170 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Large Set of Florida Gallinule. 



On July 10, 1908, I collected a nest 

 and 18 eggs of the Florida Gallinule 

 at Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pa., 

 whidh I helieve is the largest set on 

 record, at least it is the biggest I have 

 any record of. 



As generally happens with big sets 

 it could not be preserved entire, as 

 incubation was advanced in the ma- 

 jority of the eggs, being actually pip- 

 ped in some, and with the most care- 

 ful and liberal use of caustic potash, 

 I could save only nine and two of 

 these were rotten. 



Two of the eggs were of abnormal 

 size, one of these was rotten and was 

 blown, but the other was lost, being 

 pipped; they heing fully one-third lar- 

 ger than average-sized eggs of the 

 Water Hen. 



Several others were below the aver- 

 age size, but not small enough to be 

 considered abnormal. In shape and 

 color they exhibited the most uniform- 

 ity, precluding the possibility of their 

 being the product of two females. Fur- 

 thermore, only one pair of birds in- 

 habited that part of the marsh, which 

 was a small one between an unopened 

 street and a dump, and the birds' two 

 previous sets were collected by me in 

 May and .June. These were precisely 

 like the last in shape and coloration, 

 none of the eggs exhibiting a tenden- 

 cy to abnormalism. 



RICHARD F. MILLER, 

 Frankford, 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



Malformed Bill of Catbird. 



On .July 5, 1906, I saw a female (?) 

 Catbird at Frankford, with a malform- 

 ed bill. The upper mandible was bent 

 entirely backward into the air, the 

 point rising straight upward from the 

 forehead in a perpendicular position. 



The bird was well seen at its nest 



and from observatiom, the curious 

 formied bill seemed to have been the 

 result of an accident. 



I intended to secure the bird, but 

 boys rifled the nest before I could re- 

 turn and the bird deserted the locali- 

 ty as I couldn't find it afterward. Con- 

 sequently, I lost an opportunity to 

 study the cause of the malformity and 

 ascertain how it was done. 



RICHARD F. MILLER, 

 Frankford, Philadelphia, Pa. 



The Wood Thrush. 



Editor Ooologist. 



Dear Sir: — Last spring a pair of 

 Wood Thrush (No. 755) built a nest 

 and reared a brood of three young 

 in an apple tree about 30 feet from 

 our door, and the birds gathered the 

 material for the nest and food for the 

 young from the garden and dooryard. 

 The nest was of the usual structure, 

 leaves, weeds and a rag, which were 

 formed into the nest wet. This is the^ 

 first nest out of dozens that I have 

 examined in which no eggs of the cow- 

 bird were deposited. The birds were 

 very tame and paid no attention to me.' 

 when I worked in the garden. This, 

 is inside the city limits and I think 

 a little unusual, as I have always, 

 found them breeding in dark thickets; 

 along the creek, and are rather shy. 

 W. C. P., 



Crawfordsville, Ind. 



January 1, I had brought to me an 

 adult male Am. Goshawk. The crop 

 was empty, 'but the bird could liardlj^ 

 have been any fatter. 



I have been informed by a corre- 

 spondent that in the season of 19OT, 

 there were collected in Florida four- 

 teen sets of eggs of the Swallow-tailed 

 Kite, more than were ever taken be- 

 fore in one season so far as is known. 

 This was possible only because of the: 



