THE NIDIOIvOGIST. 



125 



THE NATURALIST'S NOTE-BOOK. 



Now that the season for the oologist is 

 here, it is well to cast about us for suitable 

 occupation for our spare hours. To the 

 true naturalist there is never a perfect 

 dearth of interesting features in the fields 

 and woods, for when our special depart- 

 ment is not in condition for observation, 

 others present themselves for our edifica- 

 tion. Therefore, to those of observing and 

 studious dispositions, the outdoor school of 

 Nature is ever an open book. We have 

 only to turn the leaves, and, we may say, 

 prepare an index for the contents. This 

 index, or table of contents, we may carry 

 in our minds; but, as we are all well aware 

 how easy it is to forget, it is well to fortify 

 ourselves against possible lapses of memory. 

 This is best accomplished by the constant 

 use of a note-book. 



It has frequently occurred to the writer 

 that a word in regard to note-books would 

 not be out of place, and I have only re- 

 frained from inflicting myself upon you 

 because the hunting season was at hand, 

 and most of the egg coUecters were engaged 

 in gunning and not willing to submit to 

 lecturing. 



There could not be a more idle under- 

 taking than in starting a note-book without 

 an idea as to the matter to be written upon. 

 Everyone knows that hundreds of thou- 

 sands of persons begin diaries at the begin- 

 ning of the year; and of those who start 

 in with the determination, not one in five 

 hundred makes a success of the undertak- 

 ing, even for a year, and the vast majority 

 stop inside of the first month, many within 

 a week or ten days. Yes, and a good 

 many shut off" about January 2 or 3. 



Here is a sample of a small boy's diary, 

 that I had the pleasure, or rather amuse- 

 ment, of scanning. He was an enthusiast 

 on diaries, and was thoroughly in earnest. 

 It runs: 



"Jany. i. Got upp an washed et brek- 

 fas an went to skoole. 



"Jan. 2. Gott upp and et brekfas an 

 went to skool. 



"Jan. 3. Gott up an went to skool. 



"Jan. 18. Studdy verry hard." 



Here it ends, and the rest of the book is 

 a blank. One is delighted to learn that this 

 prodigy "Gott upp," and we are not sur- 

 prised to learn that he failed to bathe the 

 second morning. But when he fails to 

 record that he "et breakfas" on the third 

 morning, we might judge that he had a 

 sick spell. However, the fact is that the 

 boy was thoroughly soured on his job, and 

 the final note, "Studdy verry hard," is 

 only a big bluff and no one believes it. 



Francis Bacon says: "Reading maketh 

 a full man, conference a ready man, and 

 writing an exact man." Which means, 

 that we may absorb knowledge by devotion 

 to books, become able in conversation by 

 conferring together, and that finally we 

 gain accuracy by placing our own thoughts 

 on paper. In order to make my meaning 

 plain and not occupy too much space I will 

 simply add: "Boys, get a hustle on you," 

 and take- good reliable notes on the birds of 

 your sections, wherever you are. Take 

 notes spring, summer, autumn, and winter. 

 Note facts and do not indulge in theories, 

 and your note-books will be a lasting source 

 of comfort to you if you are true natural- 

 ists. DiDYMUS. 

 >-•-. 



NESTING OF THE EAVE SWALLOW. 



In the November number of the Nidi- 

 OLOGIST, "Didymus" says he has yet to 

 find an instance of the Eave Swallow nest- 

 ing inside. June 26, 1890, I found twelve 

 nests of this species built inside a barn at 

 Lewiston Junction. There were eggs or 

 young in most of the nests.' Some of them 

 were built against the beams up under the 

 scaffold. Others were built on the under 

 side of beams with the nest against the 

 hay, that serving as the back of the nest. 

 The season was a very wet, rainy one, 

 which accounts for the change from the 

 eaves outside, where they usually built, to 

 the inside. 



Everett E. Johnson. 



Lewiston, Maine. 



