72 



THE OOLOaiST. 



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B. H. B., Cedar Rapids, la. antl 

 "Others-. — It is almost impossible, except 

 in some striking instances, to identify 

 nest and eggs without some description 

 ^)f the bird. 



G. H. G., Baltimore, Md.— The nest 

 and eggs you describe are those of the 

 Indigo Bunting. The female Indigo 

 Bird is of a general brownish color 

 throughout. 



F. C. S., Baltimore, Md. — Your nest 

 found in a eavitj' of an oak containing 

 five eggs spotted with pinkish is un- 

 doubtedly that of the White- breasted 

 Nuthatch. 



F. H. D., Fayville, Mass. — Can hardly 

 identify your nests from descriptions. 

 Think No. 1, is English Sparrow. 

 Would not be surprised to hear of this 

 bird nesting anywhere. 



A. W. H., San Jose, Cal. — The bird 

 ■called "Linnet" in your locality, and 

 described by you is probably the House 

 Finch (Ridgw. No. 170.) 



F. C. H., Whitby, Ont.— The 'M?</fc" 

 is published quarterly in New York 

 ■City and is the organ oftheA. O.U. 

 The subscription price is $3 per annum, 

 sample copies 75 cents. 



The ''Ornithologist and OologisV is 

 published monthly at Boston at $1 per 

 year. 



We will take subscriptions for either. 



H. G. P., Cazenovia, N. Y.— The 

 Woodpeckers frequently excavate in 

 trees in winter for the purpose of pro- 

 viding places of shelter for themselves. 



Stray Feathers. 



Mr. Geo. H. Gray, of Baltimore, gives 

 an account of several queer nesting 

 occurrences, the most intetesting of 

 which is in regard to a Chipping Spar- 

 row which built its nest in a pear tree 

 when the fruit was young. As the fruit 

 grew, one of the pears protruded itself 

 into the nest and broke the eggs into 

 bits. He also writes of a House Wren 

 which built its nest in tlie nest of a 

 Barn Swallow. 



Mr. V. N. Marsh, of Mt. Union, O., 

 relates a novel incident in connection 

 with a Woodcock. He writes: — "About 

 seven o'clock the other evening, a 

 Woodcock flew into town and ilew 

 straight against the electric light in the 

 square, and was instantly killed. I 

 never before knew of a Woodcock com- 

 ing into a town." 



We feel a smile coming unconsciously 

 over our features as we read the inquiry 

 of one of our correspondents, wishing 

 information concerning the •'habits and 

 plumage of the 'Gopher'." For his en- 

 lightenment we would say that the 

 "Gopher" (whose eggs are listed in our 

 catalogues) is a turtle of the Southern 

 States. 



Another simple contrivance for secur- 

 ing eggs from excavations in trees 

 without tearing away the nest is brought 

 out by J. W. Mykrantz of Paola, Kan- 

 sas, who writes:— -"A friend of mine 

 obtained a fine set of eggs of the Screech 

 Owl from a difticult nest without de- 

 stroying the hole by taking a small 

 hickory stick and bending it to fit the 

 hole. Around' one end of the stick he 

 tied a ball of cloth, over which Avas a 

 thick coating of liquid glue; and he 

 drew the eggs out safely." 



A. B. Grindell. of Plattsville, Wiscon- 

 sin, writes that there have been a great 

 many Snowy Owls shipped into that 

 place this season for sale. 



J. H. Fisher, Jr., of Baltimore, Md., 

 reports having taken last season a nest 

 of the Rough-winged Swallow contain- 

 ing four eggs, from a ledge underneath 

 an iron railroad bridge almost over the 

 middle of the streairi and a few feet 

 from the water, a rather unusual place 

 for the nest. 



Under date of February 27th, Mr. F. 

 Jones, of Martin's Ferry, O., wi'ites us 

 that Robins and Bluebirds are building. 



