ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND 



OOLOGIST. 



$1.00 per 

 Annum. 



FRANK B. WEBSTER, Publisher. 

 Established, March, 1S75. 



Single Copy 

 10 Cents. 



VOL. IX. 



PAWTUCKET, R. I., AUGUST, li 



No. 8. 



Migration in the Mississippi Valley. 



Our readers will miss our usual aiticle 

 on this subject — the absence of which is 

 explained by Prof. Cooke as follows : 



"Before my last letter reached you, I was 

 in bed and there I stayed until a day or 

 two ago, and now I can only work a few 

 minutes at a time. As I lay there I planned 

 out the whole of the article for the Aug. 

 number, but my strength never came back 

 so that I could write it out. I am very 

 sorry that I should have had snch poor 

 luck in fulfilling my promise to give you 

 an article each month, but if you had been 

 in my place you could have done no better. 

 I hope for September, but have given up 

 making promises, as I am afraid this sick- 

 ness will hang about me until cold weather 

 comes. In the meantime you have my 

 best wishes and my hearty congratulations 

 on the rapid progress you are making in 

 establishing the O. and O. as a man's 

 paper instead of a boy's, and in getting it 

 recognized as a paper of scientific value." 



We sincerely hope our kind correspon- 

 dent may be able to send his usual com- 

 munication for September. 



Breeding Habits of the Rufous Hum- 

 ming Bird, (Selasphorus rufus.) 



This bird is rather common here, and 

 either their nests are not very hard to find 

 or I was very lucky this season, as I found 

 nine in all. The first nest taken was on 

 May 1st. It was in a small oak about 

 seven feet from the ground, near the end 

 of the limb, and about two feet from the 



trunk of the tree. It was in plain sight, 

 but so closely did it resemble the dozens 

 of other little bunches of moss in the tree, 

 that it was almost an accident that I found 

 it. It was composed of the " cotton" from 

 the willow and thistle, plastered with lich- 

 ens fastened on with spider's silk together 

 with the saliva of the bird. It contained 

 two fresh eggs, having a beautiful " pink- 

 ish" cast before being blown, but clear, 

 pearly white afterwards. While I was 

 blowing them the female came around but 

 was very timid, keeping well out of the 

 way ; the only hint I had of her presence 

 was the low hum of her wings. 



On May 4th, I visited a railroad cut 

 about two miles below here where I ex- 

 pected to find some nests of Junco ore- 

 gonus. The cut was overhung with vines, 

 and in several places the roots of immense 

 firs projected over the bank so as to form 

 quite a roof. While examining one of 

 these a Hummer started out and away, but 

 returned in a few seconds with another 

 female. I was sure there was a nest there, 

 and on parting the vines discovered it. It 

 was a beauty, one of the best formed I 

 ever saw, being long and pointed at the 

 bottom. It was hung on three or four 

 small wire-like roots, very well hidden by 

 the thick screen of vines in front, and con- 

 tained two young about two days old. 

 This nest, like the first, was composed of 

 "cotton," etc., and covered with light 

 colored lichens, which showed very plainly 

 in contrast with the dark brown roots and 

 earthy background. While I was examin- 

 ing it there were two and sometimes three 



Copyright, 1884, by Frank B. Webster and Eaton Cliff. 



