THE YOUNG OOLOGlST. 



75 



of the square about twenty Turkey Buz- 

 zards. As I had not seen one closely, I 

 took advantage of my opportunity to study 

 natural history and went out into the yard 

 to see them. I noticed they kept flying 

 down into one corner of the churchyard, 

 and my curiosity being aroused, I looked 

 over the fence and discovered they had 

 carried one of their own dead into the 

 graveyard and were dragging it into the 

 corner of the yard, where they left him 

 under the shade of a small bust. I found 

 they had a very unpleasant odor. The 

 male resembles our male turkey very much, 

 being a little smaller, but where the tur- 

 key's neck is a blueish red color the buz- 

 zard's is a bloody red. The female is all 

 black, but sometimes a dirty brown. Thej' 

 generally fly very high, and usually sail 

 unless frightened. "Of course, they are 

 protected by the law on account of their 

 eating all garbage left around. In Charles- 

 ton you can see them in the street as we 

 see sparrows up North. 



Yesterday I shot what the boys in the 

 South call "Bull Bats." They are just the 

 same bird as our Night-hawk. 



I found on my trip up Mt. Craggy, near 

 Asheville, N.C., a garnet which is at least 

 twice the size of a man's fist. Have any of 

 the readers of The Yoxing Oologist ever 

 seen one as large? M. C. "W"., 



Columbia, S.C. 



California Birds — Their Eggs, Nests, 

 and Habits. 



(for the young oologist.) 



BURROWING OWL. 



The Burrowing Owl lays from four to 

 nine white eggs, somewhat larger than the 

 pigeon's. Its nest is composed of dry 

 horse dung, some of which is always scat- 

 tered around the hole and is an infallible 

 sign of a nest, and without which it is use- 

 less to dig in the hope of finding one. In 

 the breeding season I have found some odd 

 things in owls' nests at different times 

 Last year I found two dead mice in a nest 

 containing five eggs. This year I was 



scraping the loose dirt away from a nest 

 and was not a little startled to find a large 

 trap-door spider in my hand, as its bite is 

 supposed to be sure death. My brother 

 was also scraping away some dirt from a 

 hole and brought out in his hand two large 

 centipedes. This Owl lives chiefly upon 

 rats, mice, insects, etc., and I once saw one 

 devouring a snake. It usually sits on the 

 mounds of dirt by its hole during the day 

 and hoots at night. If anyone approaches 

 it bows, or bobs its head up and down, and 

 "coo-coo's" in an amusing manner. 



IvING-BIRD 



is not altogether a California bird, being 

 also found in the Eastern States. Its usual 

 number of eggs is four or five. They are 

 white, with reddish brown spots. The 

 nest is composed of straws, leaves, string, 

 wool, etc., and is built in a convenient tree. 

 It is very warlike and courageous. I have 

 often seen one, two or more attack an 

 eagle or turkey buzzard. It is commonly 

 supposed to live upon bees, and is there- 

 fore called "bee-bird" or "bee martin" by 

 many, but I cannot confirm the supposition 

 from actual knowledge. I have seen King- 

 birds catch millers or moths, beetles, flies, 

 etc., but do not recollect seeing any catch 

 bees. 



CRESTED QUAIL. 



The Quail lays from six to eighteen eggs 

 as a rule. I have been told by persons 

 that they have found twenty-three eggs, 

 and have read of as many as thirty eggs 

 being found in a single nest. The nest is 

 usually built of dried grass and leaves, but 

 sometimes the eggs are laid upon the bare 

 ground, especially in sandy regions. They 

 live chiefly upon seeds, small insects and 

 grapes, the latter being their favorite food 

 in summer. One of a flock always seems 

 to be acting as sentinel, and the moment 

 there is a sign of danger it gives the signal. 

 and with a great whirring of wings the 

 flock takes refuge in flight or in the nearest 

 bushes. 



MOCKING-BIRD. 



The Mocking-bird lays from four to six 

 eggs of a blueish green color, with red- 

 brown spots. The nest is composed of 



