THE NIDIOLOGIST 



■5 



VOUNG WOOD PEWEES (CotltOpUS vircns) AND NEST. 

 (Taken from living specimens by the author.) 



Danby's Junco is very common in Custer and 

 other towns in these Hills; it comes about the 

 houses as familiarly as the Chipping Sparrow. 



I congratulate you upon the neat appearance 

 and interesting contents of your periodical, 

 wishing it all the success it so well merits. But 

 I have never been able to understand why you 

 named it Nidiologist, instead of "Nidologist;" 

 and as others besides myself are inclined to 

 criticise the apparently superfluous /, perhaps 

 you can enlighten us. 



With regards and best wishes, 



Cordially yours, 



Elliott Coues. 



Sylvan Lake, S. Dak., September i6, 1895. 



Little Bits. 



A SCIENTIFIC Wood Thrush, one who 

 made a nest and fastened data to it! 

 This sounds apocryphal, but I am 

 willing to supply a William Henry affidavit to 

 the case, for I found the nest at Nyack-on-the- 

 Hudson this year. It is well known that the 

 Wood Thrush has a habit of weaving in a con- 

 spicuous piece of paper in the composition of 

 its nest. The one I refer to as supplied with 

 data contained an envelope postmarked, " New 

 York, May 7, 1895." Judging from the time 

 I found the nest, then just completed, the en- 

 velope must have been picked up a day or two 

 after it was stamped, and thus furnished a fairly 



