36 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



There is a fixed belief that the god who makes his home in this tree 

 would be very angry if a person would intrude upon his rights to the 

 extent of climbing into his home. This superstition has protected 

 these herons to the extent that they nest yearly by the hundreds in cer- 

 tain of the many massive banyans overhanging the busy streets. 



MYIARCHUS CRINITUS AS A POLYGAMIST. 



While walking through an orchard one day, June 5, 1902, I came 



upon the nest of a crested flycatcher. It was built in the hollow of a 



decayed branch of an apple tree and was made of dried grass, some 



hair and a few feathers. It did not contain any snakeskin as they 



often do. The nest contained ten fresh eggs, five of which were very 



light and thinly marked, while the other five were heavily blotched, 



which undoubtedly proves that two females occupied the nest. There 



were only two birds in the vicinity but the other may have been away. 



As I was unable to again visit the nest I do not know how things 



turned out. Have read of a few similar cases but this is the first that 



came to my notice. 



William Wilkoviski, Mich. 



A ROBIN TRAGEDY. 



By Leandek S. Keyseb. 

 Author of "Birds of the Rockies," "In Bird Land," etc. 



One day I found a robin's nest in a thick hedge fence. About two 

 weeks later a fellow bird-lover and I were passing that way, and I 

 desired to show him the nest thinking it might present something out 

 of the common for his camera. And sure enough, it did — something 

 quite unexpected and tragical. 



As we came to the place and peered into the hedge, each of us gave 

 vent to an outburst of consternation, for there the robin hung, having 

 been caught on a vicious thorn in the skin of its throat. A horizontal 

 branch ran above the nest a few inches, on the upper side of which was 

 a thorn pointing straight upward. In some way the poor bird had got 

 caught on the thorn, which had penetrated clear through a fold of the 

 skin of the throat, so that the sharp point stuck out on the other side. 

 Her tail and feet were hidden behind the walls of the nest over which 

 she was suspended. 



One blue egg lay in the cup of the nest. When broken, it showed no 

 signs of incubation having been begun. My companion cut away a 

 few of the intervening branches, and photographed the poor bird and 

 its nest. 



How the disaster occurred can only be surmised. It is probable 

 that the robin was driven by an enemy and sought refuge in the hedge, 



