162 



THE OOLOGISt 



I had always considered the Her- 

 mit Thrush a rather scarce article 

 in summer, so was surprised to see 

 and hear them frequently along this 

 mountain side. During the course of 

 the afternoon I found three nests all 

 built on the big rocks amongst the 

 terns. The first had been robbed by 

 some varment and the parent bird 

 eaten. The other two contained four 

 eggs each. A few days later on com- 

 ing back I found another nest contain- 

 ing four. I searched the rocks care- 

 fully and found a newly finished nest 

 of Canadian Warbler and a Junco's 

 containing two eggs. The Canadian 

 Warblers were singing all along the 

 mountain side and under a ferny bank 

 I found another nest that on my next 

 visit held five eggs. 



There were a number of Black 

 throated Blue Warblers about and in 

 a little brush in a passageway be- 

 tween two big rocks I found a beauti- 

 ful nest and four eggs. 



Magnolia Warblers were singing 

 about, and I found a low nest with 

 four eggs in a little hemlock. 



Besides the warblers mentioned. 

 Black throated Green were singing 

 plentifully at this place, but here they 

 usually nest high and are hard to 

 find. There were also Black and 

 White, Ovenbird, Parula, Blackburnian 

 and in a brushy place. Mourning and 

 Chestnut-sided. A few pairs of Junco 

 were nesting about the rocks. I heard 

 Winter Wrens singing and found sev- 

 eral nests in crevices under overhang- 

 ing rocks. 



There were many dens and coves 

 and some openings were large enough 

 to allow me to- walk back in some dis- 

 tance, but I didn't have many matches 

 and these rocks are not far from a 

 great rattlesnake region, so I was 

 quite careful and kept a close watch. 

 By the looks of them some of the 

 smaller dens must have been tenant- 



ed by Porcupines for the past hundred 

 years. In the sand under the over- 

 hanging rocks were numerous tracks 

 cf Wildcat, Fox and Hare, and by the 

 way numerous old logs had been torn 

 open, old Bruin frequently passes 

 through and possibly spends the win- 

 ter in the dens. 



I flushed a Barred Owl and saw 

 both Red-shouldered and Red-tailed 

 Hawlvs. Solitary Vireos replaced the 

 Red-eyed and I saw a family of Brown 

 Creepers. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks 

 were in full song. Pileated and Hairy 

 Woodpeckers were about, and alto- 

 gether it was one of the best places 

 lor breeders that I have found in 

 some time. 



R. B. Simpson, Warren, Pa. 



A List of Birds Observed in a Rural 

 Dooryard. 



Reading Mr. Forest's list of birds 

 observed on a city lot, in "The Oolo- 

 gist" for July, recalled a list compiled 

 by my wife and me of our door yard 

 visitors. Beside such as bred in our 

 yard and neighborhood, we entertain- 

 ed many species out of the migrat- 

 ing hosts of Spring and Autumn, and 

 even a few of the erratic visitors that 

 occasionally range Northward in Win- 

 ter. 



We called the old place "Quince 

 Thicket" from its abundance of quince 

 trees. It was a very wilderness of 

 trees, evergreen as well as deciduous. 

 We even indulged briars, gooseberries 

 and such wild fruits as birds love. 

 Nature was permitted to run riot in 

 her own Avild sweet way, if only we 

 might entertain more birds. — A sort 

 of bird reserve and paradise was our 

 aim, and we succeeded. The cat birds 

 and Orioles ate our grapes, the Wood- 

 peckers and Robins reveled in our 

 cherries; Thrashes enjoyed our poke 

 berries, raspberries and blackberries; 

 Cedarbirds stained themselves with 



