182 



THE OOLOGIST. 



prised to find an egg, perfectly formed, 

 witliin tlie one I broke. The egg is 

 almost round, about 1. x 1. in. This is 

 the second case of the kind in ni^' ex- 

 perience I have one egg in my collec- 

 tion which I procured several years 

 ago, from the inside of another egg, 

 which is about the size of a buck shot, 

 and as round. The two, which I now 

 have in my collection, and one other, 

 are the only instances of the kind of 

 which I have ever heard. It eclipses, 

 double yolk and runt eggs. I would 

 like to hear from collectors and observ- 

 ors whether this peculiar formation has 

 been noticed by others? 



Oar Question Box. 

 Cierles to be aasw ered In these columns should 

 be written on a Dostol or slip ot paper— never inlx 

 them In your letter wlwn writing about o her 

 matters. 



M. H., Warren Heights, O.— Your 

 bird with black head, back, breast and 

 beak; black wings with white on terti- 

 ary quills and primaries; having white 

 in the outer Avebs of the outer tail 

 feathers, reddish-brown or chestnut on 

 the sides under the wings, and red iris; 

 is the Chewink or Towhee. 



C. H. M., Pittsliekl, Me.— l: Your 

 covered nest of grass and hair found on 

 the ground, with white eggs spotted 

 Avith red and lilac, the bird being olive- 

 brown with Avhite-streaked breast and 

 golden crown, is doubtless the Golden- 

 crowned Thrush or Oven-Bird. ■ 



2. The "books" say that the Hud- 

 sonian Chickadee breeds from North- 

 ex"n NeAV England northward. Does 

 anyone know of its breeding in Maine? 



3. Davies' says the White-bellied 

 Nuthatch not infrequentlj^ raises two 

 broods in a season. He says the sa*iie 

 thing in regard to some of the Chicka- 

 dees and Titmice. 



G. A., Intervale, N. H.— Your de- 

 scription of a bird six inches long, 

 with black head and breast, slaty back 

 and wings, and abdomen white; re- 

 minds us of the Slate-Colored Junco. 



M. Van W., Gretna, N. Y.— 1. Your 

 bird seven inches long, light-brown 

 above and white tinged Avith buff 

 beneath, Avith broAvn-spotted breast, 

 laying four blue eggs; nest in a berry 



l)ush, three feet from the ground; is 

 like the Wilson's Thrush. 



2. The Ruby-throated Humming- 

 bird is the only Hummingl)ird found in 

 New York State. 



3. Your nest similar to that of the 

 American G()ldtin(.'h, the eggs l)eing 

 about .69 X .50, white tinged Avith blue,, 

 spotted and blotched Avith brown and 

 lavender; may be that of the Yellow 

 Warbler. 



A. D., West Point, Miss.— A mere de- 

 scription of an egg, Avithout any infor- 

 mation concerning either the nest or 

 bird, is never sufficient data to name 

 the owner. Consequently Ave cannot 

 answer your queries. 



F. S. W., Taftsville, Vt.— Your small 

 Woodpecker, spotted and striped Avith 

 black and Avhite, is the Downy Wood- 

 pecker. The one similar in plumage 

 but larger in size is the Hairy Wood- 

 pecker. 



L. B., Raleigh, N. C— 1. Cannot tell 

 from your description. 



2. Your nest may be of the YelloAv 

 Warbler. The Carolina Chickadee 

 nests in holes in trees. 



3. The nest of the Carolina Wren is 

 a coarse structure made of strips of 

 corn-stalks, grasses, hay and leaves, 

 Avith an intermixture of the silk of 

 corn; the lining is of chicken feathers, 

 tine, dry grasses, and horse hair. It is 

 placed in holes in trees, or in Avood- 

 piles, and in Ioav bushes; sometimes in 

 the nook or corner of a barn; occasion- 

 ally in bird-boxes; often XHider an ac- 

 cumulation of brush-Avood. Sometimes 

 the nests are arched over or dome- 

 shaped, the opening being only lai'ge 

 enough to admit the bird. 



W. E. A., Benson, Vt.— 1. The de- 

 scription you giAe Avill apply very accu- 

 rately to any number of different birds. 



2. and 3. See ansAver to A. D's query 

 in this column. 



O. M. S-.,WhiteAvater, Wis. says:— "I 

 should like to ask of those whose exper- 

 ience in taxidermy has been greater 

 than mine, what they do to rid the skin 

 of the A^ermin with Avhich they abound? 

 I dislike them much." Who will tell 

 him? 



