Aug. 1884.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



101 



About one mile from Griswold P. O., 

 there is a barn that has for several years 

 attracted large numbers of these swallows. 

 Then' nests are placed under the barn, up- 

 on the sides of the chestnut timbers that 

 support the floor, and are composed of 

 mud which the birds bring from a swamp 

 near by. 



As the Doctor and I stejoped under the 

 barn the occupants of the forty-seven 

 nests eyed us curiously for a few seconds, 

 and then with a musical "tweet" flew out. 

 The chestnut patch on the forehead of the 

 Cliff Swallow is very noticeable as then- 

 heads protrude from the " nose" of their 

 bottle-shajjed mud nests. 



The swallows find a protector in the 

 person of Mr. Ezri Reynolds, who warmly 

 appreciates the honor which they confer 

 upon him by returning every spring to his 

 barn, and to his alone. As they rear two 

 broods a season and feed their young upon 

 insects, the number destroyed by them 

 must be incalculable. Any person mo- 

 lesting the swallows in any way would be 

 apt to arouse the ire of the kind hearted 

 farmer, who rightly considers them his 

 friends. 



Wood Thrush. May 27, I found a nest 

 of the Wood Thrush, (Ilylocichla muste- 

 Una,) containing six eggs, three of them 

 Cowbird's. The nest was perhaps four 

 feet from the ground in a little stub of a 

 tree, and only a few rods from where I 

 have found a nest of the same species for 

 two years preceding. I approached to 

 within a few feet of the bird before she 

 flew, and eyed her for some minutes with 

 much satisfaction. After leaving the nest 

 she flew at me fiercely, and her cry of 

 " whit-a whit" was so loud and animated as 

 her wings fanned my face, that it will long 

 remain fresh in my memory. I have never 

 found any bird so brave in the defense of 

 its nest as the Wood Thrush, and I know 

 of no bird that can more forcibly express 

 its indignation at an intrusion. 



Baltimore Oriole, (Icterus galbula.) I 



know of a dozen families in this vicinity 

 who call this bird " Switch him." There 

 is perhaps little satisfaction in trying to 

 express bird-notes in syllables, yet the fol- 

 lowing can be made to sound very much 

 like the Oriole's song note : " Switch 'im, 

 switch 'im, pea-pum per pea-up, pea-up," 

 with the "pea up" sometimes repeated sev- 

 eral times. 



I should really enjoy hearing some of 

 the readers of the " 0. and 0." practice 

 this exercise. It won't sound familiar un- 

 less you throw as much energy into its 

 exjsression as the bird does. 



White-bellied Swallow, ( Trachycineta 

 bicolor.) I have noticed for several years 

 that this charming bird prefers lohitc 

 feathers for the lining of its nest, and it 

 will almost always manage to find enough 

 to supply its wants. A prettier sight than 

 six white eggs in a neat nest of white 

 feathers can hardly be imagined. 



Passer Domesticus. May 23, I saw a 

 nest of the English Sparrow between a 

 window sash and the blind. It was in the 

 window of a chamber that was not used 

 and the birds had entered through the 

 shutters, made their bulky nest, and reared 

 their young unmolested. — Chas. Edward 

 Prior. 



Entomological Notes from Laco- 

 nia, N. H. 



Butterflies seem to be very abundant in 

 this part of the country and during the 

 short time I have been here I have captured 

 the following species, a list of which may 

 prove of interest to those collecting insects. 



Papilio tumus 

 Pontia rapce. 

 Colias philodice. 

 Danais archippus. 

 Arrjynnis idalia 

 " cymbcle. 



bcllona. 



aphrodite. 



myrina. 



progne. 

 faunus. 

 antiopa. 



