THE OOLOGIST. 



Devoted to Birds and Birds' Eggs 



THIRD PUBLICATION YEAR. 



S. L. WILLARD, . . . . . EDITOE, 

 Assisted by able Associate Editors. 



TERMS: 

 Porty cents a Tear in advance, postage paid. 



Items on Ornithology and Oology solicited. 



J^^Tliose wishing to dispose of bii-ds' eggs 

 or skins will find The Oologist the best 

 means of communicating the fact to a large 

 class of collectors of any paper published. 

 Specimen copy for stamp. 



Address all communications to 



THE OOLOGIST, 



Utica, N. Y, 



Oneida Street, 



MARCH, 1877. 



VOLUME THREE. 



TT is not our purpose to discuss the rela- 

 tive merits and imperfections of the past 

 volume of this paper, though we are com- 

 pelled to cherish a feeling that in contents, 

 it was very much better than the preceding 

 volume ; suffice it, that in its present rate 

 of progress, with proper encouragement, 

 we trust it will ere long, fill no small place 

 in ornithological literature. We have striv- 

 en- to assume a plain, matter of fact expres- 

 sitDn,- avoiding technicalities as much 

 as possible. It is our object to pre- 



sent the current ornithology in a concise 

 manner, intelligible to the amateur collect- 

 or, and to make the columns of our maga- 

 zine a medium of general information for 

 the student of ornithology, at the same time 

 maintaining the special importance of its 

 individual contributions. 



Since its establishment. The Oologist 

 has gained the countenance of a large class 

 of practical observers, thus placing at our 

 disposal interesting facts from all over the 

 country. Many of our contributors are ac- 

 knowledged authorities on the subjects of 

 ornithology and oology ; and, as papers are 

 promised for the present volume by authors 

 of well known ability, it is expected that it 

 will even surpass Volume II in the value 

 of its contents. Collectors Avill find our 

 Oological department always replete with 

 notes on the eggs and nests of interesting 

 species and notices of peculiarities in nid- 

 ification and oviposition ; and in order that 

 such notes may be gleaned Irom all parts of 

 the country, we invite communication and 

 solicit such items in oology as fall under 

 the notice of correspondents. Items regard- 

 ing the discovery of the eggs and nests of 

 rare species are especially desirable. 



As frequently as practicable, illustrations 

 of our little known or remote species will 

 be introduced, Avith full descriptions of the 

 birds, thus bringing the reader into connec- 

 tion, as it were, with a periodical ornithol- 

 ogy, always handy and as reliable as the 

 more expensive bird-books. As a speci- 

 men of the class of engravings we propose 

 to publish, we would refer our friends to 

 the one appearing in the present number. 

 Our Ornithological columns are not confined 

 exclusively to North American avi-fauna, 

 though preference is always given to native 

 species : many foreign varieties present such 

 an interesting field for study, and are so 

 peculiar in themselves, that they claim rec- 

 ognition even in a magazine of this kind. 

 We have therefore, made arrangements for 

 a series of rich engravings of some of the 

 most important exotic species, which we 

 shall present from time to time. 



Naturalists and collectors in want of 



