218 



THE OOLOGIST. 



clothed in mautles of moss and ferns, 

 bedecked Avith blooming flowers and 

 grasses in summer, o'erlning with 

 gigantic crystals of ice in winter, and 

 almost closed in by luxuriant vines and 

 vegetation throughout the year. To 

 add to this beautiful scene, the silence 

 is broken by the fall of water, dripping 

 here and pouring there, falliug on the 

 metallic fragments of rock like so many 

 little "Brownies" ringing bells. 



One only has to sit a few moments, 

 or perchance he is taking a bathe, when 

 he finds he has company in the form of 

 little Ruby-throated fairies. Their mis- 

 sion also, is to bathe, and their man- 

 ners are particularly interesting. The 

 first you know of one's presence is the 

 hum of wings, resounded by the semi- 

 circular walls, intermingled with the 

 sound of trickling water. In the 

 obscure • light, one is at a loss to known 

 where it is, 'til he has scanned the 

 whole scene over, and finds it perhaps, 

 in a few feet of him, poised under a 

 little stream of water, or, half flying 

 and half sitting on a bunch of sprayed 

 moss on the opposite side. This is a 

 sounding bell, so to speak, for one 

 can't tell where they are nor how near, 

 unless he sees them . A bird will come 

 in and view the whole structure before 

 bathing, and then will try many gprays 

 before finding one to suit. In taking 

 this sprinkle, the body is poised up- 

 right, Avith the bill verticle, turning 

 from side to side. One dip is never 

 enough, but it repeatedly retires to a 

 dead limb to ruffle and plume, and 

 darts away as suddenly as it; came; to 

 I'eturn, perhaps, the next day. I have 

 seen several here at a time, and all falls 

 on the Mt. are more or less frequented, 

 but this is the favorite place. Of 

 course they do not get under the larg- 

 est streams, but Avhere it is actually 

 streaming, and so hard, too, that I can 

 hardly bear it, as it falls 35 feet or 

 more. Where these falls cannot be 

 had access to, they bathe in the tree 



tops, in the morning dews and after 

 showers. 



"Arkansaw Hoosier," 



Clinton, Ark. 



Notes from Travis Co., Texas. 



The following taken from my note- 

 book, are some of the birds found 

 breeding here during the early months 

 of the breeding season, of this year 

 (1890). 



The first nest found on March 4th, 

 was that of the American CroAV, con- 

 taining five fresh eggs. It was situated 

 in a cedar tree twenty feet up. Also 

 found a nest of the Black Vulture, con- 

 taining two fresh eggs. Eggs laid on 

 the bare rock of a clift ten feet up. 



March 8th. Nest of Black Vulture 

 containing one egg, incubation ad- 

 vanced. Nest in a small cave, four feet 

 below entrance. 



March 2nd. Nest of Great Horned 

 Owl, containing three young about a 

 week old. They were covered with 

 white down all over, with large round 

 eyes and a long hooked bill. All taken 

 together, made them quite pretty. 



March 20th. Found nest of Texan 

 Screech Owl, three eggs slightly incu- 

 bated, eggs laid on bits of rotten wood 

 at bottom of a cavity in the decayed 

 trunk of a tree. 



March 23rd. American Barn Owl, 

 two eggs incubation advanced; eggs 

 laid at end of burrow in a bank, no 

 attempt at a nest having been made. 



March 29th. Two eggs of Black Vul- 

 ture, incubation begun; eggs laid on 

 bare rock in cavity of a clift" twenty feet 

 up. 



March 29th. Bluebird, five fresh 

 eggs. Nest in the deserted nest of 

 Woodpecker, in telephone pole fifteen 

 feet up, composed of grass, etc. 



April 3rd. Black-crested Titmouse, 

 five fresh eggs; nest in natural cavity 

 of China tree, not far from my window, 

 composed of cotton, avooI, paper, 

 feathers and other soft materials. 



