THB OOLOOI8T. 



121 



The Mourning Warbler. 



In company with my friend, Thos. 

 H. Jaclison, I had an interesting time 

 hunting the nest of the Mourning 

 Warbler in Warren county, Pa., this 

 spring. The nest is very hard to lo- 

 cate, although we succeeded in two 

 Instances. Both nests were in low 

 hlackberry bushes on the edge of tall 

 timber. It was with great difficulty 

 that we could see the parent bird 

 "when she flushed. She would creep 

 quietly off into the neighboring brush 

 and make no fuss whatever. Once, 

 when the nest was being photograph- 

 ed, and we were near it for quite a 

 time, the mother bird did come back 

 and scold a little. The five eggs in 

 this nest were slightly incubated. The 

 other nest had but one egg in it, and 

 when found, about June 1st, was near- 

 ly ready to hatcii 



When hunting the nest it is useless 

 to try to locate it by watch- 

 ing the parent birds. They are most 

 extremely cautious in approaching it, 

 and while the male will stay and sing 

 in the neighborhood, I never saw him 

 go near the nest, and he made no pro- 

 test when we found it. 



R. P. SHARPLES, 



West Chester, Pa. 



Big State Game Farm. 



The state game farm, near Auburn^ 

 is now the busiest place in Illinois. Al- 

 ready this month 8,000 baby birds 

 liave made their appearance and 2,000 

 more are expected. Mother birds are 

 sitting patiently on that number of 

 eggs, and every .day another is made 

 happy by the arrival of chicks. Thirty 

 thousand eggs of game birds were pla- 

 ced this spring at the farm. They in- 

 cluded pheasants, native quail, duckp, 

 turkeys and all other kinds of game 

 that inhabit this state. In addition to 



the eggs which were placed under the 

 hens at the farm, the game warden, 

 Dr. J. A. Wheeler, sent throughout 

 the state, 30,000 eggs for private use. 

 The farm is now producing from 900 

 to 1,000 eggs a day from th(? 1,400 

 hens. 



"Game birds in Illinois came 

 through the winter remarkably well," 

 said Dr. Wheeler. "We have had the 

 most encouraging reports from every 

 section of the state. The pheasant is 

 proving itself to be an ideal bird for 

 Illinois. You cannot starve it. It will 

 eat the bark on a tree before it will 

 quit. I have been surprised at its 

 hardiness." — Macomb, 111., Journal. 



E. H. Short: — 



My son and a friend have just re- 

 turned last night 13th, from up the 

 Susquehanna River, fishing. They 

 bring me a young, in down, of the 

 Semi-palmated Sandpiper (No. 246). 

 I have mounted and saved it. So this 

 bird breeds in Pennsylvania, as well 

 as the Least Sandpiper. I sent you 

 data a while back on "Least." I have 

 that young one safe as well as this 

 one. I may yet, some day, find a 

 young unable to fly of No. 256. It 

 will be no surprise to me to do so, as 

 the Solitary does breed in Pennsylva- 

 nia, sure. 



Sincerely, 



E. CAMPBELL. 



Man-0-War. 



Mr. Reynolds says: "Reed, in his 

 Bird Guide, speaks of the Man-o-War 

 Bird as possibly breeding on some of 

 the Florida Keys. There is quite a 

 large colony of them breeding on Bird 

 Key, near Veteran, Fla., which they 

 share with Pla. Cormorant and Brown 

 Pelican." 



.July 25, 1908. 



