THE OOLOGIST 



271 



clover and very seldom in a tuft of 

 grass. On these two facts I have bas- 

 ed my operations ever since and have 

 seldom failed in finding the "Four to 

 Six" spotted treasurers. 



There is one field in particular but a 

 short distance from my home where 

 the Bobolinks nest annually in large 

 numbers. Here the grass is rather 

 thin, dotted here and there with 

 clumps of Ragweed in which the birds 



almost invariably place their nests. 

 On flushing a bird in this field, I mark 

 the spot, as nearly as possible with 

 my tripod. Then with a six foot piece 

 of cord as a radius, the ragweeds with- 

 in the circle around the tripod axis 

 may be easily searched, and the nest 

 is usually discovered. The advantage 

 of being in the field at dawn is the 

 small circle which needs to be search- 

 ed, as the bird will seldom run more 



