THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND BOTANI&T. 



I have observed nests of the Orcliard 

 Oriole, Icterus Spurius, to be blowu 

 bodily from their fastenings in a slight 

 wind, when they would be rebuilt by 

 the architects and so strongly interwoven 

 and fastened as to brave the strongest 

 wind. I have also observed nests of this 

 species to have one side broken loose in 

 a storm or otherwise and the birds 

 would take string or other material and 

 fasten it back tying it around many 

 twigs and limbs in such a manner as to 

 make it safe. 



Why is it that the American Magpie, 

 Picapica hudsonica, a bird whose every 

 nest would be destroyed if it could be 

 reached, build in thorn trees so thickly 

 studded with thorns as to be devoid of 

 climbing? Is not some reason shown 

 for this? 



The Magpie seemingly recognizes 

 from its depredations and many robber- 

 ies etc., that it is an object of enmity to 

 humanity. 



Birds have all the senses of man, 

 hearing, smelling, seeing, feeling, tast- 

 ing, and many species have these senses 

 wonderfully sharpened, then why is it 

 not reasonable to suppose them endow- 

 ed with reason ? Are we not as observ- 

 ers of bird life convinced that the 

 feathered tribe have powers of commun- 

 icating from one to another, as an example 

 of this it has been related by an author 

 that one morning a certain community 

 in Philadelphia was suddenly filled to 

 overflowing with Crows, Corvus Ameri- 

 canus, no noise had been made and no 

 purpose was manifested in this great 

 gathering of Crows; a "few Crows, prob- 

 ally leaders, glided quietly among them 



uttering a few caws, when suddenly the 

 the whole flock rose en masse and made 

 off as noiselessly and mysteriously as 

 they came. 



It must have been reason prompt- 

 ed the parrot in this incident to resort 

 to the following stragem to save himself 

 from drowning. A parrot, owned by 

 king Henry IV. of England, one day 

 fell into the Thames Eiver, whereupon 

 it immediately cried out, "a boat, a 

 boat. £20 to save me," a poor man 

 passing by supposed a person was drown- 

 ing, so jumping into a neighboring 

 yawl he rowed out to the deplorable 

 parrot and on finding it belonged to the 

 king, carried it to him and demanded 

 the reward which was paid with good 

 grace. 



I once saw a Pigeon Hawk. Falco 

 Columbarius, sieze and kill a domestic 

 pigeon, which it was unable to transport ^ 

 to its democile when it immediately'! 

 commenced stripping the pigeon of its 

 feathers and removing almost all the 

 the feathers was able by great exertion, 

 to carry the pigeon away. 



I would like to hear from other bird 

 observers upon the subject. 



AN APRIL WALK. 



W. II. MC NAIRN. TOEKONTO. CAN. 



The sun of this mid- April morning,', j 

 by its warm and invigorating rays, | 

 seemed to call on all animated nature"" i 

 to rejoice at the advent of spring. 

 Gladly accepting this gentle invitation, 

 my friend any myself attired in our 

 oldest, with heavy boots and leggings ' 

 and bags started out for a mornings j 

 walk. Everybody was uproriously hap- 



Ji 



