THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



149 



COLLECTING AMONG THE CALAVERAS 

 GROUP OF BIG TREES. 



In June 1883 two friends — one of them 

 a resident of Oakland, Cal.; the other a 

 gentleman connected with the Smith- 

 sonian, a Mr. B. by name — and myself 

 took a trip to the CJalaveras group of big 

 trees on a collecting tour. We were quite 

 successful. The first eggs of any note 

 which we found were owned by a bird 

 called the Olive-sided Flycatcher. 



The nest was placed some forty or fifty 

 feet from the ground on the limb of a red- 

 wood tree. It contained three eggs about 

 the size of an Oregon Thrush's egg, and a 

 dirty white color spotted on the large end 

 with bro\\'n. Two nests of Oregon Snow- 

 l)ird next fell a prey to us, then came sev- 

 eral sets of California Robins, then, and 

 rarest of all, a set of the Dwarf Thrush. 



The nest was placed in a bush about two 

 feet from the groand, and contained two 

 eggs a little lighter than a robin's egg, and 

 »11 one color. 



The identity of the Flycatcher's and 

 Thrush's eggs were proven by shooting the 

 birds. The others we know from frequent 

 contact. 



The Thrush's eggs are in my possession. 

 The Flycatcher's are either in Mr. B.'s or 

 the Smithsonian's. 



C. N. C, 



Oakland, Cal. 



BUTCHER BIRDS. 



Will you please name the bird of which 

 this is a description, in the query column: 

 Above clear ashy-blue growing lighter 

 underneath ; wings and tail black, a little 

 darker bhie on top of the head, a black 

 stripe behind the eye, bill tan color, short 

 and thick. He was about the size of a 

 robin. I saw him February 4th, 1885, on 

 a tree, side of a brook. Could find no 

 bird that answered to this descrijDtion in 

 Cones' N. E. Bird Life. Wind from S. E. 

 Temperature about 20 decrees above. 

 H. S. H., 

 Providence, R. I. 



Your bird is one of the Shrikes. 



A THREE-STORY NEST OF THE SUMMER 

 YELLOW BIRD. 



Having seen in The Young Oologist 

 several articles relating the many-storied 

 nests of the Summer Yellowbird, I thought 

 I would add a little experience of my own. 



One day last year while out collecting 

 I came across an abandoned nest in a clump 

 of blackberr <f bushes. I was about to pass 

 it by when the unusual length of the nest 

 attracted my attention. I took it, and pull- 

 ing it apart a little, discovered, buried 



under the top of the nest, an egg of the 

 Cowbird and one of the Summer Yellow- 

 bird. Upon still further examining the 

 nest I discovei'ed another story containing 

 one egg each of the Cowbird and Yellow- 

 bird, thus making three stories in all. 

 C. W. T., 



Bi-ooklyn, Ohio. 



FROM ST. CLAIR FLATS. 



I liave had some experience in the bird 

 business this winter. One day I went out 

 on the marsh bunting muskrat, and I 

 found a Marsli Wren on the ice ; it went 

 in a bunch of reeds and would not leave. 

 After half an hour's hard work I caught it. 

 I look it homewith me and put it in the 

 cage with my Canary ; but it was too much 

 for us ; went through the cage, got away 

 and doubtless went back to its liome on the' 

 marsh. I have never before found them 

 here in this localitj'^ in winter. 



At another time I was out shooting- 

 Ducks and 1 shot what the people here said 

 was half Mallard and half Duskj'- Duck. 

 They called it a "BreAver." The body of 

 the Duck was dark-brown ; the head was 

 green witli a brown streak down the center. 

 The Duck was larger than the common 

 Mallard. Can you tell me the right name 

 or is the above name correct. 



Please inform me whether it is common 

 for Marsh Wrens and Rails to stay here in 

 the winter, and do they winter in your 

 State ? Last week 1 found a nice Rail 

 walking around with my hens at my hen 

 house. 



H. S., 

 Algonac, Mich. 



The Mallard has frequently been known 

 to cross with other Ducks. Marsh Wren 

 and Rails winter in the South. 



BLACKBIRDS; GOLDEN CROWNED 

 THRUSH. 

 Will you please tell me the difference, if 

 any, between the following Blackbirds : It 

 has a hanging nest about 5 inches deep and 

 larger than an Oriole's nest and made of 

 much the same material. It was up in the 

 top of our common swamp alders. There 

 were several nests in the same swamp; have 

 not seen any except in that place. The 

 bird about the same as our common Red- 

 an d-buiT-shouldered Blackbird, and the 

 eggs are about the same color. No. 2. 

 A l)ird about the same size of Bluebird. 

 Color, light brown back, spotted breast- 

 white and reddish brown. The nests are 

 placed on the ground in or near the woods, 

 and is almost entirely arched over and com- 

 posed of grass and leaves. The eggs are 

 about the size of a Bluebirds, ground color 

 white, spotted more or less all over with 



