52 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 6-No. 7. 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND — 



OOLOGIST 



A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 

 TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



JOS. M. WAOE, Editor, 



S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 



With the CO operation of able Ornithological 

 Writers and Collectors. 



Subscription — $1.00 per annum. Foreign sub 

 scrtption % 1 . "45 — including postage. Speci- 

 men Copies Ten Cents. 



JOS. 91. WADE, 



Norvi^Ich, Conn. 



Entered at Norwich P. O. as Second Class matter. 



T^DITOUIJlIj. 



Advertising. 



It has always been a matter of surprise 

 to us that people will subscribe lor a paper 

 devoted to a study that interests them 

 above all others and neglect to at least scan 

 over the advertising pages of each issue, 

 which often not only contains matter ot 

 equal interest with the reading pages but 

 of profit as well. During the past sixty 

 days we have received several letters from 

 subscribers asking where the )iew check list 

 could be had, and at what price, when by 

 turning to the advertising pages the de- 

 sired information would have been found, 

 thereby saving not only time but the ex- 

 pense of writing. 



In our August number was an advertise- 

 ment by Southwick. & Jencks, of Provi- 

 dence, R. I., offering bird skins, eggs, &c., 

 at 7'eciuced prices, and we doubt if any 

 other firm in this country could make such 

 an offering at even fancy prices. The ad- 

 vertisement was limited as to time, and we 

 are informed that not a single reply was re- 

 ceived. This is not as it should be. Such 

 chances should not be allowed to pass, and 

 our readers will do well to read over the 

 advertising pages of each number. 



Caspian Tern in Rhode Island. 



On referring to the Oologist for Octo- 

 ber, 1879, No. 4, page 32, we find there re- 

 corded by Mr. B. J. Peckham the capture 

 of a Caspian Tern at Brightman's Pond, 

 the measurement of which is given as fol- 

 lows : "Length, 21 inches; extent of wings 

 from tip to tip, 50 inches; bill, 2 7-8 inches; 

 tail, 6 1-4 inches. Description: Head, 

 black; a narrow white line under the eye; 

 neck and underneath, pure white; back and 

 wings, dark lavender; outer primaries, dark 

 gray in the inner webs; tail, of a shade be- 

 tween a gray and white; bill, very strong 

 and of a bright vermillion at the tip; legs 

 and feet, black; tail, forked." So that the 

 announcement in our last of an ''''Addition 

 to the Rhode Island Fauna " is incorrect. 



Show this magazine to your ornithologi- 

 cal friends and induce them to subscribe. 



A Savage Fight. — During the past 

 breeding season, a pair of White-bellied 

 Swallows selected for a nesting place a bro- 

 ken conductor which projected some four 

 feet from our factory wall, about fifty feet 

 higli. Although this was only about four 

 inches in diameter, these birds would fly 

 directly into this pipe without alighting on 

 the edge. We watched them daily with 

 much interest, and all went well until the 

 young were a few days old when a pair of 

 House Sparrows appeared on the scene to 

 take possession ot the nesting place when 

 a fierce battle ensued. The male Sparrow 

 flew onto the entrance of the nest, when 

 one of the Swallows, presumably the male, 

 flew at him like a dart, and from this mo- 

 ment until the Sparrows left the scene the 

 struggle was uninterrupted. No matter 

 where the Sparrow went the Swallow would 

 follow and strike him, and in this way gave 

 him no rest until he was perfectly tired'out. 

 In the struggle the Sparrow would often 

 fall as if dead from pure exhaustion, and 

 yet he would not abandon the nesting 

 place, but would, when tired, fly into the 

 gutter under the eaves, hoping by this ruse 

 to get rested; but the Swallow would give 

 no rest even there but would grapple with 



