THE NIDIOLOGIST 



27 



drenched me. After an all-day tramp, 

 through dense forests of hemlock and fir, 

 with some spruce, and through one cedar 

 swamp, at dusk we came to a sloping hill- 

 side, and suddenly saw ahead glimmering 

 patches of the waters of the lake. Nearer, 

 it could be seen placidly lying below 

 amidst the dense forests. A high moun- 

 tain rose from the opposite shore, its crest 

 dim in mists. Night was falling, so we 

 hurriedly selected a place for our bivouac; 

 and soon a cheery fire was crackling. Our 

 simple supper cooked, while we rested our 

 tired bodies or gathered heaps of moss for 

 our bed. 



[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



Concerning the Prices on Certain 

 Eggs. 



ADBAIvKR'S price-list seems to be in- 

 dispensible to collectors as a basis in 

 exchanging eggs. Interest should be 

 taken, therefore, to make such a price-list 

 standard, which frequently is not the case. 



The eggs of the California Cuckoo, for 

 example, are priced at 20 cents. They are 

 rare, however, in Californian collections, 

 and Mr. Chas. E. Doe has recently ex- 

 changed ^12 worth of eggs to Mr. Silliman 

 of Watsonville for ten eggs (two sets) of 

 the California Cuckoo* 



It is also said that the eggs of the Cali- 

 fornia Clapper Rail, Baird's Cormorant, 

 Ashy Petrel, White-tailed Kite and some 

 others are priced too low. Baird's Cormo- 

 rant is classed in price-lists with Brandt's. 

 The eggs of the former, as a matter of fact, 

 are more difficult to secure, the birds breed- 

 ing frequently on inaccessible crags. 



Sharp-tailed and Seaside SparrotDS. 



FOUND BREE^DING ON SEVEN-MILK BEACH. 



Seaside Sparrozvs. — This Sparrow seemed 

 to be the most common variety found in 

 this section of the state, even outnumber- 

 ing the common Song Sparrow and being 



more plentiful than the Sharp-tailed. 



They are shy and retiring and very diffi- 

 cult to approach. Their song, although 

 quite simple, is very sweet, consisting of 

 three or four notes uttered in a quick, ner- 

 vous manner and ending with several that 

 are repeated slower. They have the habit 

 of flying in the air with quick shakes of 

 their wings, uttering all the while their 

 warbling notes and then descending very 

 rapidly into the grass. They run through 

 the grass very swiftly, and if you see a 

 bird alight you can be reasonably sure of 

 finding it at least ten feet from the spot 

 you had expected to find it, inside of a few 

 seconds. 



They are called the Meadow Wren here, 

 and are never molested by boys; quite a 

 number are found in the meadows back of 

 the sandhills. 



May 17, '94, I found a nest of this 

 bird composed of dead grass and lined with 

 fine grass, containing four eggs; incuba- 

 tion begun; nest was woven into the grass 

 that supported it, and was roofed over, 

 with entrance through a small hole in the 

 side, and was placed three inches from the 

 ground in coarse meadow grass. Diam. 

 outside, zY^"'' inside, 2}{". Depth, out- 

 side, 4>^"; inside, 2". Eggs were light 

 green in color, covered very thickly with 

 reddish-brown spots, chiefly at larger end, 

 and measured 81'' x 63'' — 82'' x 62" — 82" 



X62"— 8i"x63". 



Sharp-tailed Sparrow. — Not as common 

 as its less gaudy cousin, although quite 

 plentiful in the swampy meadows. In 

 habits, this species is quite similar to the 

 Seaside, except launching in air, this is en- 

 tirely absent. This, like the preceding, 

 feeds almost entirely on aquatic insects. 



This bird has no song whatever, utter- 

 ing only a few weak notes that can only be 

 heard when near the bird. 



Two nests which we found were com- 

 posed of fine grass, and were partly roofed, 

 and were placed on ground under thick 

 tussock of grass. I obtained three birds, 

 two males and one female; female had been 

 hatching, but was unable to find nest. 



Columbia, Pa. L. F. B. 



