68 



THE OOLOGIST. 



A Kingfisher Defends her Home 

 Bravely. 



TI/^HILE out collecting one day, I came 

 ' upon the nest of a Belted Kingfisher 

 in a soft loam bank. Of course the first 

 move was to thump on the ground, to as- 

 certain whether there Avas a bird in the 

 nest. After several hard thumps no bird 

 appeared, so we did not know whether it 

 was best to dig it out or not. Finally we 

 came to the conclusion that we would risk 

 it. Accordingly we doffed our coats, and 

 procuring some sticks, fell to work. The 

 day was hot, and we worked hard, until 

 we had gotten iu about four feet and a half ; 

 then we took a look into the darkness of 

 the hole, but could see nothing. This was 

 not encouraging, but we were in earnest, 

 and I rolled up my sleeve and thrust my 

 arm into the hole, but withdrew it again 

 about as lively as I cohld, as the female bird 

 was still on the nest, after all our efforts to 

 drive her out by thumping on the ground 

 and digging to within an arm's length of 

 her. When I put my arm into the hole, 

 she pecked me so that the blood caine, as 

 if I had cut me with a knife. We then de- 

 termined to see to what extent her mater- 

 nal love would lead her to expose herself. 

 We dug away more dirt, and thrust a stick 

 in. She would come part way out of the 

 hole and attack the stick very furiously, 

 then retreat to the nest. This was repeat- 

 ed many times, and we thought she must 

 have young birds. Determined to find out, 

 we dug almost to the enlargement of the 

 nest, and still the faithful bird refused to at- 

 tempt to escape, but defended her home all 

 the time. Such fidelity in a bird I never 

 saw before. At last, with the aid of a 

 glove, I was enabled to grasp the bird and 

 lift her off the nest, when, to our great sur- 

 prise and joy, we saw five white eggs, 

 which the mother had so gallantly and fear- 

 lessly defended. We took the eggs, which 

 all proved to be fresh, and the brave bird 

 was allowed her freedom, for which she 

 thanked us with the rattle peculiar to the 



species. Was not her defending the eggs 

 rather remarkable, at least much more so 

 than had they been young birds ? 



E. Brooks Gleason. 



Recipe for Mending Eggs. — The fol- 

 lowing has been kindly sent us by Mr. Dick- 

 inson, of Mass. It claims a place among 

 the best for efficiency and practical use : 

 After the pieces are in place, and held to- 

 gether by wet tissue paper, take Venice tur- 

 pentine and white wax, melt together, pour 

 into the egg a small quantity, move the egg 

 so as to form a thin coating inside the shell ; 

 when cold, the egg will be perfectly mend- 

 ed. Here is another method. It is also 

 a good one : Melt ordinary carpenters' glue ; 

 gently press open the cracked portion of the 

 egg a trifle, and with a fine camel-hair 

 brush moisten the edges with the glue ; press 

 together for a minute or so, at the same 

 time removing any glue which may show, 

 with a damp cloth . Valuable eggs so mend- 

 ed are for ordinary purposes as good as any. 



Spizella Soc. Nests on the Ground. 

 — In June, 1873, a Chipping Sparrow's 

 nest was found by the side of a road in Mad- 

 ison County, N. Y., containing three eggs 

 of this bird and one of the Cow Bird. It 

 was firmly imbedded in a depression in the 

 ground, and partially hidden by a tuft of 

 grass. My atteutioQ was called to the spot 

 by the sudden fluttering of the bird from the 

 nest, and never having heard that this spe- 

 cies nested on the ground, the discovery of 

 this instance was quite a novelty. The 

 nest, to all appearances, was constructed 

 of the usual materials : straws, grasses and 

 a few fine roots, and lined with the same 

 material ; it differed only in the matter of 

 the lining which is usually hair. The eggs 

 were like others of this species in coloring 

 and size. The bird seemed unusually wild, 

 and though manifesting much distress, kept 

 some distance away. Avis. 



