THE OOLOGIST. 



195 



H;i\vk is a coninion resident. The 

 Sparro^v Hawk is a resident, but not 

 Si> eonimon as the Red-shouldered 

 Hawk. The Pigeon Hawk is seldom 

 seen. The Bald Eagle is not very eom- 

 nion. 



Tlie Black Vulture is a eomnion res- 

 ident, anil tlie Turkey Buzzard is 

 very eoiuniou. In fact, there is never 

 a day !)ut Avhat the lattei- may be 

 seen. 



Wild Tui'key. This line bird is common, 

 being met with in thick forests and 

 dense swamps. Resi<lent. 



The Bob-white is an abundant i-esi- 

 dent, and in walking over an old field 

 two or three gangs \\ill often he 

 Hushed. 



The Green Heron is common and 

 breeds. There is a herony near hei'e 

 that tAvo or three dozen eggs can be 

 collected in almost any day during the 

 breeding season. The Great Blue and 

 Snowy Herons are to be seen occasion- 

 ally. 



Loons are here in December and 

 January. 



J. W. P. Smitwick, 

 Sans Souci, N. C, 



Collecting in Western Florida. 



Seeing the exploits of so many col- 

 lectors recorded in the Oologist I ven- 

 ture to send the record of a little eol- 

 h^cting trip which my father and mj- 

 self took in Western P'lorida last win- 

 ter and hope it will not be to long for 

 your columns. March 20, started up 

 the Wakula river from St. Marks in a 

 leaky w^ater soaked boat, did not see 

 anything till we had gone nearly two 

 miles when I shot a Florida Cormorant: 

 Have three Ospi'ey nests but they were 

 all empty, save one which had young. 

 Shot a few^ Snakebirds, Gallinules and 

 "Gaters." 



March 31. Started for the Gulf Sliore 

 wiiere we camped iov the night. 



Marc'h 22. Turned out before sun- 



rise. Spent the wliole morning hunt- 

 ing Rails eggs withou4sueeess. When 

 I \(>nted my ill humor by shooting six 

 or seven Willets. Spent the aftenoon 

 in hunting for Vultures eggs. Shot a 

 few Snipe and Doves, and a Cormorant 

 wiuni I went to camp. Father and the 

 cracker wlio serAed as a guide came in 

 with an Egret and a dozen different 

 kinds of Herons. Spent tne (Mening in 

 making up skins. 



MarcJi 23. Went to a Cormorant 

 rookery, the nests were put in the top 

 of dead cypress trees and as I ha,(l not 

 any climbers I could not get to them. 

 While going through the pine woods I 

 found a Brown NTithatch nest with five 

 fresh eggs, it was placed in a dead 

 stump thirteen inches from the ground, 

 the nest w^as in plain view, the mouth 

 of the hole being four inches wide while 

 the cavity was scarcely six inches deep. 

 Shot a few Boat- tail Grakles and Fish 

 Crow's. Put in the afternoon sitting un- 

 der a Palmetto tree skinning birds. 



March 24. We fired the marsh to 

 day and shot the Rails as the flames 

 drove th,ein out of the dry weeds, we 

 shot four different peeies: Sora, King, 

 Clapper and "Louisiana Clapper Rail. 

 On the way to camp we saw a large 

 flock of White Ibis, I fired at them but 

 did not kill any. 



March 25. Went up the Wakula this 

 morning. Shot some Snake birds and 

 Little Blue Heron. Shot an Egret but 

 as it fell in the swamp we did not get 

 it. Saw an Alligator twelue feet long 

 and shot him through the head thriu' 

 times but did not get on. 



March 26. We reahed home to-daj', 

 well pleased with our ti'ip, so far as 

 eggs go it w^as a failure, but for bird 

 skins it was a grand success. 



Clarence A. Sjiith. 



A White Sparrow. 



"At Twelfth and Oxford streets yes- 

 terday f()ur groups of interested sight- 



