THE NIDIOLOGIST 



Bohemian Waxwings at Toronto. 



Several flocks of these handsome birds made 

 their ai)i)earance in Toronto early in February, 

 and were observed nearly every day until the 

 loth of March, when they were seen by myself 

 on one of the main streets of the city. Since 

 then I have neither heard nor seen any more of 

 them, and suppose they have moved north. 

 Very few specimens were secured by local 

 collectors on account of the birds frecjuenting 

 the streets in the very heart of the city in order 

 to feed on the berries of the mountain ash. 



The birds were very tame. On the loth I 

 observed them on a mountain-ash tree over- 

 hanging the boulevard, and they seemed quite 

 fearless, permitting me to stand within a few 

 yards and watch them. They had a peculiar 

 habit of taking three or four berries in the 

 mouth and flying into a tall elm tree, where 

 they w^ould sit probably half a minute, and 

 then proceed to eat the berries at their leisure. 



The only theory I can think of is that the 

 berries were frozen, and the birds took them in 

 their mouths for a short time in order to thaw 

 them out. 



The Bohemian Waxwing is a rare visitor at 

 Toronto, it being just nine years since they 

 were taken here last. G. F. Dippie. 



Toronto, Canada. 



fei« 





Our next number might be called the " Egg Col- 

 lectors' Edition," for among the interesting and 

 helpful articles will be : " Hints to Egg Collectors," 

 by -Scolopax ; "Apparatus" (three illustrations), by 

 Frederick M.Dille; "The Western Collector" (portrait), 

 " Hints for Campers and Cruisers" (illustrated), and 

 numerous other illustrated articles. The valuable 

 suggestions to the Oologist in this one number should 

 be worth more than the price of a year's subscription. 



Messrs. Bryant and Mummery, of Davison, 

 Mich., are in the field collecting in North Dakota. 

 Letters to Devil's Lake will reach them. Mr. Bryant 

 will send the " Nid" some interesting " Notes from 

 the Field." The first letter — to appear in next num- 

 ber — will, he says, "most likely be something on 

 Geese shooting and their nesting, and I hope on the 

 taking of Bald Eagle's eggs from nests in which I 

 found young last spring." 



March number of the " Niu " just to hand, show- 

 ing splendid improvement — paper and typ<jgraphy of 

 the best. The trip East has evidently agreed with the 

 "Nid's" constitution, and lliis nunitjer should win the 

 hearts of all. Your paper has well earned first place 

 and, like the California Vulture's egg, will become 

 priceless. — C. IV. Crandall, IVoodside, iV. Y. 



D. Appleton & CoMi'ANV will issue this month A 

 Handbook of (he Birds of Eastern North America, by 

 Frank M. Chapman. We have seen some of the 

 plates for illustration, which are excellent. 



" Poi'LLAr" works on Ornithology must be such in 

 truth, as well as in name, if one is to judge by the 

 number recently published. We hail this fact as a 

 sign of promise — presage of an awakening interest in 

 a delightful field of observation. Let us not hoard 

 our knowledge; in the world of the birds there is 

 pleasure and profit for all. And so, while some may 

 prefer the technical or abstract, popular articles and 

 books on bird-life have their place, and an important 

 place it is. 



The Birds About Us, by Dr. C. C. Abbott, is one of 

 the pleasing books of this entertaining author. The 

 birds treated of cover a wide range. A commendable 

 feature is that references are given with every quota- 

 tion. The book is illustrated with twenty-four plates, 

 which are unusually good; there are also forty-nine 

 engravings in the text. The work is not free from 

 some inaccuracies which unfortunately seem insepar- 

 able from popular books of the kind, but it will be 

 found interesting reading. The letter press leaves little 

 to be desired. Cloth; 288 pages; $2. J. B. Lippincott 

 Co., Publishers, Philadelphia. 



Leander S. Kevser's In Bird Land, is a petite vol- 

 ume of bird lore which cannot fail to interest the un- 

 initiated and please the student of bird ways. The 

 author tells entertainingly of exploration by wood 

 and stream in all seasons. True sympathy with na- 

 ture is the secret of the successful author in this class 

 of work, and this Mr. Keyser seems to possess. 



Nature is ever mystery. Who has not wandered 

 where the brook — 



Murmurs a mystic rune. 

 With all the woods in tune? 



The volume is indexed; 268 pages; cloth; price, 

 $1.25. A. C. McClurg & Co., Publishers, Chicago. 



The Friendship of Nature, a New England chronicle 

 of birds and flowers, by Mabel Osgood Wright, is 

 a modest, dainty little gem among books, and the true 

 lover of nature will be carried away and away into 

 the peace and joy of the woods and fields in perusing 

 its pages. 



In her dedication of the little book the author 

 sweetly sings: 



" If love a debt can pay 



As well as gold. 



Think me not bold 



When I seek to return. 



By loving, all I learn 



Of nature every day." 



"A New England May Day," "When Orchards 

 Bloom," " Feathered Philosophers," "A Winter 

 Mood," are the suggestive titles of some of the chap- 

 ters, the birds receiving a good share of attention in 

 all. It is a most charming book, and worth far more 

 than the price, 75 cents. Macmillan vV Co., Publish- 

 ers, New York. 



A Florida Sketch Booh, by Bradford Torrey. Mr. 

 Torrey's outings are for him seasons of delight- 

 ful observation, and his light sketches of what he saw 

 and heard among the birds in Florida make very 

 pleasant reading. "In the Flat Woods," "On the 

 St. Augustine Road," "Walks about Tallahassee," 



