TOPOGEAPHICAL OOLOGY. 



February "Prize Story" No. I. 



I have made many excursions in the 

 spring-time in search of eggs and with 

 varying success, but many of my best 

 specimens have been secured -while busy 

 at my work, and in this sketch I will 

 speak of some of my discoveries while 

 engaged in the topographical survey of a 

 160 acre tract hi the outskirts of the city, 

 which contained within its limits the vary- 

 ing features of swamp and highland, 

 tangled thicket, open grove and grassy 

 held. 



One of the first nests found that spring 

 was that of a Broad- winged Hawk, which 

 was built in a large oak about 20 feet from 

 the ground. It was watched carefully 

 until two eggs were laid, when fearing 

 that some other collector might secure 

 them, I devised a scheme to take them 

 and still encourage the old bird to com- 

 plete the set. One of the rodmen was 

 sent to a neighboring farm-house to get a 

 couple of hen's eggs, which, by a liberal 

 rubbing in the dirt, were brought to 

 somewhat resemble the genuine eggs, 

 although a little larger, and then the ex- 

 change was made, and my collection was 

 the richer by a set of Broad-winged 

 Hawk's eggs. To my disappointment how- 

 ever, the bird did not lay any more but 

 commencad incubating, which was faith- 

 fully attended to for several days, until, 

 on visiting the nest one day I found that 

 some one had secured both the eggs and 

 bird; so doubtless some collector is re- 

 joicing in a unique set of eggs, which 

 there can be no doubt about, for were 

 they not identified by shooting the bird? 



The next nest was that of a Cooper's 

 Hawk, in a thicket of oaks, about 15 fee^ 

 high. After incubation had apparently 

 commenced the hawk was shot as she 

 left the nest, and the two eggs it con- 

 tained, secured. As the bird was only 

 winged she was taken home and put in a 

 box, and to our surprise it was found in 

 the morning that she had deposited an- 

 other egg in the box, which was soon with 



the others in my cabinet. It was hoped 

 that the hawk might be tamed, and as she 

 could not fly she was allowed some lib- 

 erty, but a neighbor's cat meeting her at 

 an unlucky moment poor "accipiter" suc- 

 cumbed to the inevitable. 



In one of the little "sloughs" as we call 

 them, a Bittern had evidently taken up 

 its abode, and much curiosity was felt as 

 to the location of its home. One day as I 

 was running a line near by, something ap- 

 parently very snake-like in the center of 

 the slough, caught my eye, and turning 

 the telescope of my instrument upon it I 

 found it was the head and neck of the 

 Bittern, watching our movements. A 

 short wade through the shallow water 

 and up she flew, disclosing her treasure, 

 in this case three drab colored eggs, about 

 the size of a Guinea-fowl's. I think in 

 the matter of rich though quiet coloring, 

 both in its plumage and its eggs, this bird 

 cannot be surpassed by any of our com- 

 mon birds, but when it comes to its "song," 

 what a shock it is to our sensibilities. 



By the way, did you ever see a Bittern 

 while engaged in its serenade? It is a 

 ludicrous performance. One favored me 

 with it once within easy range of my tel- 

 escope. After standing in a meditative 

 position for some time it would slowly 

 raise its head and stretch up its neck till 

 its bill pointed nearly straight upwards, 

 when it commenced by several times open- 

 ing and shutting its big beak with a snap 

 that was plainly heard, though 500 or 600 

 feet distant; it then uttered the character- 

 istic notes from which it takes its com- 

 mon name of "stake-driver" or "thunder- 

 pumper" and truly it seems much like 

 pumping, for each syllable seems to orig- 

 inate deep in the interior* of the bird and 

 to be ejected only with the greatest mus- 

 cular exertion, puffing out its feathers and 

 working its long neck up and down, as if 

 choking to death. After a short season 

 of meditation to recuperate its strength, 

 the performance is again repeated, and 

 doubtless to its mate, engaged in her ma- 

 ternal duties, it is the sweetest of music. 







