The young oologist. 



123 



The Young Oologist, and if his readers 

 want a description and measurements they 

 must call on him. 



April 22d -I took my first set of Bell's 

 Vireo. This is one of our summer visitors, 

 leaving liere early in the fall. I have never 

 found their nest after the middle of June. 



April 27th — Mockingbird, five eggs, 

 fresh. This is one of our best known 

 birds. It is very sociable, building its nest 

 as close to the habitation of man as it can. 

 They build in all situations, in a pile of 

 rails, bush, tree, or in a corner of the fence; 

 wherever they can find a place that will 

 hold the foundation of large, loosely laid 

 twigs that is the groundwork of their nest. 



May 1st — I found my first sel of Meadow 

 Lark, Bronzed Grackle and Orchard Ori- 

 ole. The Meadow Lark is a permanent 

 resident. The Bronzed Graclde and Or- 

 chard Oriole are summer visitors. 



May 2d— First set of Yellow-billed 

 Chickoo, three eggs, incubation about one- 

 half. This is another of our siunmer vis- 

 itoi's. 



May 3d — I found an egg of the Dwarf 

 Cowbird in a nest of Bell's Vireo, incuba- 

 tion advanced. I have taken these eggs 

 out of the nests of Bell's Vireo, Painted 

 Bunting, and in two instances they had im- 

 posed on the Orchard Oriole. The Painted 

 Bunting is the victim though, twice to any 

 other bird's once. 



May (ith — The Jjark Finch furnished its 

 quota on tliis day, a fine set of five fresh 

 eggs. This is another of our summer vis- 

 itors, staying until early winter, raising two 

 or three broods. Have taken their eggs as 

 late as August 18tli. 



May 8th — I bagged ni}' first set of Scis- 

 sor-tailed Flycatcher, one of our most com- 

 mon birds during the summer months. 

 They put in an appearance early in the 

 spring and I have seen a few stragglers as 

 late as November 20th. I also on the 

 same day took one set each of the Painted 

 Bunting and Yellow-winged Sparrow. 



May 10th — Bi-ought me my first set of 

 Blue Grosbeak. Of the fifteen or twenty 

 sets of this species that I have taken I 

 don't think I ever found one that did not 



contain a cast-off snake skin in the make- 

 up of the nest. I also took my first set of 

 Texas Quail on May 10th. I don't recol- 

 lect how late I have taken eggs of this spe- 

 cies, but I have seen the 3'oung not more 

 than four or five days old as late as Sep- 

 tember 28th. 



May 35th — I dropped on a set of Great- 

 crested Flycatcher in a hollow limb of a 

 post-oak. This species is one of our rarest 

 summer visitors. 



June 2d — I run upon a colony of Boat- 

 tailed and Bronzed Grakle and took several 

 sets of each. 



This is not near all the species that I 

 have taken, but owing to having lost many 

 of my slips or notes I could not make out 

 a perfect list. 



If you think it will interest collectors in 

 other localities, I will send you a monthly 

 report during '85. I will report the arri- 

 val of each of our summer visitors, date of 

 taking of the first and last set of each, and 

 any other matter of interest relating to 

 Bird Life. J. A. Singley, 



Lee Co., Texas. 



Trees Injured by Sap-suckers. 



Our reply to W. B. H., on page 104 of 

 the jS^ovember Young Oologist, although 

 true as far as our observation extended, 

 seems to have been erroneous. A Oalifor- 

 nia correspondent sends us an article which 

 appeared March 15th, 1883, in the Forest 

 and Stream, on the Yellow-bellied Wood- 

 pecker, \)j B. Horsford of Springfield, 

 Mass., from which we take the following: 



In running ni}' eye over the list of "Birds 

 of Maine," substantially the birds of New 

 England, I noticed that the Yellow-bellied 

 Woodpecker was passed over with a few 

 words, just what every author gives the 

 bird, showing most conclusively that orni- 

 thology as a science had not at all reached 

 his character, habits and peculiar instincts. 

 I am obliged to set down first, that this is 

 the most destructive bird in our climate. 

 I have seen the best trees in an apple orch- 

 ard destroyed, while the owner looked sad- 

 ly at the trees ceasing to bear and dying, 



