THE NlDlOLOGlST. 



55 



Valley Hills are alike inhabited by this 

 modest and retiring Blue-wing. I have 

 never known more than two or three pair 

 to remain in one clearing or swamp, no 

 matter how large it was. Early in May 

 they can be seen in pairs, flitting from bush 

 to bush; later the male is heard repeating 

 his monotonous little ditty, while perched 

 near the top of a neighboring tree. His 

 song is weak and lisping, more like that of 

 an insect than that of a bird. The female 

 is probably seated on her snug little nest, 

 which is always hidden in the most marvel- 

 ous manner. To discover it requires a long 

 search and sharp eyes, or much patient 

 waiting until the male bird flies down to see 

 how his mate is doing or to convey her some 

 tempting morsel. 



For a number of years I have known of 

 several tracts of land, all within a mile of 

 Berwyn, which were inhabited bj'^ two pair 

 each; but not until the present season have 

 I been successful in my search for their eggs. 

 On June 5, while skirting a swampy thick- 

 et, I observed a small bird flutter above a 

 clump of briers, which had grown up in the 

 midst of the rank grass. It proved to be a 

 male of this species, and a moment later I 

 flushed the female from the same spot. 

 B'our birds scolded me vigorously, and 

 leaving the nest and three eggs immed- 

 iately I was pleased to hear the drowsy, 

 insect-like song of the male, which had 

 perched at the top of a small tree not far 

 from the nest. 



Returning on the 8th, I walked up to the 

 nest and touched the grass above it before 

 the bird would leave it. She fluttered off 

 and sat quietly within two feet of me, and 

 when disturbed she ran through the grass 

 like a mouse, subsequently perching on a 

 blackberry bush. Neither male nor female 

 made any noise beyond a few feeble 

 " chips." The nest was snugly tucked in 

 a bunch of grass, surrounded by rank grass 

 and blackberry bushes. It was neatly made 

 of coarse swamp grass, cherry, chestnut, 

 oak and maple leaves, lined with shredded 

 grape-vine bark, and shaped similar to a 

 wall pocket, i. e., flat on one side; measur- 

 ing, in inches — inside diameter, 2. x 3; 

 depth, 2.80; outside diameter, 3. x .4.50; 

 depth, 3.15. The three eggs were in vari- 

 ous stages of incubation. No. I containing 

 a large embryo, and was saved with diffi- 

 culty; No. 2, slight; and No. 3 was fresh. 

 They measure .63 x .47, .64 x .47, and .63 

 X .46; and are white, finely spotted and 



dotted with chestnut and heliotrope purple, 

 principally at larger ends. No. 3 has also a 

 few dots and dashes of vandyke brown, 

 after the pattern of a typical Maryland Yel- 

 low-throat's egg, but less pronounced. The 

 complete concealment of the nest and the 

 female's quiet manner of leaving it, al- 

 though the species is rather common than 

 otherwise, makes its finding extremely 

 difficult, consequently the bird's nest and 

 eggs are rare and valuable. 



F. Iv. Burns. 



Three Thousand Bird Skins. 



THE California Academy of Sciences in 

 San Francisco has made large addi- 

 tions of late to its Ornithological col- 

 lections in the exhibition series of 

 mounted birds by a donation of a number 

 of foreign species which in quality compare 

 favorably with others in the museum. 



For the study series a large number of 

 water birds have been collected by the cu- 

 rator, Mr. Loomis, at Monterey, in connec- 

 tion with his investigations of the migra- 

 tion of water birds on this coast. To these 

 and the large collection of birds obtained 

 for the Academy by the former curator, 

 Walter E. Bryant, has been added Mr. 

 Bryant's collection of over 3000 birds, 

 which was secured by purchase, making a 

 grand total of about 10,000 specimens. In 

 the collection were five California Condors, 

 besides a complete series of the birds of 

 Guadalupe Island, with eight Guadalupe 

 Caracaras, a species now supposed to be 

 extinct, and five Short-tailed Wrens, of 

 which there are but nine known specimens. 

 With such a collection available to Califor- 

 nia Ornithologists much may be expected 

 from those whose studies have been re- 

 tarded by lack of material for comparison. 



Albino Totohees. 



ON November 27, a nearly perfect 

 albino Towhee was presented to me 

 by a local sportsman, who shot it near 

 this city. The specimen proved to be 

 a fine male and a careful examination of its 

 alimentary canal failed to disclose anything 

 at all abnormal. I remember reading sev- 

 eral years since a theory advanced by some- 

 one, who had found tape worms in albino 

 specimens, that the parasites were respon- 



