THE OOLOGIST 



79 



was 9 inches deep and the opening 

 2*4 inches across. Nest typical, of 

 fine grasses, weeds and feathers." 



Then we replace the note-book in 

 our pocket and place the figure (1) 

 on the nest stub, stand it up against 

 the foot of the tree where we can get 

 it when we return home, and pass on. 



Next we find a Phoebe's nest under 

 a bridge across the road, stuck onto 

 one of the projecting rocks of the re- 

 taining walls. The bird is gone in a 

 flash but we know her. The nest con- 

 tains six eggs, a very unusual num- 

 ber, but they show signs of incubation, 

 however we decide to chance it so 

 carefully remove the eggs and as with 

 the Blue Bird's eggs roll each one care- 

 fully in cotton and place them in our 

 collecting box. Then, after removing 

 the nest and wrapping it in a news- 

 paper cornu copia and marking it (2), 

 we enter in our note-book: 



"(2) 456a-6. Nest stuck on a pro- 

 jecting stone of a retaining wall of 

 a bridge across the Lacon and Henry 

 road 5 miles north of Lacon, 7 feet 

 above the creek bed and 3 feet from 

 bridge floor. Birds seen. Nest of root- 

 lets, moss, fine grass and mud, lined 

 with hair and feathers. Eggs, six, a 

 very unusually large number; incuba- 

 tion commenced. Nest saved." 



We pass on and find a Kingfisher's 

 nest in a hole in the cut bank of this 

 same creek. As the birds fly about 

 we admit we are for sure stumped. 

 We remember reading in one of 

 Wood's books that the nest of this 

 bird was almost untakable in it's nat- 

 ural state and likewise have a vivid 

 recollection of reading in THE OOLO- 

 GIST Vol. xxvi, page 92 of the tragic 

 death of Richard Smithwick, who dug 

 into a bank after a nest of this spe- 

 cies and crawled into the hole he dug 

 when the earth caved in on him and 

 smothered him. But we must have 

 fthese eggst Are we not forming a 



collection of eggs and we have no 

 Kingfisher's eggs yet. Well we go to 

 a nearby farm house and borrow a 

 spade. As luck would have it the 

 nest was not over three feet below 

 the top so we scramble up to the nest 

 hole and insert an arm full length 

 without finding anything but air. Then 

 we get a small switch and push it as 

 far as possible with the same result. 

 This makes fully six feet of the tunnel 

 we have explored. Then we go up on 

 top and dig down to the burrow. To 

 our surprise we find it at two feet and 

 four inches, showing it slopes upward. 

 After cleaning away the dirt and dig- 

 ging almost two times as much as was 

 really necessary in the hot sun, we get 

 where we can see the eggs. Seven of 

 them at the enlarged end of this nine 

 foot tunnel, lying there on the soil 

 with only a few straws about them. 

 Disappointed? Yes! Where is the 

 beautifully fashioned and delicately 

 assembled nest of white fish bones 

 and scales that I had been taught to 

 expect? A Myth? Yes, and nothing 

 more. Then the eggs were not as 

 white as we had expected. Or are 

 they dirty? Yes, and they, like Wood- 

 pecker's eggs, must be the most care- 

 fully cleaned both inside and out of 

 all dirt, foreign matter and the last 

 vistage of contents with perfectly 

 clear water, else the taking of them is 

 in vain. They will surely spot and 

 blotch and ultimately become entire- 

 ly ruined unless this care is used in 

 preparing them. We pack these speci- 

 mens, with more care and more cotton 

 because they are larger and heavier. 

 Then we carefully collect the few 

 straws composing the nest, place them 

 in some more newspaper marked (3) 

 and in our pocket. Then we enter in 

 our note-book: 



"(3) 390a-7. Nest in a burrow 9 

 feet deep in the side of a creek bank 

 7 feet above the creek and 3 feet 



