THE OOLOGIST. 



^AA uJ/ 



95 



A Swallow's Nest(?) — While dig- 

 ging for Sand Swallows last year, I saw a 

 nest that looked from descriptions I have 

 read like a CliiF Swallow's nest. It was 

 made of pellets of mud, and on the outside 

 had a few lichens ; it contained no eggs. 

 Is it not rather rai-e to find a Cliff Swallow's 

 nest in such a position, in this part of the 

 country? S. Cunningham. 



It would be difficult to determine without 

 a more concise description of the nest, 

 whether it was that of a Cliff Swallow or 

 Pewee ; the presence of lichens are indica- 

 ative of that of the latter, yet, as the for- 

 mer, often employs vegetable substances, 

 such as straws, grasses, and occasionally a 

 bit of moss, it is possible that the nest above 

 mentioned, if very little lichen were used, 

 was that of a Cliff Swallow. Though we 

 have never discovered a nest of this species 

 in the position above mentioned nor know 

 personally of such, yet the liabit of building 

 on cliffs is undoubtedly practiced in a few 

 localities in populous districts. This hab- 

 it, in the case of individvial pairs, has de- 

 scended from their ancestors, who in times 

 when the eaves of buildings were not ac- 

 cessible, habitually attached their nests to 

 cliffs. Dr. Coues mentions its breeding in 

 large numbers on the facades of the cliffs 

 of the northwestern rivers, but even there, 

 it prefers to build its nest under eaves when 

 possible. The bottle -shaped structures 

 these birds used primitively are now sel- 

 dom seen, and only iu isolated portions of 

 the country upon cliffs ; the typical nest is 

 a semicircular shell of agglutinated mud- 

 pellets, with an entrance at its upper con- 

 junction with the eave. We are bound to 

 say, however, that the common Fewee or 

 Phcebe very frequently attaches its nest to 

 the sides of banks and cliffs, as well as in 

 the nooks and on the beams of buildings. 



A Nest of the €k^ii:A'x' .Huuj>u4D Owl 

 ON THE Ground. — While out hunting a 

 few years since, Mr. J. P. Davis of Utica, 

 accidentally flushed a large bird from the ^ 

 ground and shot it. It was a C ret rt ttom-^044i 

 ed Owl, and the circumstance that the bird 

 had risen from the ground pointed to some 

 cause for its being there. After due scru- 

 tiny and without much trouble, a nest of 

 sticks was found in close proximity to the 

 spot whence the Owl had been flushed, con- 

 taining eggs, the number of which we did 

 not learn. To our knowledge this find has 

 no precedent, although this bird has been 

 known to nest on or in the crevices of 

 rocks. 



We desire our young friends this season, 

 every time they go on collecting tours, to 

 take along with them a note-book, and care- 

 fully note down any particular in connection 

 with the nest, eggs, and nesting habits of 

 every bird whose eggs they are brought in- 

 to contact with, that appear in the slightest 

 degree peculiar. Condense these notes and 

 forward them to us, with any explanation 

 of the recorded peculiarities you are lead 

 by your observations to make. Such notes 

 will aid us wonderfully to make these col- 

 umns a standard repository of oological in- 

 formation, that no live collector can do 

 without. 



We understand that the Arctic Expedi- 

 tion imder command of Captain Howgate, 

 is making some noteworthy investigations. 

 The oology of the region is expected to be 

 represented by valuable specimens. 



A CORRESPONDENT in Bostou writes us 

 of the supposed finding of a Crossbill's nest 

 in Vermont, in February, containing young 

 birds. We also see the announcement in 

 the last number of the Naturalist and Fan- 

 cier. If this note is true, we trust the col- 

 lector with whom the information originated 

 will endeavor another year to find a nest 

 with eggs, which stand among the foremost 

 in value, in the list of North American 

 birds' eggs. Hunt for 'em in December, 

 friend ; if that is a little too early, keep 

 your eyes upon the movements of the birds, 

 and you may have the satisfaction of find- 

 ingr out something worth knowino:. 



