AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 399 



After a little she left the tree and sailed out across the meadow, alight- 

 ing on a weed that swayed to and fro and with weight. 



Here she assumed the same nervous attitude and manner as before but 

 only for a moment when she dropped lightly into the grass. A quarter 

 of an hour later I flushed her in that very spot, and, on examining the 

 grass, soon located the doorway to her nest, a veritable little bower, 

 and one of the finest specimens of bird architecture it was my pleasure 

 to behold. I had thought the first nest a good one but it was as no 

 nest at all when compared with this one. The door was concealed and 

 gave entrance to a little room four or five inches in diameter, and ten 

 inches long, at the back of which reposed five eggs which detracted 

 none from the beauty of the little home. It is probable that the birds 

 in concealing this nest with such pains did so thinking to avoid a re- 

 petition of the first sad accident. 



OLD FRIENDS FAR FROM HOME 



By Chas E. Ingalls. 



Previous to the Klondike gold excitement, very little was known of 

 the animal life of Alaska, and especially of that portion of it bordering 

 on Behring Sea and the great interior drained by the mighty Yukon 

 river. Many surprises awaited those who were the first to spy out the 

 land with eyes trained in the school of observation. 



The bird life especially, was very abundant and interesting. Forms 

 new and strange to eastern eyes coming under observation almost con- 

 stantly. The observer was ever expecting strange sights, and expec- 

 tations were being coined into realizations at almost every turn and 

 Coues Key was always close at hand and in demand constantly. 



Personally I can say the most pleasant surprise of all was experienc- 

 ed as I first stepped ashore at St. Michael's on a pleasant July morn- 

 ing. 



I saw a flash of feathery light before my face that seemed strangely 

 familiar. I stayed and tried to follow it with my eyes but it had gone 

 behind a building and I turned my attention to the strange beings more 

 or less human who formed one of the rarest exhibitions of types of the 

 genus ho7no ever brought together by that most powerful of all agen- 

 cies for good or evil-gold. But again that strange but familiar sprite 

 claimed my attention and the other wonderful features ethnological, en- 

 tomological and zoological of the unique gathering were all forgotten 

 in the stronger attraction exercised by a Barn Swallow — yes, it was 



