l^iHi:EI) IX REM AM- OF TJIK SCIEXCE WHICH IT A©y@CATES. 



\ Or.i >ii. IT, 



MARCH, 1876. 



Nlmi'.kk 1 . 



THE SEASON OF '75. 



J. M. W. 



CoilcIlKlccl. 



N'E of the Cuckoo's nests was a per- 

 fect nosegay of blossoms and tlower- 

 iiig grasses witli wliicli this bird had 

 ;i<l<)rned it. Siuguhn'ly enough, ahnost over 

 iht,' Cuckoo's bower, near the top of a while 

 birch sapling was a nest of the Kuse-breast- 

 cd (irosl)eak containing three eggs. The 

 .Mai'sh Hawk's nest I took up bodily from 

 ilie gromid.and witlia I'rieud in front to hold 

 liack the brnsli. we got it safely outside, 

 thence across the lots to the wagon, and it 

 now occu])ies a resj)ectable niche in my cab- 

 inet. It is a poorly constructed atlaii-, but 

 i|uite bulky, and is' by far the largest nest 

 -•('any gi'ound builder in this section. The 

 (irosbeak's nest was up eighteen feet, near- 

 ly, on a sL'udei- sapling which wou'd not 

 sustain my weight ; but l>y holding three of 

 the clump of white birclis together 1 con- 

 Ti'ived to ascend. The nest of the Rose- 

 bri'asted Grosbeak is small for so large a 

 bird, and the eggs are appre. iably larger 

 than a Tanager's, which they resemble. 

 The eggs, like those of some other types, 

 can be seen from beneath. How often, 

 when climbing to nests of the,. Heron and 

 Pigeon families, have we seen the rose- 



I touched pearls gleaming throngh the ])lat- 



{ form of twigs. Ah, those ar/_' the true 



• jewels with which we enrich our colhM-tions I 



In this feathered paradise were also found 



1 breeding in security, the Maryland Vellow- 



throat and Summer Warbler, (i round Kob- 



in. Mourning Doves and Sparrows, which 



the presence of the Harriers and Cuckoos 



seemed in no wise to disturb. 



For the common types of northern birds, 



I re|)eat that'the season of 'To was a bi-il- 



lianl one for the amateur collector. The 



game bii'ds had not been shot at much the 



fall before, and they bi-ed extensivelv. 



: Hawks were never so abundant. fVom the 



severe winter in their more northern haunts ; 



and, indeed, from the present open Avinter 



I prophesy a scarcity of bii'ds of prey and 



the quarry they follow the coming spring. 



! Among the exceptional birds whicli usu<illv 



! breed to the north of here, I took singK^ 



{ sets of Yellow-winged, Connecticut and 



I Nashville Warblers, while of course; Prair- 



j ie and Chestnut-sided Warb!ei-s were not 



uncommon. In this comiection, and bt'ar- 



! ing on the general remarks of my last, a 



j lew extracts from my Held book mav not be 



! uninteresting. The hrst entrv is April Ij?, 



i Crow, four fresh eggs, Ped-shouldered 



J Hawk, three do. Last entry is July 22 ; 



! Purple Fin(!h f) — clearly a second litter, 



, There were four e<j;'j>^ inside this Fincli'i 



