THE OOLOGIST. 



127 



most briiDch of a small oak. The latter 

 species rauks uext to the Song Sparrow in 

 abuudancc. 



Maj' 18. Spent to-day among the reeds 

 along the river. The first find was two sets 

 of four, live sets of three and one set of five 

 Red-winged Blackbird's eggs. The nests 

 were placed in a clump of rose and thorn 

 bushes mixed with the reeds. At mid -da}' 

 the heat in the reeds became almost stifling 

 and I was glad when a gi'ove of oaks loomed 

 up ahead, this reached. I threw myself in 

 the shade of a large tree to rest. Several 

 male Blackbirds discovered me, alighting on 

 the branches overhead, exhibiting many 

 signs of uneasiness and anxiety. Occasion- 

 ally one of them w'ould perform a short 

 flight and poising over the reedy shore, ut- 

 tering warning cries to the inmates of his 

 well concealed home below. I walked along 

 the reeds through the marsh hay for nearly 

 four more miles more and found only tljiee 

 iucub. Kingbird's eggs in a nest on the hor- 

 izontal fork of a half decayed willow. As 

 the afternoon was well advanced I staiT<»d 

 for home. Ou a bridge some boj's ^v^n■e 

 amusing themselves by catching bank swal- 

 lows with a small fish-hook, baited with a 

 fly, as they went skimming over the smui th 

 surface of the water beneath. They toid 

 me that they knew where there was a 

 swallow's nest full of white eggs and agn od 

 to show it for a nickle. So we started down 

 the road. We had not gone far when one 

 the boys showed me a hole in a fence prist 

 and said the nest was there. It was a Tree 

 Swallow's and contained seven white eggs, 

 nearly fresh. 



May 23. Four fresh Tree Swallow's eggs 

 from box nailed on top of a tall pole. 



, May 25. Least Bittern, set of three fresh 

 eggs, one of which was finely dotted with 

 light brown, nest a mere platform of cut 

 blades of grass and weeds placed in dead 

 reeds four feet over the water. A resident 

 only in the large marshes along the river, 

 not very common, also a set of eggs of the 

 King Hail, nest composed of reeds, and 

 placed in bush four inches over water. 

 May 28. Red-headed Woodpecker, three 



fresh eggs, they were dejjosited on bare 

 wood at bottom of cavity in a tree stump 

 twenty feet up. 



May 80. Took a White-rumped Shrike's 

 nest situated among the lowest brandies of 

 an oak tree and contained three young, and 

 three fresh eggs of the Lark P'iuoh. Nest 

 placed in a depre.ssion on the ground and 

 well concealed. 



June 4. Set of Bee Martin's eggs, nest in 

 an apple orchard on the fork of a small 

 horizontal branch and well concealed among 

 the leaves. Went to the Towhec's aett 

 found on the lltli of May and found in the 

 place of of a handsome set cf eggs four 

 young. In the same woods I noticed a bird 

 of the Flicker species have a hole in the 

 dead top of an ash tree, and climiug secur- 

 ed seven incnb eggs. The last two finds 

 were in a thi(;k willow swamp, namely three 

 Catbird's eggs and a nest of Yellow Warbler 

 in a thorn bush holding four young and one 

 addled egg. Under the nest was a perfvctly 

 fresh Gowbird's egg. 



June 5. Jack has no great love for dogs, 

 or cats and will dash unhesitatingly at them. 

 This reckless, headlong courage often g( ts 

 him into trouble and if he does not learn to 

 be more prudent will some day be the means 

 of his death. 



Red-winged Blackbird, set of three incub. 

 eggs, nest placed among the reeds in the us- 

 ual manner. While engaged in collecting 

 their eggs one must be very careful in jjush - 

 ing his" way through the reeds to get as firm 

 a footing as possible, for many of the best 

 appearing places are very deceiving and the 

 collector need not be at all surprised if he 

 suddenly goes down into a hole of sliiuy 

 water and sticky mud, out of which he will 

 have some difficulty in extricting himself. 

 While collecting in the marshes, a long, light 

 pole to sound the way with, is very useful. 

 When the young are fledged and able to lly 

 this bird leaves the reeds very early in the 

 morning, going inland to feed, and return- 

 ing to their former haunts at sun down. 

 Long-billed Marsh Wren, sot of five eggs 

 from a nest in the marsh hay, which grows 

 in abundance around/ the margin of the 



