219 



THE OOLOGIST 



invariably lay another, but in number 

 a smaller set. 



The time has now approached to 

 go in the woods to study the feath- 

 ered tribes. 



Ottomar Reinecke. 



We are under obligations to our 

 friend Reinecke for the use of the 

 beautiful plates that illustrate the 

 foregoing article. 



Editor. 



Death of Birds by Ants. 



Death of young birds caused by 

 ants. Have any of the THE OOLOG- 

 IST readers noted any such occur- 

 ences? I have found young birds 

 dead whose death had been caused 

 by ants. I will give one instance 

 from my note book. While walking 

 east of town on June 12, 1911, I 

 came onto a young western meadow- 

 lark which appeared to be dying. I 

 therefore investigated and I was much 

 surprised to find many of the com- 

 mon hill ants on the unfortunate 

 creature. All over the body were 

 sores at which the ants were feast- 

 ing. The tortures that the bird had 

 endured must have been great in- 

 deed. I picked the young meadow- 

 lark up which was at that time ling- 

 ering between life and death, brushed 

 the ants off and carried it to a place 

 less populated by ants. I then went 

 back to search for more victims. In 

 this I was somewhat successful as 1 

 found one more on the verge of dy- 

 ing, this one was also covered with 

 ants. I removed this to the place 

 where the other had been placed and 

 continued my search. I found one 

 more but its life had already passed 

 away not to suffer from the ants 

 which was tearing and gnawing on 

 its body. The skin of the bird had 

 been penetrated as a result. I could 

 not find any more then, than these 

 three birds; but undoubtedly two 



more were somewhere nearby as the 

 usual family is five. This was indeed 

 an ill-flated family. The parent bird 

 was seen around all the time. 



I went back the next morning but- 

 much to my sorrow found the two 

 birds dead. The ground here is cov- 

 ered with ants and it is not to be 

 wondered that the young birds on the 

 ground, unable to fly, were attacked. 



In my note book I have notes of 

 two other such occurences as che 

 above. And I wculd like to know if 

 anyone else has noted similar cases. 

 Henry Hestness. 

 Rockford, Wash. 



The Great Horned Owl. 



Being greatly interested in the 

 Great Horned Owl, and its nestinj.'' 

 habits, I wished very much to pro- 

 cure a set of eggs for my collection. 



Year after year I tramped through 

 the woods in the vicinity of our town, 

 but aside from a nest which had con 

 tained two heavily incubated eggs 

 that had been thrown out by Crows, 

 after a young farmer had shot the 

 mother from her home in a large Red- 

 tailed Hawk's nest, and two other 

 nests containing young, which were 

 found while hunting for nests of the 

 Redtail, it seemed as though luck was 

 against me. 



Having each year increased my de- 

 sire for a set, by the time February 

 of 1910 arrived, I decided to search 

 carefully all the woods which might 

 be suitable for a pair of owls to make 

 thir home. 



Two days were spent by long 

 tramps to the north of town withoui 

 success. On returning home from 

 the second day's trip, while slowly 

 making my way along a road near 

 town, I met a farmer who resided 

 several miles to the west. I hailed 

 him and asked if he knew of ari 

 Owl's nest in his vicinity, and was 



