40 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 6-No. 



liigli. Saw in several nests an atteinj)! at 

 lining, liaving several shreds of bark. 



Guy C. Rich. 



Notes from Shelter Island. 



The collecting season is now open. I 

 send you extracts from my note book u)> 

 to date. 



April 10. A Crow's nest examined to-day 

 was nearly ready for the eggs. It was 

 lined with cow's hair. April 14, Field 

 Sparrows arrived. April 15, Rusty Grakles 

 arrived. April 21, Chipping Si)arrows ar- 

 rived. April 22, visited a Mottled Owl's 

 nest, at Arshamomogue, Long Island. 

 The male and female owls and 4 eggs 

 were in the nest. Male in grey and female 

 in the red plumage. Eggs fresh. I collec- 

 ted two sets of the same variety of eggs 

 from this nest last year. The first con- 

 tained 5, and the second 3 eggs. April 28, 

 Robins building. Savannah sparrows ar- 

 rived. 



As I was fishing to-day, in West Neck 

 Creek, I noticed a Fish Hawk near nie, 

 slowly sailing around, watching for a fish. 

 I had almost forgotten about the Hawk, 

 when suddenly I heard a si)lashing in the 

 water, and on looking I saw the Hawk 

 had grappled to a fish but was unable to 

 raise it from the water. I quickly had 

 the anchor raised ready to go and ca)>ture 

 the Hawk, when by an extraordinary 

 effort he succeeded in raising the fish, 

 when I saw it was a Tautog, or Black fish, 

 at least a foot in length. After he had 

 risen in the air with his prize, it seemed to 

 be all he could manage, but with joyful 

 screams he flew with it and perched on 

 his unfinished nest about a quarter of a 

 mile away. 



April 25, a Kildeer Plover passed over, 

 bound north. April 26, Barn Swallows 

 common and beginning to build. April 

 28, Brown Thrushes, and black and white 

 Creepers arrived. April 29, King birds 

 and Towhee Buntings arrived. May 2, 

 Spotted Sandj^ipers arrived. 



Eggs Collected: April 19, Eastern 



Bluebird, 4 eggs, fresh. April 21, Mottled 

 Owl, 8 eggs, fresh. April 2(3, Mottled Owl, 

 5 eggs, fresli. April 2S, Conmion Crow, 4 

 eggs, fresh. 



In reply to G. A. McC ilium, Ontario, I 

 would say that I once had a small hen's 

 egg, in fact so small I was going to blow 

 it as a curiosity, but in blowing it I notic- 

 ed something hard inside of it. On break- 

 ing it I found another perfect egg about 

 the size of a small marble, on blowing it 

 I found it contained no yolk but simply 

 the white albumen. 



W. W. AYoRTHINGTON. 



Notes from Virginia. 



The Florida G.illinula, {(riillliiula (/<(le- 

 uf(i), was captured on a run in the edge 

 of this town, and is "ow enjoying his cap- 

 tivity with as much grace as if he were to 

 the "manor born." It is not usual for 

 this bird to venture this far north, 

 although sometimes found a little farther 

 north along the sea-shore swamjTs. 



A pair of Carolina Tits, (Pant.s ('(ira- 

 linensis), have gladdened my home by 

 caroling for me every morning. They 

 have taken possession of an apple tree and 

 I think will build near it. Perha])s I may 

 get the first set of eggs. 



I had a Blue-wing Teal, ( QiteHipiedidd 

 Dincoes), and kept him for a week but he 

 would not eat, and I put him on the run, 

 but I fear to late to revive. Strange they 

 won't eat in confinement. I had a nice 

 wire cage, 3x5 feet. I gave him rice in wa- 

 ter, and many other things which I thought 

 he would eat. I think if I had had a mate 

 for him it Avould have been better. 



V. M. FiROR. 



Large Clutches of Eggs. — Capt. 

 Chas. Bendire, reports two sets of Burrow- 

 ing Owls, of eleven eggs each. Chas. A. 

 Allen of Nicassio, Cal., reports eleven for 

 the Least Tit. B. W Everman of Santa 

 Paula, reports sets of Barn Owl of ten eggs 

 each. Jos. Skinner, Jr., reports seven eggs 

 from the nest of the Webster Bluebird. 



