Vol. 1. No. 3. GAINES, N. Y., JULY, 1884. 



(Published Monthi v. 

 1 50c. Pek Year. 



Oological Items from Waterville, 

 Maine. 



The first was the discovery, the third 

 week iu May, of a Red Shouldered Hawk's 

 nest. It was built in the top of a tall Black 

 Birch, some 35 feet from the ground. It 

 was composed externally of sticks, and 

 was lined with moss and leaves ; the eggs 

 were three in number, quite fresh ; 

 although nearly the same in size and shape, 

 there was a marked difference in coloration. 

 The ground color was a dirty white, over 

 which was spread on one egg a great 

 profusion of lilac and brown blotches. 

 A second egg had no markings on the 

 ground color, which, in this instance, had 

 a distinct drab tint. The third egg was 

 interrnediate between the two. Now, as 

 this disparity in color is no unusual thing 

 in Hawk's clutches, the question comes, 

 what causes it? This question is nearly 

 answered in the present case by the fact 

 that the highly colored egg was laid first, 

 and the spotted one last. The coloring 

 matter is deposited on the shell while the 

 egg is still in the oviduct, and in such a 

 case as this either was insufficient in quan- 

 tity, or thtough the piggishness the first 

 egg took the lion's share, or since the lion 

 stands so high among beasts perhaps this 

 would be called a normal appetite in his 

 case. At all events we have here a hiiit 

 well worth following u]) more closely than 

 has been in the past, i. e. , whether, when 

 such a difference occurs in a clutch, it is 

 due to precedence in time of laying or to 

 some other more subtle cause. Let us hear 

 from others on this point. 



The second find was a Summer Yellow 

 bird's nest with four eggs in it. There 

 was nothing peculiar about the eggs or 

 nest, save the great height of the latter 

 led to a close inspection of its structure. It 

 was found after a little that the nest had a 



false bottom. When this was removed a 

 cow bird's egg was found securely packed 

 in on the original bottom. 



This method of getting rid of the para- 

 sitic egg that the cow bird is forever im- 

 posing 'on the smaller birds is, I believe, 

 much commoner than first supposed. Ac- 

 cording to Baird it is the invariable practice 

 of this Summer Yellow bird, which will 

 never under any circumstances hatch a 

 cow bird's egg. Nests of two stories have 

 also been found of the white crowned 

 sparrow, in the bottom a buried cow bird's 

 egg, while above were two more cow bird's 

 eggs and three of the rightful owners. With 

 us here the robin, nearly all the vireos and 

 many of the warblers have been knowu to 

 become unwilling nurses of the cow bird. 



C. B. W. 



Yellow Shafted Flicker. 



Yesterdav, June 7th, I found a nest of 

 the Yellow Shafted Flicker in a stump, 

 about five feet from the ground. The nest 

 contained eight eggs, one of which was 

 remarkably small. I noticed at the time, 

 that four of them looked dark and hard 

 set ; on reaching home I blew them. No. 

 1, 2, 3 and 4 were hard set to such an 

 extent, that I could plainly discern the 

 eyes of the young birds. The contents of 

 No. 5 were thick and tinged with blood, 

 while Nos. 6, 7, 8 were perfectly fresh. 



The following are their dimensions. 



No. 5 i.og by .85 



No. 1 1.08 by .85 



No. 2 1.08 by .83 



No. 3 1.07 by .8s 



No. 4 1.06 by .89 



No. 6 1.06 by 



No. 7 1.96 by 



No. 8 7O by 



56 



I do not know whether it is usual for 

 more than one to lay in the same nest, but 

 it looks remarkably like it in this case. 



No. 8 is the smallest Yellow Shafted 

 Flicker's egg that I have ever seen, it is no 

 larger than a Blue-bird's egg. 



W. B. K., Toronto, Can. 



