The oologist 



11 



Grackles sing at about midnight, not 

 once but many times.- How deliglit- 

 i'uUy soothing is the oft repeated "Coo- 

 coo-cooing" of Mourning Doves at 

 midniglit. Talk about Screech Owls. 

 In vain I listened for the screech of 

 the owl but like myself he was prob- 

 a))ly wondering "What mournful 

 sounds are these I hear? What being 

 comes the gloom to cheer?" Last 

 evening just after dusk I flushed sev- 

 eral Juncos from their retreat in 

 huckleberry vines where they huddled 

 on the dead leaves at the base of the 

 vines. My passage through their night 

 retreat nearly caused them to flutter 

 to one side and dodge into another 

 tangle of huckleberries. 



May 21. While searching for nest of 

 Whip-poor-will my attention was at- 

 tracted by the queerest, most comical 

 conglomeration of bird notes coming 

 from a tree top 45 feet up. It sound- 

 ed so happy go lucky, so deliberate, 

 with short interval between each utter- 

 ance and what a great variety of 

 imitation changing from Vireo, the 

 Wood Thrush, the Towhee, the Cat- 

 bird and the whistle-like trills of the 

 Northern Shrike. I soon detected the 

 yellow banner of the Yellow-breasted 

 Chat and learned that this jovial bird 

 rises to high tree tops at early dawn 

 to pour forth its borrowed "Gab test" 

 from its woodland neighbors. Close 

 by I found the Chat's in a thorn bush 

 in an open sort of place. There were 

 but two eggs and one of the ever pres- 

 ent Cowbirds. Wilson's Thrush and 

 Ovenbird were in full melody but the 

 plaintive Wood Pewee made one feel 

 like resting in some woodland dell and 

 dream the time away. Their's is a 

 "Sedative" kind of voice anyway. In 

 this hillside woodland I detected the 

 songs of Blackburnian, Cerulean, Pine, 

 Magnolia', Black-throated Green, and 

 the Black and White Warblers. At 

 dusk the Whip-poor-wills left the 



woods and went down on the flats 

 when I saw him laying lengthwise a 

 rail as I rode by and not even a break 

 in his oft repeated threat to whip-poor- 

 will. This derisive bird (for I failed 

 to find the nest) was so desirous of 

 keeping me company that he followed 

 me to the suburbs of Bratichport — 

 nearly a mile from his nesting place. 

 Clarence P. Stone. 



THE MARCH OOLOGIST 



We propose to devote most of the 

 March issue to hints, suggestions, and 

 directions useful to oologists and or- 

 nithologists. If you can favor us with 

 any that you think will be beneficial 

 to the fraternity please send them on 

 at once. 



R. M. Barnes. 



NOTICE 



When this issue reaches our read- 

 ers the editor will be in Hollywood, 

 California, at the bedside of a sick 

 mother. If your correspondence is 

 neglected that will be the cause, and 

 we know you will overlook the delay 

 with patience. 



R. M. Barnes. 



A RECORD 



In the spring of 1917 I was stationed 

 at Collinsville, Illinois, and, of course, 

 did the usual field and collection trips 

 when ever possible. On May 3, 1917 

 I collected near Collinsville a set of 

 five eggs of the Brewer's Blackbird. 

 Nowhere am I able to find any refer- 

 ence of this bird breeding that far 

 east. I would like to inquire as to 

 whether this bird is known to be a 

 summer resident of Illinois or was 

 this unusual? 



L. R. Wolfe, 

 1st Lieutenant 64th U. S. Infantry. 



The Brewer's Black Bird has never 

 before nested in Illinois so far as we 

 know. 



R. M. Barnes. 



