148 THE NIDOLOGIST 
tion of them by no means allayed my doubts, and 
tome they looked more like the eggs of Grus 
virgo than they did as ever having been laid by a 
Little Brown Crane. However,there was not long 
to wait before additional evidence came to light. 
This time it wasa set oftwo more eggs claimed by 
Raine to be those of the Little Brown Crane, 
accompanied by his original data-label, and sold 
to Mr. W. A. Davidson (68 Woodbridge street, 
N. W. Detroit, Mich.) On the label Raine is care- 
ful to write that ‘‘This set is recorded in ‘Bird- 
Nesting in North-west Canada.’ W.R.” Turn- 
ing to that description, we findon page 167 that it 
is ‘‘Set II,” and the specimens are alleged to have 
been collected at ‘‘Crescent Lake, Assiniboia, May 
2oth, 1890,’’ and measured ‘‘3.60 x 2.30 and 3.64 x 
2.32... These eggs, however, measure nothing of 
the kind, for they only measure 3.32 x 2.04 and 
3 26x 2.00, In other words, they are not the eggs 
of Grus canadensis at all, but they are the eggs of 
Grus virgo, and markedly small eggs even for 
that species.* Moreover, I am perfectly safe in 
saying that these two eggs never were found in a 
“nest made of rushes on a sandy knoll in the 
marsh, at Crescent Lake, Assiniboia,’’ but they 
were doubtless purchased at a very moderate sum 
from some European dealer, by Mr. Walter Raine 
of Toronto, Canada, and sold fora good stiff price 
to Mr. W. A. Davidson of Detroit, Mich. A 
photographic copy, made by myself, of a letter of 
Raine’s to Mr. Davidson, herewith reproduced, 
will throw additional light upon this subject. In 
other words, Mr. Raine buys eggs of Grus virgo 
cheap from dealers in Europe (mks. 2.25) and sells 
them to American collectors, dear, as the eggs of 
the Little Brown Crane, stating at the same time 
that they were secured either by himself or his 
collectors in North-west Canada, in localities 
where the Little Brown Crane is not known to 
breed. 
You have been caught napping again, Mr. Raine, 
’ but this time I believe it to be the sleep of death, 
—that is, death to your fraudulent practices and 
your successes in deceiving, all over this country, 
the collectors of eggs of North American birds. 
R. W. SHUFELDT. 
gth July, 1896. 
roe 
Special 
We have a small surplus of two especially 
valuable back uumbers, and offer one of each, for 
30 days, or until extra stock is exhausted, to every 
renewal or new subscriber. Theseare in addition 
to other premiums, and may be had by those who 
speak early for them and enclose two 2-cent 
stamps extra. November ’94 number contains, 
among other features, a fine colored plate of a set 
of White-tailed Kite’s eggs, natural size. May 
*95 number includes numerous valuable articles: 
“Apparatus” (z//ustrated); “Hints for Egg Col- 
lectors;’’ New Method of Blowing Eggs’? (z//us- 
trated); ‘‘Hints to Campers and Cruisers”’ (cllus- 
trated), etc. 
* I have received a letter from Hermann Rolle, a dealer in 
eggs in Berlin, Germany, dated July 9, 1896, which throws 
light on this subject. The following extract is quoted ver- 
batim: . ‘‘Very likely I have send Grus virgo to Canada (Mr. 
W. Raine), but Iam not quite sure of it. Certainly they are 
specimens of this European Grus in your country. If you 
desire, I can send you also clutches or singles of it.”” 
Cahto Birds 
BY RICHARD C. McGREGOR 
[A list of birds observed in northern Mendocino county, 
California, during the spring of 18809. ] 
( Continued ) 
28.—Agelaius gubernator.* A large 
number of these birds took up their quart- 
ers on the marshy flat as soon as the creek 
overflowed. 
vide ante p. 94. 
29. — Sturnella 
Abundant. 
30.—Icterus bullocki.* Abundant 
31.—Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. 
very abundant—large numbers always 
found about the cow yards. 
32.—Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis.* 
Very abundant. 
33.—Piuus tristis. 
magnu neglecta.* 
Abundant. 
34.—Spmus psaltria. Rather abun- 
dant. 
35-—Spinus pinus. Taken on two 
occasions. 
36.—Ammodramus sandwichensis alau- 
dinus. A single bird taken. 
37,—Chondestes grammacus strigatus.* 
Fairly abundant. 
38.—Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelt. 
Abundant. 
39.—Zonotrichia coronata. Abundant. 
40.—Spizella socialis arizonae.* The 
most abundant of all the /rzngillidae. 
 41.—/Junco hyemalis oregonus. A male 
taken May 20, resembles very closely a 
specimen in my collection from Salem, 
Oregon. The Cahto specimen has a lighter 
back and slate upper tail coverts. Mr. 
Authony pronounces it intermediate be- 
tween /. thurbert and oregonus. 
42. — Melospiza  fasciata samuelis.* 
One specimen taken. Identified by Mr. 
Ridgway. ; 
43.—Pipilo maculatus oregonus.* 
Fairly abundant. Specimens from here 
are typical of neither ovegonus nor megalonyx 
but seem to resemble more nearly the 
former. 
44.—Pipilo fuscus crissalis.* 
dant. 
45.—Habia melanocephala.* Abundant 
in the willows along the creek. 
46.—Passerina amena.* 
47.—Piranga ludoviciana. 
in the taller pines. 
Abun- 
Rare. 
Abundant 
[CONCLUDED NEXT MONTH] 
For record of partial albino - 
a et 
