81 



IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



tree which had been bent in some 

 way so as to be nearly horizontal 

 in its last ten feet. This nest was 

 nearly 20 feet from the gronnd. 

 This is the greatest height at 

 which I have found nests of this 

 bird, the usual height being from 

 4 to 10 feet. 



The nesting season begins 

 about the first of June, or possi- 

 bly a few days earlier, and fresh 

 eggs are to be found from that 

 time until about June 25. 



In size and composition the 

 nests are variable, but the gen- 

 eral style of architecture remains 

 the same. One of our prominent 

 writers describes the nest as "a 

 light hammock swung between 

 two forks." The body of the 

 nest is formed principally of dry 

 grass stems and catkins, bound 

 together with spider-webs, and 

 adorned with the ever present 

 pendant grasses. One particu- 

 larly beautiful nest was composed 

 almost entirely of catkins from 

 the oak tree, and was a model of 

 grace and elegance. Generally, 

 however, the neat appearance of 

 the body of the nest is offset by a 

 trimming of long grasses, giving 

 it the appearance, as some one 

 has said, not of a nest, but of the 

 "remainder of a load of hay." 



The number of eggs in a set is 

 from 2 to 4, but I have always 

 found 3 eggs to constitute a com- 

 plete set. In size, they are some- 

 what larger than those of Traill's 



Flycatcher, averaging a. b o u t 

 .73x.53. The ground color is yel- 

 lowish buff, while the markings 

 are dark brown in color, and gen- 

 erally are distinct in outline, and 

 not blotched as is sometimes the 

 case with the eggs of ty^ailli. A 

 series of eggs of acadicus does 

 not exhibit a very great varia- 

 tion. 



Although the Acadian Fly- 

 catcher possesses man}" points in 

 common with other members of 

 Tyrannidae, it is a bird of marked 

 individuality and is worthy of 

 careful study. 



But it is only one among hun- 

 dreds of others of our oirds, and 

 when we remember that the birds 

 form but a small part of the ani- 

 mate creation, and that the ani- 

 mate creation is only a super- 

 structure, based on the great in- 

 animate, we are led to exclaim. 

 O Nature I how deep is thy mys- 

 tery ! 



The Northern Shrike (Lani- 

 us borealis) in Jack- 

 son Co. 



BY H. J. GIDDINGS, SABULA. 



rilHIS bird, a wolf in sheep's 

 J_ clothing, is one of our most 

 attractive winter visitants, being 

 both pleasing to the eye and at 

 times a beautiful singer, 1 say at 

 times because it seldom favors us 

 with a real song. Early in the 



