50 



THE OOLOGIST. 



average 2 inches in length by 2.20 to 2.40 

 in width. The parent birds protect their 

 eggs and young with undaunted prowess, 

 snapping the bill and hissing at the intrud- 

 er in anything but a pleasant manner. 



503. Golden Plover. 

 The American form of this bird breeds 

 far northward : on the shores of Hudson 

 Bay and the Arctic Ocean. The nest, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Dall, is constructed of dry, 

 wiry grasses, sometimes lined with a few 

 feathers, and placed upon a tussock of grass. 

 He also states the eggs to be two in uum- i 

 ber. Dr. Coues believes four to be the reg- 

 ular set, as that is the usual deposit of this \ 

 family. They are pyritbrm in shape and j 

 measure, on the average, 1.90 by 1.35 in- \ 

 ches. In their general appearance they 

 correspond with the eggs of other Plover, ; 

 the primary color being a pale, raw sienna, 

 with a tinge of drab, over which are dis- 

 tributed quite thickly, well-defined patches, \ 

 intermingled blotches, and spots, mainly of 

 very dark brown, approaching black. A- 

 mong these spots are small dots of various \ 

 shades from a very faint shell tint to burnt ; 

 umber. The e(i;(i is usually very beautiful | 

 in the pattern of its coloration, the decision i 

 of outline of the markings being more than : 

 iLSually appai'ent. ; 



517. American Avocet. j 



AVe fiiid the Avocet to inhabit the entire ■ 

 United States, though, in New York it is! 

 very seldom seen. In the Eastern States i 

 it is very rare, and if found in any numbers ' 

 south, it is on the Atlantic coast. It breeds \ 

 probably most abundantly in the interior, '■ 

 on the lakes and streams of the Mississippi i 

 Valley. | 



The nest of this bird is simply a depres- j 

 sion in the ground, with or without lining, 

 as circumstances and situation require, i 

 Some authors state that it frequently lays | 

 its eggs in a very exposed position, on the j 

 dry earth, without shrub or tussock to shel- ' 

 ter it. In some situations a lining of dry j 

 weeds and grasses is built in the hollow, i 

 The eggs are usually four, of the prevailing j 

 pyriform shape, and in size, shape and col- 1 



oration, are much like those of the Stilt. 

 The shell color is either light buff or brown- 

 ish-drab ; this is marked quite irregularly 

 with very dark umber spots and blotches, 

 sometimes so thick about the greatest width 

 of the egg as to be confluent, at others quite 

 thinly scattered. The shell has in some 

 specimens, a very glossy appearance, sim- 

 ilar to that of the Willow Ptarmigan, in 

 which case the markings are unusually dis- 

 tinct and finely traced. Sizes range from 

 1.90 to 2.14 inches in length, and from 1 .30 

 to 1.45 inches in width. A single speci- 

 men measures 2.00 by 1.40 inches, the 

 average proportions. 



521. Rkd Phalarope. 

 This is more particularly a maritime than 

 an inland bird, its especial locality appear- 

 ing to be the more noi-thern coasts of North 

 America. Messrs. Wheaton andRidgway 

 assign it i-espectively to Ohio and Illinois. 

 It doubtless occurs in the interior elsewhere, 

 as testified by observers. Its breeding 

 grounds are far to the north, on the rivers 

 and inlets of the Arctic coast ; they have 

 also been found to breed very numerously 

 on the tributaries of Hudson Bay. The 

 nest is a simple affair, consisting of a few 

 items of dried vegetation, leaves, straws, 

 etc. The eggs are four, notwithstanding 

 that one or two authorities give two as the 

 set. Measurements: from 1.18 by .85, to 

 1.35 by .95 inches. This includes all prob- 

 able dimensions, though, as a general thing, 

 they are very uniform in size. The pri- 

 mary color is light olive chocolate brown ; 

 over this, sometimes regularly, at others in 

 scattered groups, is a collection of chocolate 

 and umber spots. Dr. Coues says the eggs 

 are almost indistinguishable from those of 

 Fhalaropus hyperboretis (520). "Ovum." 

 to be continued. 



The Common Crow has been foimd to 

 nest in bushes. Two nests were discover- 

 ed on April 20th, near Pokassett, Me., one 

 eight, the other four feet above the ground, 

 in, our correspondent says, wild cherry 

 bushes. Nests were smaller than usual. 



