THE OOLOGIST. 



201 



pie and blue, lifting their gay heads 

 above the grasses in damp places, dis- 

 playing their beautifully colored petals. 

 Virginian anemones were growing in 

 the valleys in abundance, looking at a 

 distance like snow banks; wood-sorrel 

 and mallow, beard-tongue and rose, 

 and scores of others too numerous to 

 mention. Then to get some idea of the 

 world in which I was, add to this the 

 almost unceasing songs of birds reach- 

 ing the ear from all directions and dy- 

 ing away in the distance, none of 

 which excelled the ecstacy of the Lark 

 Bunting {Calamospiza melanocorys); 

 those full round mellow notes w^hich 

 fade into sweet cadences of indescrib- 

 able melody. 



While passing a pile of weed-stalks 

 which had been raked from a patch of 

 small trees or whips, a female Lark 

 Bunting evidently having just left her 

 nest, was noticed sitting on a sod a few 

 feet away. Desiring to secure a pic- 

 ture of nest and eggs of this species, I 

 lost no time in hunting up the nest, 

 which, as I had supposed, was placed 

 underneath the rakings, and being 

 placed about 6 inches from the edge 

 there was a nicely arched entrance, 

 which led to its immediate discovery. 



Although it was rather an unusual 

 nesting site, the nest Avas apparently 

 the same as other nests placed on the 

 grou.nd. In this instance a hollow 

 measuring four inches in diameter and 

 two in depth w^as excavated and lined 

 with "spear grass." [StijJa comata), 

 "gramma grass" {Boideloua oligostach- 

 yi'ci) and other grasses. The finished 

 nest measuring If inches in depth and 

 3i in diameter on the inside. 



The female was exceedingly tame 

 and watched operations from her 

 perch on a sod not two rods away, 

 while the male was contented with a 

 distant view, but I did not trouble 

 them long and after removing the par- 

 asitic eggs, left them without further 

 molestation. 



E. S. Cheney, 

 Pitrodie, S. D. 



The Flathead Field. 



It was my good fortune to become a 

 member of the preliminary engineering 

 party that was sent out by the Great 

 Northern Railroad Company into these 

 northern wilds in the early part of 

 February last, and a sore and advent- 

 urous time we had of it until winter 

 and snow left us in the latter part of 

 April. 



Being an enthusiast in the oological 

 line, I could not but be ou the watch 

 for early bird-arrivals, and on the 13th 

 of February, observed my first Robin 

 near Ravallie. Ravallie is the R. R. 

 station on the Northern Pacific road 

 where passengers leave by stage over 

 the Reservation, and via steamer on 

 the lake, reach Demersville which is at 

 the head of the valley and the only set- 

 tlement of consequence in it. 



Let me inform the collector that this 

 is an entirely new field and, I believe, 

 very rich in oological specimens. I 

 was prevented from doing much col- 

 lecting, as my work was of that kind 

 which keeps one busily engaged from 

 early until late; consequently my cabi- 

 net has not been enriched to the full 

 extent that I w^ould wish. 



The most common birds that breed 

 here, and from many of which I col- 

 lected eggs, are 'as follows: Olive- 

 backed Thrush, Catbird, Robin, Stel- 

 ler's Jay, Canada Jay, Hairy Wood- 

 pecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red- 

 shafted Flicker, Rufus Hummingbird, 

 Vireos, Warblers, Flycatchers, Chicka- 

 dees, Water Thrush, Snowbirds, 

 Finches, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mag- 

 pie, Canada, Ruffed, Sharp-tailed, 

 Dusky and Pinnated Grouse, Red-head, 

 Mallard, Blue-winged and Cinnamon 

 Teal, Pintail, and many other varieties 

 of Ducks. The Hooded Sheldrake is 

 quite common, also Snipe, Plover, Cur- 

 lew, Loons and Sand-hill Cranes, Owls, 

 Buzzards, Hawks and Eagles. 



Ravens and Clarke's Nutcracker ai'e 



