THE OOLOGIST'S EXCHANGE. 



Vol. 1. 



AUSTIN, ILL., MAY, 1888. 



No. 5. 



2he It hite-rumped Shrike. 



Do they lay more than one set during 

 the season, if left alone ? 



May 2nd 1886, I discovered a nest of 

 the White-rumped Shrike in a wild grape 

 vine, abont 20 feet from the ground, with 

 5 fresh eggs, which are in my cabinet to- 

 day. May 16th found another nest in a 

 thorn-apple tree, 7 feet from the ground, 

 and about 75 feet from the grape vine, 

 with 5 fresh eggs, which I took. May 

 26th I was surprised to find another, in 

 an apple-tree, not over 150 feet from the 

 thorn-apple tree, and secured 5 more 

 fresh eggs, 15 in all; and I am positive, 

 there was only the one pair of Shrikes in 

 that locality. To make doubly sure, the 

 following season I was very particular to 

 watch Mr. and Mrs. Shrike; the conse- 

 quence was, — April 24th, 1887, nest in a 

 thorn-apple tree, 5 feet from the ground, 

 7 eggs ? incubation just begun. May 11th 

 in the same tree, at the same height from 

 the ground, and just one foot from the first 

 nest, another with 5 fresh eggs. About 

 May 22nd, not 200 feet distant, I found a 

 third, with 4 eggs, which I left. 



The day I found the set of 7 it rained 

 very hard, so the female cuddled low in 

 the nest and did not hear my approach, 

 and I caught her with ease. — Zach Tay- 

 lor, Dunkirk, N. Y. 



— Chimney-swallows arrived here in 

 considerable numbers on April 26. 



— Our double number of last month 

 was- a decided success and we are only 

 sorry every number cannot be a double 

 one. 



— In some parts of Germany earthern 

 pots are hung on the sides of the houses 

 for the accommodation of the sparrows, 

 the intention being to eat the young. 



2 he Sparrow jig a in. 



During the summer of 1886 1 kept an 

 account of the eggs I took from several 

 English Sparrows' nests. From a nest in 

 a box on a wind-mill I took seven sets of 

 five eggs each. These were taken April 

 28, May 8, 18, 28, June 7, 17, and 28. 



From my records I made statistics and 

 found that if a set be taken as soon as 

 it is completed, in ten days there will be 

 another complete set. I found a few sets 

 of^six eggs each, but five was the usual 

 number. 



I think there are very few birds that 

 would continue to lay in the same nest 

 after two sets had been taken. How can 

 we expect to drive out such an obstinate 

 bird, unless the law, or some equally per- 

 suasive institution takes hold and makes 

 the work of extermination move? — Chas. 

 W. Eoot, Ann Arbor, Mich. 



-—Dr. J. W. Velie has not yet returned 

 from his Southern collecting trip. He 

 don't know what fine weather he is missing. 



— If the price of powder advances as 

 much in the next twelve months as it has 

 in the past twelve, this country will have 

 no need of game laws. 



— Le Vaillant records finding in the 

 stomach of a secretary bird eleven rather 

 large lizards, eleven small tortoises, a 

 great number of insects nearly entire and 

 three snakes as thick as a man's arm. 



—We can congratulate Mr. Lattin on 

 the good judgment he has shown in adopt- 

 ing our method of awarding prizes for 

 original articles on Ornithological and 

 kindred subjects. He will find this a 

 good scheme and the interest of the 

 readers of the "Oologist" will increase a 

 dozen fold. 







