THE OOLOGIST 



67 



eggs in a burned cavity, black as 

 night, twenty feet up. One can hardly 

 forget the picture with such a setting, 

 five bright eyes peering out of the 

 coal black hole. While one of my 

 companions was climbing to the 

 Hawk's nest I noticed a small bird fly 

 up and into a small hole, which ap- 

 peared many times smaller than the 

 bird, yet it had free access. With saw 

 and hatchet we soon had an opening 

 which disclosed a handsome set of 

 seven eggs of the Western Winter 

 Wren — such beauties! Elated over 

 our success so early in the day, we go 

 on with renewed vigor, looking for- 

 ward to a good day's work, we start 

 up the steep and rocky mountain side. 

 Saw Chickadees, one pair Pine Gros- 

 beaks also a small Flycatcher, not 

 known to me. After reaching the top, 

 we keep on the ridge, we locate an- 

 other Sparrow Hawk's nest in an old 

 Fir stump, only five feet up, with the 

 female on the eggs. I was not alto- 

 gether acquainted with these little fel- 

 lows, and being assured that no harm 

 would come of it, I put my gloveless 

 hand into the hole, to be quickly grasp- 

 ed as in a vise. My hand came back 

 to me with a jerk and our little 

 Madam with it. She was so attached 

 to me she did not want to let go; my 

 companion took hold of her, and with 

 much stroking of the head and back 

 coaxed her away, when she sat calm- 

 ly without fear for several minutes, 

 while the eggs were taken from the 

 nest — was I scared? Some. 



We continued on to the East, to 

 the highest point, some 2000 feet then 

 the camp and fully eight miles away. 

 We now turn back, taking a narrow 

 deep canon until we reach Santchi's 

 Camp; where we find a Western House 

 Wren had taken possession of a corn- 

 er of the bedroom; only three eggs, 

 left for future call. Saw several Rock 

 and two Dotted Cannon Wrens in this 



canon. It is now near three o'clock 

 and seven miles from camp, we hurry 

 on. In a Mountain Maple copse near 

 the mouth of the canon we locate a 

 Sharp-shinned Hawk in a Maple 15 

 feet up with five eggs; these birds 

 were some fighters, one's hat was not 

 safe for a minute. It took two per- 

 sons to keep them away from the one 

 in the tree. Must be seen to appre- 

 ciate fully. 



About three rods away, in an old 

 Magpie's nest a Long-eared Owl had 

 five pipped eggs. 



We hasten on to the sloping hills, 

 wherein we flushed a Brewer Sparrow 

 from her fresh eggs. It was now grow- 

 ing toward dark and three long miles 

 from camp, which we reached late 

 and weary, having lifted ourselves 2500 

 feet and traveled at least 22 miles in 

 14 hours. We spent ten days on this 

 trip. 



May Westbrook. 

 Utah. 



Vermont Notes. 



This has been a rather nice winter 

 for birds so far. Robins are reported 

 as being around all winter and about 

 a month ago a flock of wild geese was 

 seen. I have heard Crows cawing a 

 number of times. 



I was out for a walk a few weeks 

 ago and I heard a Chickadee whis- 

 tling. I got under an evergreen tree 

 and answered him; in a few minutes 

 he came right into the tree and seem- 

 ed very much surprised to find me 

 instead of another Chicadee. 



There is at least one man in town 

 who has a "bird table" and feeds the 

 birds. He has Ghicadees and Nut- 

 hatches. Last winter the Redpolls 

 were very plentiful, but haven't seen 

 any this year. 



There were a few people that had a 

 treat in seeing a large flock of Even- 

 ing Grossbeaks. I haven't looked it 



