66 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ed to find their nest, so securely had they 

 hidden it. 



Blue Pigeons' Eggs. 



WHILE out collecting one day the lat- 

 ter part of May, '76, I found in a 

 hemlock tree, about twelve feet from the 

 ground, a solitary nest of the Wild Pigeon. 

 In the nest and on the ground below I found 

 the broken shells. The eggs were evident- 

 ly fresh laid, and had been broken but a 

 short time, as one of the shells still contain- 

 ed part of the albumen Avhich had not yet 

 dried or evaporated. I did not see the pa- 

 rent birds at the time, but saw them flying 

 about the place several days before. The 

 shells were a light shade of blue^ some- 

 Avhat lighter than the eggs of the Black -billed 

 Cuckoo. The eggs were two in number, 

 but were broken beyond measurement ; they 

 Were about the size of any other Pigeon's 

 eggs. Can anyone explain ? 

 Oswego, N. Y. D. D. S. 



. Quite likely the eags referred to are those 

 pf the Yellow-billexl Cuckoo. The Wild 

 Pigeon seldom if ever builds as low as 

 twelve feet from the grounu, and does not 

 at least in these sections, build in evergreen 

 trees. The nest of the Yellow-billed Cuck- 

 90 is so similar to that- of the above bird, 

 except in size, that many, from book des- 

 priptions, might easily mistake it for the 

 nest of that bird, — Eds. 



Since writing the above, we have receiv- 

 ed the shells from our correspondent. There 

 can be no doubt but they are the eggs of 

 Arclea virescens, as the excrement upon 

 their surface and the circumstances of situ- 

 ation, etc., would not apply so positively to 

 any other species. — Eds. 



Bitis' ittti 



Species mentioned in this issue ; — 

 Eider Duck, Wood Duck, Canada 

 Goose, American Woodcock. 



606. EiDEK Duck. 



This bird breeds abundantly on the coasts 

 of both hemispheres. In North America it 

 breeds most abundantly along the coasts of 

 Labrador and countries to the northward. 

 The nest is built in crevices and sheltered 

 spots among the rocks, amid low bushes, 

 moss, etc. It is composed of such sub- 

 stances as sea- weed, grass, moss, bits of 

 wood, and down from the birds themselves. 

 The nests are built in communities of from 

 five to even hundreds. The eggs are from 

 5 to 7, pale olive-green, and 3 inches long 

 by 2 inches wide. In shape they are long- 

 ly ovoid, with the usual blunt small end. 

 As soon as the eggs are laid, the female 

 plucks down from her breast and places it 

 around and beneath them, w^hich forms, 

 probably the softest lining made by any spe- 

 cies of bird,' and " soft as eider down," has 

 become an old time saying. 



Within the last few years, the Eider 

 Duck has been found to breed inland, on 

 some of the lakes of the Hudson Bay re- 

 gion ; here, at least, both birds and eggs 

 are much more secure from the raids made 

 upon them by the north Atlantic fishermen 

 than on the open sea. 



587. Wood Duck. 



Unlike most Ducks, the Wood or Sum- 

 mer Duck nests in trees, a conspicuous ex- 

 ample of the exceptions that occur in the 

 habits of birds closely allied to each other. 

 A deserted Woodpecker's, squirrel's or mar- 

 ten's hole is the situation usually occupied. 

 In this hole are placed the eggs, numbering 

 from six to twelve, or even more, upon a 

 lining of dry grasses, weeds, feathers, down 

 etc. As a general thing the Wood Duck 

 prefers to nest over deep swamps and cane- 

 brakes, and in secluded places where there 

 are numerous dead tree stumps. Not unfre- 

 quently, they nest in the hollow formed by 

 the decaying of a stump, where the trunk 

 had broken oflT; Audubon states that he 

 found a nest in the fissure of a rock. So 

 far as ascertained, no nests have ever been 

 found on the ground. 



