THE OOLOGIST 11 
set.’ There are three distinct types 
in that set of four. 
“There is another place just over 
the shore line of Lake Michigan where 
the Philohela Minor lurks from mid- 
dle March to early August. We will 
go out there to-morrow. The place is 
grown up with pucker bush, roses and 
alders. An ideal place and harboring 
at least three pair of Owl Snipe. Old 
hunters tell me, prior to 1900, no less 
than fifteen pairs arrived there in ear- 
ly Spring and on July 4th, when the 
season opened for Woodcock shooting, 
some hunters secured fifteen birds in 
a day. Only two fellows had access 
to the place, and they kept it “under 
their hat,’ realizing the possible de- 
struction of the entire Woodcock tribe 
if the place we frequented by indis- 
ecreet hunters. These two men were 
true sportsmen and they never visit- 
ed the place but once a year.” 
Ralph, interested in taking migra- 
tion notes, did not meet me as agreed, 
so I hoofed it alone. Making a bee- 
line for one of the choicest spots in 
the brush, I stopped to survey the 
black soil. The two handsome males 
were sitting side by side under a little 
popular; one jerked up his tail and 
strutted over the ridge, the other took 
flight in the same direction. 
Beating back and forth in the copse, 
I detected an egg under the leaves at 
the base of a grape vine. 
had cunningly covered her product 
and only a tenth of the shell was vis- 
ible through the dead leaves. Five 
days later I returned with my camera 
friend, and we made four successful 
expcsures, three of parent on nest, 
and one of the eggs. Thinking she 
would lay a second set the place was 
revisited and two weeks later I found 
her squatting in the midst of a few 
briers near a wocded path fifty yards 
from the first nest. She jumped from 
her domain revealing a most unique 
The bird. 
clutch of three eggs, two normal in 
size and the third decidedly a runt, not 
larger than a Tow-hee’s egg. 
I went to Poplar Lake on May Ist, 
1909, It was a typical March day. A 
heavy, wet snow had been falling and 
the wind was blowing forty miles an 
hour. A ridge extends along the shore 
of the Lake and this is sheltered by 
elms and hazel _ sprouts. Peabody 
Birds and Juncos were dodging in and 
out among the brush piles and _ oc- 
casionally a little Winter Wren dart- 
ed out almost beneath my feet, Un- 
der a fallen limb and surrounded by 
snow flakes, (not Snow Buntings) was 
a large Woodcock covering a_ well 
formed, deeply cupped nest in a soft 
bed of leaves and grass. She winked 
occasionally and I was sure this was 
not in keeping with an incubating bird. 
Undoubtedly she was covering an in- 
complete set, only to protect them 
from the inclement weather. To dis- 
turb a Woodcock while laying, or cov- 
ering an incomplete set, often causes 
her to abandon the nest entirely, so 
I withdrew without intruding further. 
A few days'‘later after a warm thaw, 
she was visited by myself and camera 
friend. The madam had settled down 
very complacently and permitted us 
to make several exposures with the 
leas only one and one-half feet from 
her. The rest held four very richly 
marked eggs, evenly spotted with 
chestnut brcwn, one of the prevailing 
shades in a Wocdcock’s plumage. 
GERALD ALAN ABBOTT. 
eae ee) St SN eee 
Notice No. 259. 
With this issue of The OOLOGIST 
we drcp all subscribers from our 
bcoks whose numbers are below 259. 
This we hate to do but the post office 
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