42 



THE YOUNG OOLOGlST. 



Queries Answ^ered. 



J. H., MiDDLEPORT, N. Y. — Can't say 

 positively what your egg is. If you had 

 sent description of bird, could doubtless 

 have identified egg. 



J. W., GrOUVERNEUR, N. Y. — Eggs seut 

 for name were as follows : 1. Scarlet 

 Tanager. 3. Cliff Swallow. (?) 4. Purple 

 Grakle. 5. Song Sparrow. 6. English 

 Sparrow. 



]Sr. A. S., York, Neb. — All numbers 

 used by us in marking eggs, in our cor- 

 respondence or exchanges, are those used 

 in the Smithsonian Catalogue, (1881 edition). 

 Coues' work describes the birds of the 

 Pacific Coast. 



J. W. H. Jr., MiDDLEPORT, N. Y. — No 

 1 is the white-rumped Shrike. No. 3, 

 Downy Woodpecker. 



C. H., Bennington, Vt. — The Brown 

 Thrush is often called the Brown Thrasher. 

 The bird which you call the Tipup or 

 Spotted Tattler is the Spotted Sandpiper. 

 The nest you found was that of the White- 

 rumped Shrike. 



M. S. P., Nashville, Tenn. — The nest 

 and egg which you sent for identification 

 is that of the Blue-gray Gnat-catcher. 

 Coues in his key to N. A. Birds gives the 

 following excellent description of the nest 

 and eggs of this bird : 



' ' The nest is a model of bird-architec- 

 ture, compact walls and contracted at the 

 brim, elegantly stuccoed with lichens, fixed 

 to slender twigs at a varying distance from 

 10 to 50 or 60 feet ; eggs 4-5 about 0.60 x 

 0.45, whitish, fully speckled with reddish 

 and amber brown and lilac." 



A. C. S., Ft. Madison, Ia. — From de- 

 scriptions which you give, should think 

 that No. 1 was the Yellow-billed Cuckoo ; 

 No. 3. Summer Yellow Bird. 



A. B. W., Clinton, Wis.— The bird 

 which you call "Common Snipe," is the 

 Spotted Sandpiper. 



F. C. J., Red Hook, N Y.— Your 

 Thrush queries are answered elsewhere in 

 this number. 



A. T. K, Phila., Pa. — Cannot positive- 

 ly name egg from description given. 



H. B., Fulton, N. Y.— There is no 

 common Sparrow, except the English, that 

 breeds in holes in trees. 



E. De L., Ellicott City, Md., — All 

 descriptions of eggs sent for name, must be 

 accompanied with full description of nest 

 and bird ; or, which is better still, with a 

 skin of the bird, if you wished them named 

 with certainty. 



J. M. A., Jr., Murfreesboro, Tenn. 

 — The two Whip-poor-will eggs which you 

 found are worth, at dealers rates, $1 each. 



C. R. E., Frederick City, Md.— The 

 ' ' odd " egg which you found in the Chip- 

 ping Sparrow's nest was that of the Cow 

 Bird. The eggs of the Baltimore Oriole 

 often have brown scrawls on them. 



Jumbo, Jersey City, N. J. — The larger 

 mineral specimen you sent for identifica- 

 tion was Feldspar ; the smaller one the 

 same, containing Galena. 



H. W. B., Plattsville, Ct.— The 

 Hawk eggs which you sent (lb and Ic) were 

 both eggs of the Cooper Hawk. 



A. V. B., St. Joseph, Mo. — The eggs 

 which you found in the Chewink's nest 

 were those of the Cow Bird. We hardly 

 think the Dwarf Cow Bird breeds very ex- 

 tensivelj^, if at all, in Missouri. Who can 

 informs us with certainty? 



R. B., Millstone, N. J. — The correct 

 name for the bird so commonly called 

 " Shite Poke," is Green Heron. Cow 

 Bird eggs are white, thickly specked with 

 various shades of brown. 



L. E. J., Colton, Wash. Ter. — Your 

 Black Bird eggs are those of the Red-and- 

 black-shouldered Black Bird. 



H. D., Ft. Madison, Ia. — Your de- 

 scriptions are hardly complete enough to 

 accurately name the eggs. 



W. H., Shelbyville Tenn.— A corre- 

 spondent from Houma, La., writes us that 

 if you want eggs to retain their natural 

 color and not fade, to rinse them with a so- 

 lution of isinglass and sugar. He also states 

 that this will not only keep them from 

 fading, but strengthens them. 



