92 



THE NIDIOLOGIST 



close resemblance to those of the Nighthawk. 

 I cannot point out the difference to you for 1 

 have no eggs of the Nighthawk in my collection. 

 The Nighthawk is one of the so-called ' Cioat- 

 suckers,' like the Whip-jioor-will, which it re- 

 sembles in many of its habits, but it does not 

 nest here. On their return from their winter 

 quarters in the South they stay with us for a 

 short time in the month of May, and then pass 

 on to their nesting places farther north. Now 

 observe the card, with carefully recorded data, 

 which accompanies the eggs of the Whip-poor- 

 will." 



I took the card and read : 



Whip-poor-will. 



Antrostovius vociferus (Bonajj.). 



Eggs 2 (usual no.). 



Taken June 3, 18 — ; Decker township ; deep 

 woods. 



Nest, a slight hollow beside a rock. 



Eggs only kept from bare ground by a few- 

 leaves, which had apparently fallen in by acci- 

 dent. 



Much impressed, I turned from the data to 

 the eggs, and — they were the eggs of the Night- 

 hau<k .' 



I have seen specimens accompanied by data 

 which might be effectively described in tabular 

 form : 



Number statements 6 



Number errors 6 



Number facts o 



Excess of errors 6 



My friend, however, had not done so badly, 

 for his data were correct, except that he had 

 attributed the eggs to the wrong bird. 



It is very true that the Nighthawks arrive 

 here in May, remain a few days, and then the 

 most of them depart for their breeding ])laces 

 farther north, but a few of them remain and 

 nest here. Their nests, if slight depressions in 

 the ground can be designated by that term, are 

 to all outer appearances like those of the Whip- 

 j J oor- will's. 



The eggs of the two birds are ellijjtical in 

 shape and about the same size ; those of the 

 Whip-]K)or-will being given as from 1.21 to 1.27 

 inches in length, and from .75 to .79 inches in 

 breadth, while those of the Nighthawk are from 

 1.23 to 1.25 inches in length, and .82 to .85 

 inches in breadth. It will be found that few 

 specimens of either vary greatly from these 

 measurements. 



The eggs of the Nighthawk, although, as we 

 have seen, of a little greater breadth, might 

 easily be mistaken for those of the Whip-|)oor- 

 will by a careless observer. Both eggs have a 



white ground color, but the white of the Whip- 

 poor-will's egg is a delicate creamy tint, while 

 that of the Nighthawk is of a dingier hue, 

 slightly suggestive of dirt. The Whii)-poOT- 

 will's eggs are marked with blotches, lines, and 

 sjjots in various shades of light brown and 

 lavender. Those of the Nighthawk also have 

 blotches of lavender, but their brown is dis- 

 tributed differently, being in the form of fine 

 dottings of various shades. There are also 

 obscure markings of slate color, sometimes 

 barely ])erceptible. Angus Gaines. 



Vincennes, Ind. 



Dr. and firs. Holub. 



IT gives us pleasure to introduce to our 

 readers Dr. Emil Holub, the distinguished 

 African explorer and scientist, also his 

 charming wife, Mrs. Rosa Holub. When we 

 met Dr. and Mrs. Holub recently in New York, 

 he presented us with an interesting photograph 

 for illustration, and i)romised to write an arti- 

 cle soon, on curious African birds and their 



nests, especially for 

 this magazine. 



Mrs. Holub was 

 a young bride when 

 she started with her 

 already f a m o u s 

 husband for Africa 

 in 1885. They had 

 five European as- 

 i / s i s t a n t s, a n d a 

 s])lendid outfit that 

 cost about $60,- 

 000. It was a re- 

 markable wedding 

 tour, and lasted 

 four years. A 

 woman of fine phy- 

 sique and plenty 

 of pluck and endurance, Mrs. Holub enjoyed the 

 outdoor life. She rode a horse as far north as that 

 animal could be utilized. She was a good shot, 

 and many an animal was brought down by her 

 rifle. Her trusty gun was slungover her shoulders 

 for miles at a time, and she killed many of the 

 hundreds of animals whose skins are now 

 mounted in a score of European museums. 

 She wore a dress of stout, dark cloth, such as 

 many of our women mountain-climbers wear. 

 Her white felt hat had a wide brim, and she 

 often carried a sunshade. No one in the party 

 was busier than she. She prepared many of 

 the skins for preservation. A large part of the 

 measurements of animals, people, native huts, 

 and other objects that figure in Dr. Holub's 

 remarkable series of models illustrating African 

 life and habitations were made by her. 



MRS. HOLUB. 



