THE OOLOGIST. 



15 



May 23. Two sets of Carcliual Grosbeak 

 also a Wood Thrush's nest. 



May 26. Great Crested Flycatcher's 

 uest, made of piue needles, wool, feathers 

 and a snake skin, and placed in a Martin 



1)JX. 



May 2U. Cliiianey Swift's nest also 

 collected a set of Bachman's Fiu(-h. The 

 nest was placed near a brach in the midst of 

 weeds. 



June 7th. Yellow-billed Cuckoo's egg 

 in a Wood Thrush's nest, and, same date, 

 a Yellow-breasted Chat's uest, containing 4 

 fresh eggs. 



June 9tli. An Amei'. Quail's nest with 

 17 eggs fresh. 



June i;->th. Brown Thrasher and a 

 Yellow-breasteJl Chat's nest containing 4 

 fresh eggs, aboTit 4 ft. from the ground. 



June J 4th. Logger-head Shr ke's nest 

 with four fresh eggs placed in a small oak 

 tree about 15ft. from the ground. 



Jiine 17th. Yellow-shafted Flicker, six 

 fresh eggs. These eggs were very small, no 

 larger than a Red-head's. 



June 24!li. Summer Red Bird's uest with 

 2 eggs, also a Yellow-billed C'lickoo's with 3 

 eggs slightly incubatod. 



June 28th. Carolma Wren, 4 fresh eggs 

 placed over the door in -an uuoccupied 

 house . 



The above are some of the sets I collected 

 during the season of '87. I found a mimber 

 of others, but did not take the eggs. 



C. W., York Sta., Ala 

 —*~» 



The Critic! 

 Carolina Parakeet. 



To THE Editoe of the Oolouist : 



An article in the Oct. and Nov. No. of 

 the OoLocrisT, 1888, entitled ''Carolina 

 Parakeet" and devoted nfore particularlj' to 

 the nesting habits of this rare species, en- 

 gaged m3' attention while perasiug the 

 last interesting number. 



Undoubtedly the writer, who signs him- 

 self " T. S., Clarinda, Iowa," is a well- 

 meaning collector, and honest in his 

 convictions; but is certainly far from 

 torrect in stating that the Parakeet bi'ee Is 



in Iowa. Many articles creep into the 

 OoLOGiST, as with many other natural 

 history papers, that are not ouly highly 

 improbable, but I am sorry to say, simple 

 emanations of untruthful collector's brains. 

 Witness an article on the nesting of the 

 Bald Eagle during the last year or so in 

 which the writer describes the eggs as 

 equal in size to goose eggs, whereas they 

 are less than one-fourth of the cubical 

 dimensions. 



This little criticisia is not intended to 

 apply to the editor of the Oologist, as it is 

 impcjssible for him to supervise each article. 

 Many other papers are, unfortunately, the 

 exponents of equally ridiculous fabrications, 

 readily detected by experts in the vai-ious 

 branches of science, bat unfortuuatelj', too 

 often believed by the inexperienced. In 

 conclusion allow the writer to say to all 

 young donators to the columns of any paper 

 never deviate from the truth; never 

 fabricate, Be sure that you know your 

 lesson before you attempt to impart it to 

 others. lu other words, " Be sure of j'our 

 identification and then stick to your text. " 

 This, from one who has studied our birds 

 over twenty years, may suggest, at least 

 accuracy in description and identification. 

 Nov. 2n, '88. Scolopax, Kalamazoo. Mich. 



Bank Swallows at Picnic Point. 



These little fellows are very common on 

 very near all the small lakes in Wisconsin 

 A very large colony of them has taken 

 possession of the cliffs on Picnic Point over- 

 looking lake Mendota. 



They arrive here about the middle of 

 April. The old ones use the same nest 

 year after j'^ear; bat the young, when thej' 

 begin to breed, make new nests. /Their 

 nests are made by burrowing in the side of 

 the cliff until they get a hole about two feet 

 deep and large enough for the bird to 

 enter. At the end of this hole is placed a 

 number of downy feathers and dry grasses, 

 on which are laid anywhere from three to 

 six white eggs. They leive here about the 

 1st. of September. 



F. S. B. N., Madison. Wi^:. 



