THE YOUNG OOLOGISt. 



•4i 



Prof. Ballard's Hand-book of the Agas- 

 siz Association, at hand. After hastily 

 glancing over the contents, must saj^ that 

 it will be almost invaluable, not only to the 

 members of the Agassiz Association, but to 

 any beginner in the study of the natural 

 sciences, while our older Naturalists will 

 iind many valuable and interesting hints 

 and items. The little book, of nearly 120 

 pages, contains twice the matter that books 

 of that class usually contain, and is pub- 

 lished at the same price, viz: 50 cents. To 

 give the readers of The Young Oologist 

 some idea of the contents we take the fol- 

 lowing from the chapter on exchanging. 

 We trust our friends will read it carefully 

 and profit by it, not only for our but for 

 tlieir own good : 



"In preparing packages for the mail, be 

 sure that you enclose the specimens in a 

 box sufficiently strong to withstand the fre- 

 quent concussions of the way, and so se- 

 curely wrapped and tied that it shall not 

 become undone. About one third of the 

 packages received here, are broken on the 

 way. Minerals should be separately wrap- 

 ped in paper or cloth before being put into 

 the box. Eggs may safely be sent in aug- 

 ur holes bored in little blocks of wood. 

 Flowers and ferns should be carefully 

 pressed between strong sides of paste-board. 

 Insects should be pinned with the utmost 

 possible strength and care, into boxes thor- 

 oughly lined with cork, very strong, light, 

 and doubly wrapped. Beetles and bugs 

 may be sent in cotton, like eggs. Always 

 prepay postage in full. Enclose no writing 

 in package (except labels of specimens, 

 M'liich are allowed) but never neglect to ac- 

 company the package with a postal card or 

 letter, describing contents, stating from 

 whom it comes, and rehearsing what you 

 expect in exchange. It is often utterly im- 

 possible to determine the sender of a pack- 

 age, or what to send in return. Tie the 

 parcel strongly, but do not seal it, unless 

 you wish to pay letter postage. One or 

 two fine specimens are always more accept- 

 able than several inferior ones." 



Also, from the chapter on reports we 

 take the following items : 



cow BLACK BIRDS. 



I found four Cow Birds' eggs in a nest 

 with one of the Wilson's Thrush. Has any 

 one else found so many in one nest? X. 



NIGHT HAWK ASLEEP. 



Last August, I saw, about 7 o'clock one 

 evening, what I took to be a dead bird ly- 

 ing on a stone wall by the road side. It 

 was half lying, half leaning against a stone. 

 I clambered up the bank to get it, making- 

 some noise. Just as I put out my hand to 

 pick it up, with a great flap and rush by 

 my face, the bird soared up into the air. 

 As soon as it opened its wings, I knew it 

 to be a Night Hawk by the white spots on 

 the under side of them, and by the peculiar 

 cry it uttered. Wm. Carter. 



The Black Stilt. 



This bird has begun to arrive in large 

 numbers on this coast (about May 1st). 

 However, owing to the protracted rain 

 they are a little late this season. They are 

 in very poor condition on account of their 

 long flight from the lower part of the 

 United States and Mexico, Avhere they 

 spend the winter. They breed about the 

 middle of May, the eggs may be obtained 

 fresh until the middle of June. They usu- 

 ally congregate in large flocks in some 

 suitable locality, and build their nests 

 close together a score or more often being 

 found within a few yards of each other. 



The nest is composed of small sticks and 

 roots, closely put together, and placed 

 among the grass on the margin of some 

 lake or river. The eggs are four in num- 

 ber, speckled, and resemble the eggs, of 

 the Killdeer, but about twice their size. 

 Towards the last of August, the young- 

 birds having attained their growth, they 

 begin to assemble flocks to leave in large 

 numbers, and six weeks later there will be 

 very few if any remaining. 



Such are the uabits of the " Black Stilt " 

 as nearly as I can ascertain during their 

 breeding season. 



A. M. Shields, 



Los Angeles, Cal. 



