THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



153 



the Robin. These I took, and found that 

 while one was almost fresh, the other had 

 been several days incubated, and though 

 they were probably her full sec, they were, 

 doubtless, her second clutch. The nest it- 

 self, placed on a kind of fork of a small 

 swamp elm, was a mere platform of small 

 sticks, having the space between filled in 

 with the downy catkins of the willows, it 

 was so shallow that it seemed wonderful that 

 the eggs did not roll off. In size the eggs 

 are considerabl}^ larger than those of the 

 black-billed species, and I think the bird 

 itself is also larger, though the plumage 

 and general habits, as well as notes, are 

 much similar. And whereas the black- 

 billed species is often seen in orchards and 

 shrubberies near to human residences, and 

 nests in such places, yet its 3'ellow-billed 

 congener appears to be more of a swamp, 

 or woodland bird, and chooses such places 

 for nesting purposes. 



W. L. Kells, 



Listowel, Ontario. 



Queries Answ^ered. 



Queries to be answered in these columns should be 

 written an a postal or slip of paper — never mix them 

 in your letter when writing about other matters. 



H. C. L., Cala,, and others, many 

 thanks for the clippings from your local 

 papers. We are always pleased to obtain 

 anything new in the "bird line," even if il 

 is "clipped." 



G. D. P., Estes Park, Colorado. " Jor- 

 dan's Manual of Vertebrates" is of but lit- 

 tle value to a field collector or an ormit h- 

 ologist. 



L. D., Petersburg, Va. The bird called 

 "Marten," nesting in the steeple of an old 

 church is the Black Martin. 



G. B, H., Fernwood, 111. The Bohemian 

 and "Northern" Waxwing are the same. 



M. W., Baltimore, Md. We furnish 

 climbing irons suitable for large or small 

 persons. 



C. H., New London, Conn. "Wilson's" 

 and Common Tern are the same. 



G. F., Elk Point, D. T. "Manton's In- 

 sect's," price 50 cents, will tell you how to 

 preserve moths, butterfiies, etc. 



A. C. S., Fort Madison^ la., and others. 

 No. 1 of the "Y. O" was printed on news, 

 and Nos. 2 and 'd on light book paper. 



W. H. R., Burlington, Vt. Eggs of the 

 Phoebe often have a few reddish brown 

 dots near the larger end. 



H. S. B., Roxbury, Mass. The American 

 Goldflinchis often called "Wild Canary." 



C. C. R., Norwich, Conn. The plumage 

 of the male and female Cedar Waxwing is 

 the same. The horny substance resembling 

 red sealing-wax which you found at the 

 termination of some of the wing feathers is 

 from what they derive the "waxwing" part 

 of their name. The "wax" is found more 

 or less on many specimens, while on others 

 it is absent. A set of five eggs, one of 

 which was taken from the ovary of the 

 bird, should be recorded as a set of four 

 eggs, and on the data you should make a 

 note of the taking of the fifth egg from the 

 ovary. 



F. L. D. Laurel, Md. Hawks generally 

 nest in high trees. Turkey Buzzards on 

 the ground or in stumps or hollow logs 

 near^the ground. You can look for nests 

 of these birds from the middle of March 

 until May 1st. 



J. J. U., Lancaster, Pa. All Herons 

 lay light blue eggs. 



H. H. R., Westerly, R. I. The small 

 nest somewhat resembling that of the Bal- 

 timore Oriole, made mostly of moss and 

 sea weed, which you found was. doubtless, 

 that of the Blue Yellow backed Warbler. 



C. M.. Frankfort, Ind. The Hawk's 

 nest which you found last May containing 

 four dirty bluish-white eggs', measuring 

 about 2 by li inch, was that of the Cooper's 

 Hawk. 



J. A., Towanda, Pa. W^arblers and 

 Vireos are boih found in your locality. 



G. P. E., Mercer, Pa. If cellecting from 

 a scientific standpoint, collect sets, if 

 otherwise, sparingly of pairs or single 

 eggs. 



H. G., Seneca Falls, N. Y., and others. 

 The only standard work on ornithology 

 describing the birds of North America in 

 full is "Cones' Key." Price prepaid, 

 $10.00. 



F. M. P., Fort Madison, la. The Caro- 

 lina Wren is an eastern and southern bird. 



The Gridley (C&l.) Herald sajs : "A flock 

 of sheep feeding on stubble several miles 

 west of town were attacked by a large band 

 of ravens. Spectators say they were not 

 less than 300 birds in the band. They 

 would fly down at the .sheep and alight on 

 the mutton, eagle style. Many of the birds 

 got their talons fastened in the wool, so 

 that they could not fly away, and eighteen 

 were thus captured alive " 



