THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



71 



A PET TURTLE. 



L. S. M. M., Marshall, Mich., says he 

 has a pet turtle, and wishes to know its 

 kind. Its shell is black, with little yellow 

 specks, and is about 6^ x 8^ inches. I 

 caught her some time in May, and up to 

 the present iime she has laid about 18 or 

 20 eggs. They are about li x f inches, 

 white in color, and the shell, unlike other 

 turtles' eggs, is hard and brittle. She some- 

 times lays as many as five eggs in a day. 



A. WOODEN NEST-EGG. 



T. C. D., Rutland, Yt., sends this ac- 

 count of his experience with a Chewink's 

 nest : ■ ' There was but one egg in the nest, 

 and not recognizing the egg I thought I 

 would take it, as I was afraid I could not 

 find the nest again. So I made a wooden 

 egg and deposited it in the nest. When I 

 went to the nest again I found three more 

 eggs, and the wooden one was throwTi out." 



EGGS OP THE COW-BIRD. 



The inquiry of G. K., Peoria, 111., who 

 found three Cow-bird eggs in a Wood 

 Thrush's nest, calls forth the following : 



J. M. S., Jr., Newport, R.I., says he 

 found, June last, a Ground Sparrow's nest 

 with ten eggs, of which five were those of 

 the Cow-bird. 



J. B. G., Des Moines, la., writes: "I 

 have found as many as six Cow-bird's eggs 

 in a nest containing two Wood Thrush's 

 eggs. About two-thirds of the Wood 

 Thrush's nests I find contain the Cow- 

 bird's eggs. 



KANSAS ; DATE OP ARRIVALS. 



W. S. S. , Richmond, Kas., sends a list 

 of some of the birds as they put in their ap- 

 pearance there : Robin, March 10 ; Plover, 

 March 11 ; Blackbird, March 12 ; White 

 Crane, March 19 : Martin, March 26 ; Blue 

 Heron, March 26 ; Sand Hill Crane, March 

 31 ; Turtle Dove, March 41 ; Buzzard, 

 April 4 ; Curlew, April 13 ; Summer Yel- 

 low-bird, April 18 ; Brown Thrush, April 

 19 ; King-bird, April 27 ; jSTight-hawk, 

 May 10 ; Stormy Petrel, May 12 ; Mock- 

 ing-bird, May 15. 



NOTES FROM KENTUCKY. 



C. H. B. — Nests and eggs of the Red- 

 headed Wood-pecker, Blue-Jay, Crow, and 

 Black-bird are very common here. In 

 every dead tree, or tree of which any part 

 is decayed, one may see at least one hole 

 of the Red-headed Wood-pecker, more 

 often two or three. Blue-Jays build their 



nests right in the heart of the city. I have 

 found no less than fifteen nests of this bird 

 this season. The Cardinal Grosbeak, Black- 

 throated Bunting, Winter Wren, Purple 

 Martin, Song Sparrow, Barn Swallow, 

 Chimney Swift, Green Heron, and Mea- 

 dow Lark also breed very extensively in 

 this vicinity. Less common, but still not 

 at all rare, are the Yellow-billed Cuckoo 

 (Rain Crow), Great Crested Flv-catcher 

 and Tyrant Fly-catcher (Bee 'Martin). 

 Nests of the Wood Pewee, Common Pewee 

 and Yellow-breasted _Chat can also be 

 found. 



Red-shouldered Hawk. 



(Buteo lineatus.) 



(for the young oologist.) 

 This bird is a rather common resident of 

 Massachusetts throughout the year. It is 

 the most noisy of its family, during spring 

 especially, when it would be difficult to ap- 

 proach a large piece of woods without 

 hearing its shrill cry, " Ka-hee, ka-hee," as 

 it is seen sailing in rapid circles at a very 

 great height above the trees. 



At the approach of spring this species 

 begins to pair. This happens about the 

 first of April. The top of a tall tree seems 

 to be preferred to any other place for a 

 nest. The nest is a bulky affair built of 

 sticks and twigs and lined with feathers, 

 moss and the inner bark of the chestnut. 

 The nest is quite often of sufficient bulk to 

 fill a bushel basket. I have found several 

 nests of this hawk. Some of them were 

 not over fifteen feet from the ground ; 

 others from forty to fifty. This bird lays 

 three and four eggs, but sometimes only 

 two. The eggs vary a great deal both in 

 color and markings. In some the ground 

 color is a dirty white and marked with 

 large blotched lines and dots of amber 

 brown of various shades, from quite light 

 to dark. Others are covered with faint 

 dots of purple and lilac, and look as if they 

 had received a thin coat of whitewash over 

 the dots. And still others are of a dirty 

 yellowish white color, without spots or 

 marks of any kind. The average dimen- 

 sions of several specimens is 2 by 1 11-16 

 inches. They are usually laid about the 

 20th of April in Massachusetts. 



C. D. PHiiiiiiPS, Dighton, Mass. 



