80 



THE UOLUiilS'J . l(c>(fyl 



larger limb. This is the only nest 1 

 have ever seen that was built in this 

 manner, the birds almost invariably 

 building the nest in a fork. 



Davie states that the California Tow- 

 hee often lays five eggs. In all my col- 

 lecting I have found but two sets of five 

 and as they were taken on two coasec- 

 utive years and in the same locality, I 

 believe that bothjsets were laid by the 

 same bird. The nest complement, in 

 this location, is generally four; often 

 three. Has any other collector taken 

 sets of five? 



Perhaps my plan for blowing eggs 

 will interest some of the readers of the 

 OoLOGiST. 1 take a small rubber tube 

 four feet long, fasten a brass blowpipe 

 into one end and my bicycle pump into 

 the other and I am ready for business. 

 The quickness and ease of blowing eggs 

 in this manner cannot be appreciated 

 until it has been tried. 



I would make a kick about incom- 

 plete data, a small piece of egg shell 

 tacked around a large hole, half- blown 

 eggs, etc., if I thought It would do any 

 good, but it has been spoken of so many 

 times that I don't feel disposed to waste 

 paper and ink upon the subject again. 

 It seems there are some collectors who 

 cannot or will not apply anything 

 that they read. 



In conclusion I would like to say that 

 when this paper reaches Albion, N. Y., 

 I am certain that there will be a mix- 

 ture—most likely with kindlings to 

 start "Ye Editor's" fire. 



Wm. L. Atkinson, 

 Santa Clara, Cal. 



* Our correspondent is not the first person 

 who has experienced difficulty in convincing 

 people that "bat's eggs" are laid alive.— Ed. 



Brown Creeper. 

 726. (Jerthia familiaris americana. 

 Hab. Eastern U . S. breeding from northern 

 border of U. S. northward and in higher 

 mountain districts. 



On the 30th of May, 1891, the writer, 



in company with a friend, went down 

 the Mississippi River in a boat to Offer- 

 man's Island, about ten miles below 

 here on a collecting trip. 



We started early and got down there 

 about 7 o'clock. 



After securing two sets of Redstart's 

 eggs, one of three and one of four, and 

 finding two nests of the Warbling Vireo 

 one of which contained one egg and the 

 other just completed, besides several 

 nests of the more common birds which 

 we left, we went down to Horse Island, 

 about a mile further down the river. 



The only eggs we got there were a 

 set of six Wren's eggs found in a stump. 

 One of these was rather peculiarly 

 marked, being considerably larger than 

 the others, cream color faintly spotted 

 all over, with a dark ring around the 

 larger end, on the whole resembling 

 eggs of Traill's Flycatcher. 



This island is covered with tall trees 

 and has scarcely any underbrush. We 

 only saw a few small birds there. 

 It is a favorite nesting place of the 

 Crow. 



On our way back we stopped at Of- 

 ferman's Island to rest. We walked 

 over to a slough in the center of the 

 island where we heard sevei'al Night 

 Herons or "Squawks." We could get a 

 glimpse of them now and then as they 

 gave their dismal squawk from some 

 tall tree in the center. Undoubtedly 

 they breed in there, but we had no 

 way of getting in the swamp to see. 



While passing a small point in the 

 island which wss covered with dead 

 willows we noticed a good many holes 

 in the trees and stopped to climb up 

 several but found nothing. 



When about to leave the island we 

 saw a small bird fly out of an old wil- 

 low tree and then another which we 

 recognized as the Brown Creeper. Our 

 suspicions being aroused we began a 

 search for the nest and in about five 

 minutes were rewarded by finding it 

 tucked under the bark about ten feet 



