THE YOUNG ORNITHOLOGIST. 



city bnt I have not had a chance to 

 study their breeding habits. The cliff 

 and Barn Swallows {Petrochelidon 

 lunifrons and Hirundo erythrogastra) 

 are very common. I have not found 

 the former breeding here ; but about 

 forty miles west they breed abund- 

 antly. 



The Bank Swallow {Cotile ripa- 

 ria) is another very common swallow, 

 breeding on the sandy bluffs and 

 banks of both tne river and lake. 



The Red Cross-bill (Loxia cur- 

 virostra am^ericana) is an exceed- 

 ingly common bird about here. Though 

 I have never found the nest, a flock of 

 young birds was seen near here on 

 May 13th. The adult birds have been 

 seen and shot in large numbers since 

 March 22nd, and I have heard that 

 nests have been found in ice-houses 

 west of here, built upon the saw-dust 

 over the ice. 



The Northern Waxwing {Ampelis 

 garrulus) was very abundant a year 

 ago this past winter, being seen on all 

 cold days, but last winter none were 

 seen. 



Charles A. Keeler. 



NEST OF GREAT-CRESTED 

 FLYCATCHER. 



While collecting" last June, on the 

 15th inst., with my friend Howard 

 Shields, we were passing through an 

 orchard, when we suddenly heard the 

 cry of the Great-crested Flycatcher, 

 which flew from a hole in an apple tree, 

 then to a dead limb near hy. On as- 

 cending we found the nest, as we 

 supposed we would, in the hole from 

 which the bird had just flown. It was 



about two feet deep, and the bottom 

 was lined with dried grass, cow-hair, 

 &c. I did not notice any snake-skin, 

 which however, I might have over- 

 looked in my haste. It contained 

 three eggs. The nest was not more 

 than twenty rods from a farm-house, 

 and about nine feet from the ground. 

 We did not take the nest, as we sup- 

 posed we should be able to obtain an- 

 otlier set ; but on returning a week 

 after we found the birds had deserted. 

 The eggs were a light buff color, cov- 

 ered all over with lines and dashes of 

 brown and purple, and were very 

 fresh. The ])irds did not make much 

 outcry, but flew to a limb near by and 

 watched the proceedings. 



S. Cunningham, 



In 'The Ooloo-ist.' 



It may not be -generally believed 

 that the Crow can be really taught to 

 talk. Several instances, however, 

 have come to our notice which fully 

 demonstrate that there is considerable 

 linguistic ability in this bird, and this 

 may be developed to a surprising ex- 

 tent by proper training. It is not 

 necessary, though it probably is an 

 advantage, to slit the tongue, for the 

 bird if intelligent, will pick up simple 

 sounds in a short time of its own 

 accord. 



It would seem that birds have taken 

 to hiring their residences, as we found 

 recently in the nest of a Red-eyed 

 Vireo a piece of an old newspaper 

 on which was printed, "Prices re- 

 duced to 1.00, according to location." 



The W. Newbury Natural History 

 Club has begun its field work for the 



