OOLOGIST'S EXCHANGE 



On March 28, 1888, with a friend, I 

 visited one of their breeding places. It 

 was an Island covered with bushes, in 

 the center of a large lake. 



An island I call it but it was more of 

 a bog for it would not bear a man's 

 weight upon it. As we approached, the 

 Herons could be seen sitting on their 

 nests in the bushes looking at first with 

 one eye and then with the other, but 

 they soon took flight and, rising in the 

 air circled above us uttering their loud 

 "croak, croak." The water was so 

 shallow that we could get the boat no 

 closer than about forty yards of the 

 bushes. Now there seemed only one 

 way to get to the nests, that was to wade. 

 But how could we wade and the bottom 

 so boggy ? 



Thus we pondered until a bright 

 thought struck me and I said "let's 

 walk on the oars." This we tried and 

 soon found that by standing on one 

 oar while we took up the one from be-' 

 hind and placed it in front, in the 

 meantime balancing ourselves with a 

 paddle and gun, that we could get along 

 very well. In this tedious way we 

 reached the first nest, where two young 

 birds about a week old stood gazing at 

 us in amazement. 



The second nest examined contained 

 three beautiful light bluish-green eggs, 

 a little smaller than that of a common 

 hen, which we left. The nests were 

 composed of large sticks and twigs, 

 placed in bnshes averaging from three 

 to six feet from the ground. 



Several other nests were examined, 

 all of which contained eggs nearly ready 

 to hatch. Over farther could be seen 

 nests with eggs in, but being there 

 simply to study and not depopulate the 

 colony we did not go to them. On ex- 

 amining one of the young birds we 

 found that it was covered with a snow- 

 white down, while its skin was green. 



Of all the ugly young birds I have 

 ever seen it was the ugliest. 



We then returned to the boat and in 

 an hour's pull were back at camp again. 

 Although we did not collect any eggs, 

 we gathered much valuable information. 



Archer, Florida, April 24, 1889. 



Florida Birds No. 2. 

 by F. C. Baker. 



At an early hour I was up and attend- 

 ing to the traps in two of which I found 

 possums. 



After breakfast, Mr. Latham and my- 

 self started for the north Savanna after 

 ducks. Walking along a trail for about 

 a mile and a half, we arrived at the 

 Savanna. Mr. Latham climbed a tree, 

 and upon descending reported ducks in 

 a pond just ahead of us. 



We proceeded along very carefully 

 toward them. The water was deep and 

 cold- and to add to our misery it com- 

 menced to rain, and pretty soon it came 

 down in torrents. Just as we thought 

 we had a big pot of ducks, the whole 

 flock rose and disappeared behind a 

 patch of woods to the north. I heard . 

 Mr. L. offering up a prayer for the 

 ducks in this wise. "Blank blank 

 those blanked long-necked sons-of-guns 

 to blankety blank." Mr. L. continued 

 " Those ducks have gone to a lake about 

 half a mile from here, and we will most 

 likely get a shot at them there. " I said 

 ' ' all right " and we started and after 

 wading through marshes and crossing 

 creeks and ponds we at last arrived in 

 the vicinity of the ducks. Latham 

 moved forward a few steps and beck- 

 oned to me. Approaching I saw through 

 the bashes a large flock of Pintail ducks. 

 (Dafila acuta.) We both selected good 

 positions and fired ; when the smoke 

 cleared away there were five ducks 

 lying dead upon the water. We had 

 hardly picked them up when the word 

 was "sit down, quickly, here comes a 

 big flock of teal." As they sailed over 

 us we gave them the benefit of two bar- 

 rels, and three birds dropped ; so did 

 I, for the recoil of the gun had sent me 

 over backwards and I sat down in a 

 pool of water. I got up a sadder and 

 a wetter man. We picked up our birds 

 which proved to be blue-winged teal 

 (Anas discors) and started upon our 

 return. On our way back Mr. L. shot 

 a fine specimen of the Florida Crow 

 ( Corvus americanus floridanus). 

 Providence, K. I., June 24, 1889. 



We hear of a domesticated Blue Jay 

 at Tenafly, N. J. Though unconfined 

 he refuses to leave the premises. 



A parrot has been a pet in a Nyack, 

 N. Y. family for thirty -five years. 



A winter wren was observed in Rock- 

 land Co. N. Y., July 4, 18b9. 



