seen near Cedar Lake. 

 They were on the south side of a wil- 

 low covered bluff. The wind still blew 

 coldly from the northwest, and snow 

 was falling at the time they were seen. 



Sunday March 17th, I heard a Robin 

 singing. There seems to be a scarcity 

 of Robins this spring, this being the 

 only one I have heard to date, (March 

 20th, ) but their ranks are filled with a 

 goodly number of Bluebirds. I am 

 very glad to note the increase of Blue- 

 birds. Last season I found a pair 

 breeding in an old stump near my 

 home, but this was the only nest found 

 for several seasons. 



Every ornithologist should have a 

 camera. A good photograph of a bird, 

 nest or eggs can tell more of the beauty 

 of Nature than words can express or 

 tongue can tell. The amateur "bird- 

 ologist" will find the camera a great 

 help in his study of bird life and bird- 

 architecture. 



A few days ago the writer hunted up 

 his climbers, blowpipes, egg-boxes, 

 drills, etc., and after looking them over 

 and cleaning them, put them away 

 where they could be found at a mo- 

 ments notice. The time will soon 

 come when they will be needed, and it 

 is best to have them ready before- 

 hand. 



I heard a Meadow-lark on the 18th 

 of this month (March.) These larks 

 are quite common during the nesting 

 season, and their presence at this time 

 of the year is a sure sign that spring is 

 at hand. Several Red-winged Black- 

 birds were serenading the sun in the 

 early morning with their "kon-ker-ree." 

 Song Sparrows also sang in the shrub- 

 bery along the lake shore. 



The writer has a unique way of iden- 

 tifying birds for field nse. It is a small 

 book with alternating blank and ruled 

 leaves. The left page being blank, and 

 the right ruled. When a strange bird 

 is seen, a rough outline of it is made on 

 the blank page and then colored with 

 colored lead pencils. A description of 

 the bird is written on the ruled page, 

 and it is very useful in identifying the 

 specimen at hand. With this book in 

 your panjamas, a pair of opera glasses, 

 and a good "key" with you, or at home, 

 identification is made quife easy. Of 

 course the exact colors cannot always 

 be used, but they can be made near 

 enough to serve the purpose. 



Glen M. Hathokn, 

 Cedar Rapids, la. 



Loxgilla portoricensis. 



I first met this bird in the hills back 

 of Catana and Bayamon across the bay 

 from San Juan during the spring and 

 summer of '99. In a three months' so- 

 journ in the Island of Vieques I did not 

 observe it and do not think it occurs. 

 At Aguadilla during the summer of 

 1900 I found it common and again at 

 Mayaguez the succeeding autumn and 

 winter. In the brush of the lower hill- 

 sides near San Juan Bay it seemed to 

 evince no evidence of shyness or seclu- 

 sion and was readily approached and 

 taken, but around Aguachilla and May- 

 aguez I found the opposite to be the 



A male skin npw before me measurns 

 six and one half inches in length. The 

 color is a uniform blue-black with pur- 

 plish reflections. A patch of Venetian 

 red of light shade covers the crown ex- 

 tending to eyes and base of bill and 

 continu'ng in two slight stripes three- 

 eighths' inch down on neck. Another 

 patch of same color and oval shape 

 covers throat and upper breast, meas- 

 uring one and five-eighths inches from 

 base of lower mandibles. A third 



