318 



THE OOLOGIST 



the stump below the entrance. I have 

 never been told that such nesting sites 

 are quite often found. Being as it 

 was, my first nest of this species, it 

 was especially interesting. 



Alex Walker. 

 Mulino, Ore. 



of popular ignorance on the subject 

 of snakes, will surely be hard to pene- 

 trate. 



News. 



The State of New York has just put 

 a law in the Statute book placing a 

 permanent closed season on the Wood 

 Duck and Swans. These are two meas- 

 ures which we have been advocating 

 ever since we took The Oologist in 

 charge. We are sorry they did not al- 

 so include the Woodcock. 



It is to be hoped that other states 

 of the Union, or what is better, the 

 Federal Government by general law, 

 will follow suit and protect these fast 

 disappearing birds by the passage of 

 and vigorous and complete enforce- 

 ment of similar statutes. 



We are in receipt of a neat adver- 

 tising circular from the Maplewood 

 Biological Labratory at Stamford, Con- 

 necticut presided over by our friend, 

 Paul G. Howes, advertising nesting- 

 boxes and cavities to be put up around 

 improvements for the purpose of at- 

 tracting birds. It is well gotten up 

 and nicely illustrated. 



The Agricultural Department of the 

 State of Pennsylvania is agitating the 

 passage of a law to prevent the killing 

 of harmless snakes. Pennsylvania is 

 afflicted with two dangerous reptiles: 

 the Rattler and the Copperhead. Aside 

 from these, all of the other serpents 

 of that commonwealth are beneficial, 

 many of them greatly so to the agri- 

 culturist. It certainly would be re- 

 markable if they should succeed in se- 

 curing the passage of this law. That 

 it ought to be passed and enforced, 

 those who have investigated the sub- 

 ject, of course know; but the density 



Personal, 



C. S. Sharp of Escondido, California, 

 has recently sold his beautiful orange 

 grove home and moved into that thriv- 

 ing city. Perhaps this will give him 

 more time for the birds. 



Henry Hestness of Rockford, Wash- 

 ington, and a subscriber to The Oolo- 

 gist and a promising young ornitholo- 

 gist, has recently died. To his family 

 we extend our sympathy. 



F. C. Willard of Tombstone, Arizona, 

 and H. H. Holland and wife of Gales- 

 burg, spent the day with the Editor a 

 short time since, coming specially to 

 investigate the Yellow-headed Black- 

 bird in the marshes north of Lacon. 

 But with the usual luck of a lawyer, 

 we were tied up in court and unable to 

 get away. We trust they will come 

 again, as a day in an Illinois River 

 marsh would certainly be, to say the 

 least, something of a contrast for our 

 friend Willard, when compared with 

 the cactus covered mesas of Southern 

 Arizona. 



Bird Notes. 

 Our appeal for bird notes — printer's 

 copy in the last issue, met with a gen- 

 erous response, and we hope the in- 

 flow will continue as our stock is 

 still very low. We believe our friends 

 and subscribers will assist us in keep- 

 ing up the standard of the Oologist by 

 contributing such readable observa- 

 tions as have come under their eyes 

 in field work. Many such should be 

 made of permanent record. 



