Jan., 1884.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



11 



My article (unpublished) on that Owl is 

 full and complete. Some thirty years ago 

 a nest was found some half mile from my 

 office among the bogs in our meadows. 

 The nest was on the top of the bog and 

 composed of fine grass. It was within a 

 few rods of the cart path and the bird 

 could easily be seen as we passed. She 

 would allow us to approach very near be- 

 fore rising from her nest, would fly a few 

 rods and then hop along in the grass 

 snapping her mandibles. There were four 

 eggs in the nest She was captured by 

 placing a snare over the nest attached to 

 a long cord. When she returned a sud- 

 den twitch on the line secured the bird. 

 I took her some half mile from the nest 

 and let her go. She flew directly back to 

 her nest. I suppose on her passage north 

 to breed she was wounded and laid her 

 clutch of eggs here. She had no mate 

 and the eggs never hatched. I could not 

 discover any signs of injury from examin- 

 ing her, or in her flight. — Wm. Wood. 



"Brief Notes." 



The Ridgway Ornithological Club of 

 Chicago, met Dec. 9th, at the Academy of 

 Sciences. Donations of skins and books 

 were received. Mr. B. T. Gault read a pa- 

 per on " The Titlark Sparrow," (Passer- 

 oulus anthinus,) describing for the first 

 time the nests and eggs, illustrated by 

 specimens, as was also a paper by Mr. H. 

 K. Coale on " The Genus Zonotrichia," in- 

 cluding the record of the recent capture of 

 Z. querula in Wisconsin. 



One-legged Bird. Probably every col- 

 lector who shoots many birds, not unfre- 

 quently obtains one with but one leg, the 

 other being lost by some accident and 

 usually by shot. A very peculiar case came 

 under my observation. I had a lot of 

 Kittewake Gulls, and sold one to Mr. T. 

 Adcock of this city. A few days afterwards 

 he returned and asked me if I had noticed 

 that one Gull had but one leg. Upon my 

 answering in the negative he said he had 



brought the body down for my inspection. 

 It had but one leg and there was nothing 

 to show that it ever had any portion of 

 another one. — Fred. T. Jencks, Provi- 

 dence, H. I. 



A fine specimen of the English Pheas- 

 ant (female) has been handed in to us by 

 Mr. George Arms of Pawtucket. It was 

 shot at Seine Pond, Great Yarmouth, Mass., 

 on Dec. 25th. 



The English Skylark (Alau'Ia arvensis) 

 appears to have been successfully acclima- 

 tized on this side of the Atlantic. Eighty- 

 four birds were set free two years ago on 

 a farm in New Jersey, and may now be 

 seen .apparently at home and quite happy. 

 With reference to this notice, which ap- 

 pears in the Scientific American of Sept. 

 22d, Armin Tenner, writing from Berlin, 

 Oct. 6th, says : 



"The Skylarks were first brought to America in '73 by 

 myself, then Secretary of the Cincinnati Acclimatization 

 Society, and set free in the Spring of 'T4 at Burnet Woods 

 Park, near Cincinnati. They have since returned, or, at 

 least, some of them, and every Spring chosen for abode 

 a summit in the vicinity of the park named. Contrary to 

 their usual habits in Europe, these Skylarks have selected 

 hilly ground as their favorite place of abode, whereas in 

 the old country, the Skylark generally inhabits meadows or 

 a level country. The Skylark is a migratory bird; only In 

 rare instances small numbers remain over Winter in north- 

 ern climateB." 



Will any of our correspondents in New 

 Jersey or Ohio report whether they have 

 seen the English Skylark, and under what 

 circumstances °! 



The British National Collection of 

 Birds was opened at the South Kensing- 

 ton Natural History Museum, London, on 

 the 8th of October. It promises to be- 

 come one of the best ornithological collec- 

 tions in the world. The bulk has been 

 brought from the British Museum, but 

 large additions have been made. The 

 museum authorities have commissioned 

 agents to hunt up contributors from all 

 parts of the globe. In the arrangement 

 of specimens, great alterations have also 

 been made. Instead of being exhibited in 

 the old wall cases, the different species of 

 birds are placed in classes in large alcoves 



