130 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Fasten the works to a small block to 

 keep them from jumping about when in 

 operation. Now get an old tin can and cut 

 two strips from it about an inch long and 

 not quite a quarter wide, and punch a hole 

 in them near the end as large as the hole in 

 the phiion which turns the hands. 



Fasten the strips of tin one on each side 

 of the pinion by pacing a pin through the 

 holes and bending it down to keep it in 

 place. 



The whole thing may be covered with a 

 neat box (take an old cigar box and cut it 

 down to fit the works), allowing the pinion 

 to project through a hole made for ihe pur- 

 pose, cut another hole in it to put the key 

 in to wind it up with. The cover may also 

 be stained and varnished. The drills may 

 be made from a piece of steel, or, bet- 

 ter still, Lattin's short handle cheap drill 

 No. 4, 21-100 in. 



To operate the machine, fasten the drill 

 on the pinion by placing it between the 

 two pieces of tin and wrapping it then 

 securely together with thread or tine wire— 

 coi^per is the best. Then wind up the 

 spring and press the egg to be drilled, 

 lightly but firmly, against the revolving drill. 



To make a "patent " stop— take a piece 

 of wood and cut a hole in the cover, and 

 stick the piece of wood in the cogs of the 

 wheels ; upon taking out the wood the drill 

 will continue to revolve until run 

 down. 



Fbed W. Stack, 



Po'keepsie, N. Y. 



Arkansas Notes. 



Bird life in this section has been quite 

 busy for some time. Many are just arriv- 

 ing, some have gone, and numbers have yet 

 to come and gladden us with their song. 

 Building is in order with quite a number of 

 the earlier species, while a few have com- 

 pleted their oological collections for the year 

 and such as Hawks, Owls, Vultures, and 

 Pileated Woodpeckers are ready to hatch. 



My collecting this year is headed by an 

 "April Fool". I had been watching a 

 Downy Woodpecker's nest for some time 

 when, on the 1st of April, happening by the 



tree, a large black oak, I thought I would 

 get the eggs then and save another trip. 'So 

 np the tree I went, without climbers, hatch- 

 et or saw. I cnt a limb with my knife to 

 pry with, and after half an hours hard work 

 the hole was opened to the bottom, only td 

 disclose an empty nest. I descended, re- 

 solved not to be so hasty next time. My 

 first set, April 2d, was that of five Pewee 

 eggs, one of which was dotted with specks 

 of ciunamon. As it is invariably the (•a^e 

 in this locality the Pewee builds under clifEs 

 and in the mouth of caves. The nest was 

 of the usual material, mud, moss, grass, 

 leaves and fine strips of baik. 



Blue bird, April 4th. Five bluish green 

 eggs. Nest was jjlaced in a black gum 

 stumxi one foot from the ground and was 

 made entirely of grass, leaves and stems. I 

 -look for the Blue bird to build on the 

 ground next. This find calls to mind an 

 inst. of a Grass Finch, which was placed on 

 the top of a stack of timothy hay, in 1886. 

 I have no ex cuse for the Blue bird, but the 

 sparrow eridently built high to avoid the 

 ^he'water on the ground in that wet season- 

 The nestjhad four young birds iu it, wihch fur- 

 nished ample proof. Was not tJi at reason? 

 Ap.6.Two sets of Pewee,tive eggs each;and a 

 partial set of three Downy Woodpeck- 

 ers. Last year common Red-heads were 

 thick, but not one is here this year. 



First Whip-poor-will here, April 4th; 

 Summer Red Bird, April 7th; Scarlet Tau- 

 iger, April 8th: 151ack and White Creeper, 

 March l-5th; Brown Creeper, March 2Bth ; 

 Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, March 17th; Wild 

 Geese, 20-21 of March. Robins do not sing 

 here; they nest thirty miles north. 



"Aekansas Hoosiee." 

 Clinton, Ark. April 28, 'S9. 



A Goldfinch in Confinement, and 

 Other Items. 



There arc many instances of keeping wild 

 birds that have been taken from the nest, 

 and I have a bird which I caught full grown. 

 It is a male specimen of the Goldfinch, 

 which had its wing broken. I picked it up 



