THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



119 



Notes from Wisconsin. 



DuRAND, Wis. Nov. 15tli, 1884. 

 Frank H. Lattin : 



Dear Sir : — Please identify tliese birds 

 if you can by tlie descriptions given. 



1. Medium sized Hawk ; expanse of 

 wings 28 in., length 16| in., tail 8 in., Iris 

 cream, dark brown above, light below, 

 with longitudinal stripes on breast, and 

 bands across feathers of wings and tail. 



2. Small bird size of Pewee, colored 

 about the same as a Baltimore Oriole with 

 reddish brown in place of yellow, peculiar 

 musky oder, which is as strong as ever, 

 though the bird has been mounted all 

 summer. 



Shot a Northern Shrike the other morn- 

 ing, it discovered the Canary through the 

 window and attempted to get it. There 

 was a flock of Pine Grosbeaks here last 

 winter, they appeared to get their living by 

 eating the terminal buds on the young- 

 pines. The Northern Waxwings are here 

 in small flocks nearly every winter, and I 

 shall feel greatly slighted if they don't call 

 around this winter. E. L. Brown. 



Your Hawk is doubtless a male Cooper's 

 and your small bird a male Orchard Oriole. 

 —Ed. 



The American Redstart. 



(Setophaga ruticilla.) 

 The beautiful Redstart, the subject of 

 this article, is well known to every observer 

 of our birds. Its beautiful coloring, lively 

 way, and pretty song make it a favorite 

 with all. About the 20th of May, the Red- 

 start appears in this neighborhood from 

 the south. It can at once be distinguished 

 from the other members of the family by 

 its brilliant coloring as it flits about in the 

 topmost branches of the trees, after flying 

 insects, in the manner of a true flycatcher. 

 Its wide, fan-like tail is extended to the 

 utmost, showing the bars of black and 

 orange on its under surface. Its wings are 

 continually opened and shut, while the 

 orange underneath keeps flashing and 

 disappearing when seen in the act of 

 catching its food ; it is without doubt one 



of the most beautiful of our Warblers. 

 About the 3d of June the Redstart com- 

 mences to built its nest. It is a beautiful 

 little structure placed in the low branches 

 of a tree, or in a sapling. It is scarcely 

 ever out of reach from the ground. Both 

 birds keep working at their little house till 

 its completion, gathering up various mis- 

 ^lellaneous articles, such as birch bark, 

 paper, grass, the silver colored bark of 

 some of the water-reeds, also scraps of 

 linen, etc. ; these they weave into a firm, 

 solid habitation, which they line with hair, 

 and feathers. The female then lays four 

 beautiful eggs, these are laid one every 

 day, for foiu' consecutive days, they are of 

 a whitish ground color, with an even line 

 of dark brown spots ai'ound the larger end. 

 Dimensions are .65 by .50 inch. Several 

 sets o^ eggs taken in this vicinity, which I 

 have examined, are of this description, 

 except on some specimens the line around 

 the top was not so evenly marked as in 

 others, and the spots a little more scattered. 

 About the 10th of September this bird 

 leaves for its winter home. 



W. T. E., Concord, N. H. 

 October 20th, 1884. 



Siamese " Robins' Nests, 



I found two Robins' nests built on the 

 same foundation of grass and mud; the 

 side of one is interwoven with the side of 

 the other. The nests are respectively 4.25 

 in. and 4.00 in. in diameter. The founda- 

 tion is 9.50 in. by 5.00 in. They were 

 placed on a beam in an old barn near 

 Meadville. I found them May 28th, one 

 of the nests contained three eggs, upon 

 which I saw the Robin. I watched the 

 nest a few days, but did not see the bird 

 again, so I took both the nest and eggs. 



T. L. A., Meadville, Pa. 



How Can I Collect Bird's Eggs Scien- 

 tifically ? 



During the past season we think the 

 above query has been asked us at least fifty 

 times if not more. Every collector should 

 read the article on Bird Nesting in the Sep- 

 tember number. We think Mr. Flint tells 

 the reporter plainly and clearly how it is 

 done. 



