THE NIDOLOGIST ; 87 
grees. Our city was a village when these ob- 
servations began, but now contains a population 
of about twenty-five thousand inhabitants, yet 
within the bounds of a lot, five by twelve rods 
in size, I have recorded one hundred and thirty- 
four species of birds and have known of nine- 
teen species nesting. A list with notes will be 
found published in the Forest and Stream, 
August 11, 1892. 
In the front yard in our lot is a low spread- 
ing burr oak, and in its branches I have at 
various times seen sixty-four species of birds 
and found three to nest there. This list with 
notes will be found in Sczence, New York, of 
issue October 27, 1893. 
As a boy I kept up a system of observations 
on the zoology and botany of our sixty square 
rods of territory, and the list, if published with 
annotations complete, would fill a good-sized 
book. This information is offered to those 
whose chances of observation are curtailed, and 
the stggestion is made that anyone, in any 
place, and at any time, may take observations 
and find food for reflection concerning the 
animal and vegetable kingdoms. 
Morris GIBps. 
oe 
A Reverie. 
(WRITTEN FOR THE NIDOLOGIST.) 
I’M a dreamin’, just a dreamin’, 
Of the winter that is done ; 
Of the old nests and the Owl’s eggs, 
And the other treasures won. 
I’m a thinkin’, just a thinkin’, 
Of the many months to come ; 
Of the wet and soggy weather, 
And the new nests just begun. 
I’m a watchin’, just a watchin’, 
All the birds a flying past ; 
The flocks of Geese and Blackbirds, 
And the Ducks that go so fast. 
I’m a waitin’, just a waitin’, 
For the flowery month o’ May, 
With its blossoms and its sweetness, 
And the birds who've come to stay. 
I’m a ccountin’, just a countin’, 
On the happy times in spring, 
When the birds are all a nestin’, 
And the woods with music ring. 
J. R. BonweELt. 
Nebraska City, Neb. 
> +> 
Bluebirds and Passenger Pigeons. 
Mr. R. D. Goss sends some very interesting notes 
from Arcadia, Mo., under date March 14, 1896: 
«Saw a pair of Bluebirds the first day I was here, and 
and from that time until now they have been quite 
common. Have observed as many as six at one 
time, and there is scarcely a day that I do not see 
them and hear the sweet music of their voices. 
‘* Years ago when a boy in Wisconsin, it was but a 
common occurrence to see the sun clouded by the 
many thousands of Passenger Pigeons, and as late as 
in the Sixties, in Minnesota, I observed the same 
thing; in fact, have seen children out with cow bells, 
tin pans (and anything else that would make a 
racket), in seeding time, and were kept busy running 
to and fro to keep the Pigeons from devouring every 
grain of wheat, until the farmer could cover it up with 
his harrow. But alas! that day is past. Some ten 
years ago I saw a flock of seven in Iowa, and do not 
remember seeing another until a few days ago, when 
I saw in the woods near here a flock of nine. They 
came close to me, and for a few moments I think I 
was about as excited a man as you will meet.” 
————_>—_ »__—_ 
J. Maurice Harcu, of Escondido, Cal., took a set 
of four Barn Owl’s from a high cliff on February 22. 
THE sad announcement has come from Chicago of 
the death of Dr. J. N. Rowe, the famous sportsman 
and proprietor of the American Field. 
O. W. Howarp, W. B. Judson, Harry Rising, and 
Harry Swarts have left Los Angeles on a collecting 
trip into Arizona, partly in the interests of A. M. 
Shields and G. Frean Morcom, 
THE O@logists’ Association is thriving. At arecent 
meeting officers were elected as follows: President, 
I. S. Trostler, Omaha, Neb. ; Vice President, Harry 
W. Kerr, River Sioux, Ia; Secretary, Will E. 
Snyder, Beaver Dam, Wis.; Treasurer, Dr. Morris 
Gibbs, Kalamazoo, Mich. 
C. H. Morrett writes from Maine: ‘‘I wish you 
could get more articles from this State. We are 
obliged to go by guess for many of our nesting dates. 
I feel particularly sore on this point, for I lost a nice 
set of four Pileated Woodpecker’s the past season by 
leaving the nest too long, not climbing for fear of 
driving the birds away before the eggs were laid. 
When I did climb the youngsters were just appearing 
through the shell. It was a solemn occasion about 
then.” 
AT a recent meeting of the British Ornitholcgists’ 
Club Mr. H. M. Wallis exhibited three eggs of a 
Golden Eagle which had been about thirty years in 
confinement, and began to lay eggs about fifteen 
years ago. The eggs were taken and those of a 
domestic fowl substituted. The Eagle hatched three 
of the latter, and reared three fine birds, feeding 
them principally on rats. One was slain by its foster- 
mother for taking undue liberties, but the others have 
thriven. 
>? 
To the Point. 
DEAR Mr. TAYLOR : 
I think your Zg¢ Catalogue a good one in every sense 
of the word, and do not see how any dealer or any- 
one else at all interested in birds’ eggs could well do 
without it. Sincerely yours, 
CHARLES K. WORTHEN. 
