THE OOLOGIST. 



27 



twigs, fibrous roots and dried grasses and 

 straws, cemented with a little mud. The 

 eggs are usually four, ovoidal, and pale 

 greenish, blotched with reddish and light 

 umber brown. They are easily recogniza- 

 ble. Four specimens from North Carolina 

 measure .85 by .62, .85 by .65, .90 by 

 .65 and 1 by .75 inches. 



506. Wilson's Plover. 

 An egg of this bird, taken in New Jersey 

 measures 1.32 by one inch. The eggs of 

 this species are handsomer than those of 

 most other plover, being more ovoidal and 

 regular in shape and markings, wanting the 

 awkward pyriform so prevalent in those of 

 the Sandpipers, Snipe and Plover in gen- 

 eral. A light creamy butf forms the pri- 

 mary color, which is spotted with umber 

 brown, distiibuted over the entire surface, 

 perhaps approaching to blotches about the 

 larger end. Nest is same as those of other 

 Plover. It consists of straws and a few 

 dry rootlets heaped together among the tall 

 grass iu a field, at or near the water. Of- 

 ten the nest is concealed simply by a tuft 

 of bushy weeds or grass. It is commoner : 

 on our Atlantic coasts than inland. 



471. Quail. 

 Our Common or Virginia Quail now in- 

 habits mainly the south and west, but few 

 remaining in the Eastern and Middle States. ; 

 They lay from eight to fifteen eggs, white, 

 often coated with a buff nest exudence, '. 

 shortly pyriform and measuring 1.23 by, 

 .95 of an inch. Various names are given 

 this bird, as Bob White, Parti-idge, Com- 

 mon Quail and Little Corporal Partridge. 



474. California Quail. 

 There is much variation between the eggs 

 of this beautiful bii'd and the above. In all 

 cases they are spotted or blotched with dif- 

 ferent shades of bi'own, from light yellow- 

 ish sienna to dark umber, though an inter- 

 mediate tint is usually the case. In size 

 they are about the same as those last des- 

 cribed, perhaps a trifle larger, and are more 

 oval. The markings are often singularly 

 distributed, sometimes forming figures of 



animals and birds ; and sometimes the little 

 end will be covered by seemingly one dai'k 

 patch. It inhabits the valleys of California 

 in considerable numbers. 



619. Frigate Pelican. 



More commonly known as the Man-of- 

 war Bird. It inhabits the entire tropical 

 globe, and is quite dissimilar from the other 

 Pelicans. They are powerful birds, and 

 are said to have been seen over one thous- 

 and miles from land, pursuing flying fish, 

 and so rapid is the descent upon their prey 

 that Audubon describes it to be "with the 

 velocity of a meteor." 



In North America they inhabit the coasts 

 of the South Atlantic and Gulf States, 

 where they breed iu large numbers, espe- 

 cially on the Florida Keys, making a huge 

 nest of sticks and limbs, upon which are 

 laid two or three eggs. These are white, 

 smoother and clearer than those of either 

 the AVhite or Brown Pelican, but show the 

 same chalky appearance. A specimen from 

 one of the Floridas measures 2.75 by 1.80. 



TO BE CONTINUED. " OvUM." 



Is this not Decisive? — For the past 



three or four years, there has been consid- 

 erable controversy concerning the eggs and 



: nest of our Great Northern Shrike. We 

 hear that many of the most diligent have 

 failed to discover its nest in this State, why, 

 we are unable to say. The bird alluded to 

 breeds throughout New York State, and in 

 some places quite abundantly. In 1874, 



I four setts of eggs were taken in Oneida 



; county by a person who is reliable author- 

 ity, the bird being identified by being ob- 

 tained. In 1875, six setts were taken iu 



• the same county, and this year we took 

 two setts of respectively five and three eggs, 



; easily recognizing the bird, which to any- 

 one who is a judge of color is readily ree- 



■ ognizable from the Loggerhead Shrike fif- 

 teen yards away. We state this to dispell 



: the misconception that still exists, and have 

 no hesitancy in expressing our opinion that 



■ the bird has been misrepresented. 



