THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



37 



EGGS OF THE COW BIRD. 



From G. K., Peoria, III.— Last year 

 I found three Cow Bird eggs in a Wood 

 Tlirush's nest. I would like to know if 

 any of the subscribers of The Young Ool- 

 OGiST have ever found that many in one 

 nest. 



We once found a Pewee's nest contain- 

 ing three pewee eggs and four eggs of the 

 cow bird. Let us hear from others. 



great-crested flycatcher, humming 

 birds' nests. 



From R. B., Somerset County. N. J. 

 — On the 19th inst. I mailed to you a box 

 containing an egg which I found in an old 

 hollow apple tree ; the nest contained four 

 or five eggs ; can you tell me what it is ? 

 Do Humming Birds ever use the same nest 

 the second year when the nest is in good 

 condition ? 



Your egg is that of the Gi-eat-crested 

 Flycatcher. Who can answer the Hum- 

 ming Bird query ? 



least FLYCATCHER. 



From C. K., Athens, Pa. — I have a set 

 of eggs that I found a short time since, 

 which at that time I supposed to be of the 

 Wood Pewee, but as I see by the descrip- 

 tion in the last number of The Young 

 OoLOGiST that it does not agree with mine, 

 I will describe the bird, nest and eggs. The 

 nest contained five eggs, which were all 

 pure white, exactly the shape of the com- 

 mon pewee, and inearsured 7-16x9-16. The 

 bird was quite a little smaller than the 

 cemmon pewee, grayish-white breast, black 

 head and bill, each wing had a streak of 

 lighter colored feathers across it. The note 

 of this bird is "pe-wee," but not as the 

 common pewee ; the fii'st syllable is short, 

 the second long, and rises to a very high 

 pitch at the end. The nest was in the fork 

 of four limbs of a small willow tree, about 

 seven feet from the ground ; I have the 

 nest and fork. The nest is If in. deep, 

 outer diameter 24^ In., inner If in.; is built 

 of dry grass and lined with fine roots about 

 the size of a horse-hair ; also quite a few 

 orioles' feathers were woven in. I also 

 have a set of three eggs which 1 cannot 

 identify. The nest Avas built in a small 

 willow, about two feet from the ground, 

 is very bulky, 1| in. deep, outer diameter 

 6 in., inner diameter 2^ in. It is built en- 

 tirely of stiff, dry, hayey-like weeds, and 

 lined with white horse-hair. The eggs re- 

 semble the Song Sparrows very much, only 

 being a little larger. The bird, as near as 

 I can recollect, also resembles the Song 

 Sparrow. 



The nest which you supposed to be that 

 of the Wood Pewee is that of the Least 

 Flycatcher. Your other nest is doubtless 

 that of the Song Sparrow. 



russet-backed thrush (?) 

 From R. E. D., Vancouver's Island, 

 B. C— The egg which we send as sample 

 is of a dark blue color, covered with brown 

 spots, and is larger than a Hedge Sparrow's. 

 The bird is nearly as large as a Robin, 

 stays mostly in dense woods, is never out 

 in the heat of the day, but early in the 

 morning and in the evening. Its usual 

 note is a short whistle, late at night it may 

 be heard with its" shir-r-r-r-r-r. The nest is 

 made of moss, lined with leaves. The bird 

 lays three eggs. Would like to know the 

 name. 



As yet we have not received the egg ■ 

 can any of our readers tell us whether it is 

 the Russet-backed Thrush or not V 



wood thrush. 



From R. O. S., Englewood, III.— 

 Will you please give me a description of 

 Wood Thrush eggs ? 



Coues in his " New England Bird Life ' 

 gives the following excellent description of 

 the nest and eggs of this bird: "The 

 Wood Thrush is chiefly found in low, 

 damp woods, and in thickets. The nest is 

 usually placed in a bush or low tree, in the 

 situations just indicated, a few feet from 

 the ground. It is composed of leaves and 

 grasses, with a layer of mud, and then a 

 lining of fine rootlets. The eggs, four or 

 five in number, are greenish-blue, like 

 those of the Robin, but smaller, being 1.05 

 to 1.12 in length by 0.68 to 0.75 in breadth. 

 They are laid usually about the last of 

 May." 



Blue-jay, Brown Thrush. 



May 13th, 1884, I found a set of six 

 Blue- jay eggs; will some one tell me if this 

 is not an unusual number? All the sets I 

 ever found before contained four or five, 

 mostly five. 



■ I also found on May 16th, a set of five 

 Brown Thrush, I think they generally, if 

 not always, lay four. Let me hear from 

 some one upon the subject through The 

 Young Oologist. 



R., Norwich, C'onn. 



