THB OOLOGIST 



171 



times, and would appreciate any sug- 

 gestions tliat they may see fit to 

 make. 



While you may not know it, Mr. 

 Reader, we are nearly out of copy, 

 and would appreciate it if you would 

 get busy some of these nice winter 

 nights with your memory and your 

 pen and send us some readable bird 

 notes. There is only one way in which 

 "The Oologist" can be made the suc- 

 cess that it deserves to be, and that 

 is for all of its friends to put their 

 shoulder to the wheel. 



Eggs of the Elegant Tern. 



(Sterna Elegans) 



During the season of 1909 my col- 

 lector, Mr. W. W. Brown, Jr., was 

 fortunate enough to get me a fine ser- 

 ies of Elegant Terns in Lower Califor- 

 nia, but the season was too far ad- 

 vanced to collect any of their eggs. 

 However he made arrangements with 

 his friend, Eduardo Manriquez to 

 visit the island of Cerraloo (Lower 

 California) and collect a series of the 

 eggs of this rare bird. This Manri- 

 quez did, and sent me a wonderful ser- 

 ies. The eggs are marked like those 

 of the Roj'al Terne (Sterna Maxima) 

 and look very much like them, but 

 tliey are much smaller. I give the 

 measurements of them which I se- 

 lected at random. 



2.02x].37in. 2.03 x 1.38 in. 



2.11 X 1.42 in. 2.12x1.41 in. 



2.08x1.41 in. 1.99 x 1.35 in. 



2.00x1.37 in. 2.08 x 1.39 in. 



2.07x1.34 in. 2.00 x 1.35 in. 



The nests were slight depressions in 

 the sand on the beach, about twenty 

 yards from the surf on the protected 

 or land side of the island. They were 

 taken April 9th and 15th, 1910. Most 

 of the eggs were slightly incubated. 

 One egg is generally what they lay, 

 sometimes two, but only rarely. 



John E. Thayer. 

 Lancaster, Mass. 



Satisfied. 



The wild White-fronted Goose which 

 lit in with our birds in the month of 

 April, is still with us, and shows ab- 

 solutely no signs of being any wilder 

 than any of the rest of them, and evi- 

 dences no desire as yet to depart. He 

 is not pinioned or clipped or confined 

 in any manner whatever. 



IVIigration. 



October 27, 28 and 29th will long be 

 remembered by the inhabitants of the 

 Illinois Valley because of the wonder- 

 ful migration of water fowl that pass- 

 ed down the river; without doubt, a 

 heavier migration than has been seen 

 at any one time for a great many 

 years in these parts. The number of 

 wild geese passing was out of all pro- 

 portion to that of former years. 



Astray Notice. 



One of the very rarest birds that we 

 have, a male Blue Goose, decamped a 

 short time ago. He first rose up and 

 flew about half a mile southeast of the 

 pen in which we have them confined. 

 Taking an assistant we went out and 

 around him, attempting to drive him 

 back towards the pasture. By this 

 tine he appeared thoroughly wild. 

 We could not approach closer than a 

 couple of hundred yards of him when 

 he rose up with a squawk and sailed 

 off south, and since we have not seen 

 him, although it is reported that he 

 stayed along the river in front of La- 

 con for several weeks, consorting with 

 various flocks of wild ducks, and tame 

 ducks and geese. 



Through son:e oversight, we had 

 lailed to i inion him, and did not no- 

 tice the fart until he was flying all 

 around. 



