120 



THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



The Little Black-bird and the Worm. 



From one of our young ornitliological 

 friends. 



A Blaclcbird and his mate had a l)rood 

 of young ones, and kept feeding them all 

 day long, but the mother had brought a 

 large worm and gave it to one of the 

 brood. Then she tlew away, but when she 

 came back, there was the worm sticking 

 out of the mouth of the poor little bird in 

 a very uncomfortable manner, the mother 

 Black-bird seemed taken by surprise, and 

 uttered a cry of distress, upon that forth 

 came her mate. The two birds did all that 

 they could to make the worm go down, 

 but in vain. Something prevented it, and 

 it was a little time before they found out 

 what it was. At last the blackbird saw 

 that the end of the worm had caught on 

 the feathers of the breast and was held 

 tight, so it could not be moved, and it cost 

 him a great deal of trouble to do so, but he 

 succeeded at last. The poor little black- 

 bird had a narrow escape of death, and, as 

 it was, it lay almost as if it were senseless 

 for a long time, but the parent went on a 

 twig close by the nest and sang one of his 

 sweetest songs, as if rejoicing that the 

 danger was over. 



L. S., Schuyler's Lake, N. Y. 



For every new subscriber you may send 

 us for the Young Oologist, we will give 

 a copy of our new Hand-book. 



A Five-story nest of the Summer 

 Yellow-bird. 



Li answer to " L. A. H.," on p. 107 of 

 the November YotJNG Oologist, the fol- 

 lowing letter written by me to the Scientific 

 Ai/terican some time since, may prove of 

 interest : 



MANY STORIED BIRD'S NESTS. 



To the Editor of the Scientific American. 



" As some discussion arose a short time 

 since in the colums of the Scientific Ameri- 

 can, relative to the many storied nests of 

 the Summer Yellow bird, it inight be of 

 interest to your readers to mention that 

 during the present season a friend of mine 



found a nest of that species composed of 

 tive stories, each of which, except the top 

 one, contained a (;ow-birds egg. The 

 fifth story was not quite completed when 

 the nest was taken, but the egg of the 

 intruder was already more than half hurried 

 in the new structure." 



W. L. ScoTT. 

 Librarian, Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club. 



Ottawa, July 24th, 1882. 



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Back Numbers of the Young ()olo(Jist 

 can be furnished at 6 cts. per copy. Sub- 

 scription can commence with any number 



the subscriber may desire. 



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A Necessary Cruelty. 



Bird or egg collectors and youthful 

 sportsmen will find it greatly to the interest 

 of their respective amusements to shoot, or 

 otherwise kill every cat found roaming in 

 our woodlands, or away from any habita- 

 tion. Persons of a benevolent disposition 

 may consider this advice as a trifle inhu- 

 man. Perhaps so, but it is needful. Those 

 animals live in the woods all the year 

 around, preying upon all game, both of 

 the furred and feathered world. As they 

 accumulate very rapidly, pos.sess voracious 

 appetites, and in manner are stealthy and 

 cunning, it is to be plainly inferred that 

 they destroy a large number of eggs, birds, 

 squirrels and other small game to satisfy 

 their wants ; especially so is this in spring, 

 the breeding season, when thousands of 

 eggs are devoured, and thousands of young 

 helpless birds and nursing spuirrels fall an 

 easy pre,y 'to those modern imitators of 

 Puss in Boots. They are totally unlike 

 our domestic purrer, being of a savage 

 nature and dangerous disposition, a condi- 

 tion wi'ought probabl}^ by their mode of 

 living. A well known hunter speaking 

 recently of this growing evil, said that one 

 hungry cat can create more havoc than 

 two ambitious Oologists, or one fully 

 Equipped sportsman. The cats must go, 

 or the birds, therefore let it be the cats. K. 



Jf you have not seen a copy of Lattin's 

 Hand-book, send for one at once. No 

 collector can afford to be without it. 



