THE OOLOGlST 



143 



tion" being a description of a collec- 

 tion of eggs gathered together by H. 

 L. White, a resident of Australia, ac- 

 companied by three colored plates il- 

 lustrative of 35 varieties of eggs. This 

 collection exceeds 800 Australian spe- 

 cies, each with data, accompanied by 

 over one thousand bird skins, and 

 shows the life work of a real scientist, 

 hi examining it one is struck with 

 the evident difference in coloration of 

 the eggs of the birds of Australia as 

 compared with those of North Amer- 

 ica, being as a rule more highly col- 

 ored and much more given to irregular 

 lines and streaks. 



The Dovekie on the New England 

 Coast. 



The morning of January 5, 1914, af- 

 ter a severe storm, about ten Dovekies 

 — Alle alle — were noticed strewn along 

 the ocean beach near Oak Bluffs, Mar- 

 tha's Vineyard, Mass. Two showed 

 signs of life and were taken to a house 

 and cared for. They seemed to ap- 

 preciate the warmth and the rescue 

 from the storm, but they refused food 

 and both died before night. The peo- 

 ple were sorely disappointed as they 

 liked the appearance of the plump, 

 downy-feeling "Little Auks," as the 

 English call them, and they hoped to 

 keep them for awhile, at least, for 

 pets. This, of course, would have 

 been exceedingly difficult, on account 

 of the pelagic habits of the species. 



This is a swift bird awing but it does 

 not, as a rule, make extended flights. 

 The small wings and the comparative- 

 ly heavy body militates against this. 

 As a result, after being buffeted about 

 by a heavy, prolonged storm the Dove- 

 kie is. very liable to succumb and be 

 driven ashore. 



The two birds especially mentioned 

 were sent me as was one from Chath- 

 amport, Mass., December 13, 1913, and 

 all are now in my collection. 



I understand that the species was 

 more plentiful than usual along the 

 New England coast during the winter 

 of 1913-14. 



Charles L. Phillips. 

 Taunton. Mass. 



A Well Occupied Tree. 



On April 23 while walking through 

 a field I saw a Flicker fly from a hole 

 about three feet from the top of an old 

 pine stub twenty feet tall. On climb- 

 ing up I found that the Flicker nest 

 was new but contained no eggs, but 

 in a hole in the top of the tree I found 

 a Screech Owl setting on two incu- 

 bated eggs. On examining the tree 

 two weeks later I found a set of seven 

 Flicker eggs in the Flicker hole. 



Nine days later I collected another 

 set of Screech Owl eggs out of the 

 Flicker hole. And on the other side 

 of the tree a set of four Red-headed 

 Woodpecker. 



D. Loach Martin. 



Mr. Martin also reports a set of 

 eight Great Crested Flycatchers eggs 

 taken May 27. 



Cowbird's Eggs. 



June 23, 1913, I found a Brewer's 

 Blackbird's nest in a wild rose thicket 

 two and a half feet from the ground 

 containing three eggs of the owner 

 and four of the Cowbird. 



I have also found Cowbird's eggs in 

 the following nests that I am certain 

 of but have not dates: Yellow Warb- 

 ler, Maryland Yellow-throat, Clay-col- 

 ored Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Song- 

 Sparrow and Bobolink in Minnesota; 

 also Yellow Warbler, Western Yellow- 

 throat, Lazuli Buntin, and Western 

 Meadowlark in Montana. 



Bernard Bailey. 

 Elk River, Minnesota. 



Nesting of Yellow Palm Warbler. 



While crossing a somewhat bushy 

 pasture on May 8th, I saw a Yellow 



