ii6 



THE NIDIOLOGIST. 



Late in the afternoon we found a nest of 

 five eggs of the American Eared Grebe, 

 larger in size and not so oblong as the 

 Pied-billed. The eggs were cleaner and 

 whiter, and layed in a larger, finer nest. 

 The illustration of this American Eared 

 Grebe's nest shows the style of floating 

 mass used in its construction, being very 

 bulky and solid. The water shows black 

 all around the nest, only where it was in 

 motion, then it shone like diamonds. 



Of all the graceful small water birds on 

 the wing none can compare with the beau- 

 tiful Swallow-like Black Tern (//. nigra 

 surinarnensis). They were in great num- 

 bers, flying high and low over the waters 

 after the clouds of insects, and diving and 

 skimming here and there after small fish. 



They go in flocks of seven to twenty, all 

 the time moving in the most graceful 

 curves and circles ; now hovering over a 

 spot on the water for some choice bit of 

 food, or shooting into the deep like a ball 

 from a gun. At all times they make a 

 great outcry when you near their nests, 

 flying at one's head in dozens, so as to 

 fairly blind you. In order to get them 

 in a bunch to photograph, I shot into a 

 flock, when one of them dropped with a 

 broken wing by the side of the boat. They 

 all collected as though to lift their com- 

 panion up and carry it away. The result 

 can here be seen in the accompanying 

 "half-tone,"' only the birds against the 

 sky, a long stretch of water and a low 

 horizon line. 



The nests are often only a simple hollow 

 in some floating mass of drift ; again they 

 are constructed of reeds, rushes and swamp 

 grass, wild rice and decayed leaves and 

 sedges, placed on the floating debris. 

 Often several nests will be on the same 

 mass. Many sets were taken of three eggs; 

 only one .set of four was found. Some of 

 the eggs were of a dark lustre, while others 

 were of a yellow umber, or a smoky brown, 

 specked and splashed with dark Vandyke 

 brown about the blunt end. On leaving 

 the boat at the edge of the high land on 



the river side, we took a walk over the 

 the wooded meadows and banks of the 

 Mississippi. Robins were singing in every 

 tree, their nests being seen in every tall 

 poplar. Crows were common in the cotton 

 woods of the river banks. Whistling 

 notes could be heard from every bush of 

 the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and several 

 nests were found in low red oaks. Rice- 

 birds were scolding from the dead limbs of 

 every poplar, all giving greeting to 

 their woodland home. 



On looking into one tall poplar a nest 

 was seen, which we took to be a Dove's, 

 but larger and higher up. It proved to be 

 a Passenger Pigeon's, on scaring the bird 

 off". So good a find we did not expect to 

 meet with. The nest contained only one 

 egg, incubation advanced. It could be 

 seen through the bottom of the nest, which 

 was constructed of coarse twigs, loosely 

 put together, and was lined with a few 

 finer ones. It was some thirty feet from 

 the ground, placed on a large limb. 



The eggs, all that were taken that day, 

 are in the collection of my friend, Mr. 

 Edw. Stebbins. 



Haywards, Cal. 



«-•-. 



SNOW-EATERS. 



In the early spring, while watching 

 some Siskins {Spimcs pi?ius), I was sur- 

 prised to see them fly to the ground and 

 begin eating snow. They picked up the 

 white crystals and swallowed them evident- 

 ly with as much relish as does a Canary his 

 seed. I was very near them, had a good 

 opera-glass, and am sure that they were 

 snow-eaters. Have you seen any other 



birds do this ? 



S Bob Whitr. 



Dr. Elliott Coues, who has recently 

 visited the National Park, writes to Game- 

 land that the Park is over-run with game. 

 A friend had made a trip in mid-winter on 

 snow-shoes around Mt. Evart and actually 

 counted on the trail 103 Elk, 33 Black-tail 

 Deer, 240 Antelope, one flock of Mountain 

 Sheep and a river full of Mallard Ducks. 



