THE OOLOGIST 



111 



the bird dances until tlie dazzled and 

 susceptible female bird yields to the 

 combined display of magnificence and 

 agility. — Short Stories — W. A. Strong, 

 San Jose, Cal. 



THE CAT QUESTION 



New Jersey already has an act to 

 license the cat, and New York, Massa- 

 chusetts, Maine, and other states are 

 discussing the question. 



E. A. Porbush, the State ornitholo- 

 gist of Massachusetts, has made a 

 careful study of the cat's depredations, 

 and he says it is more dangerous to 

 birds than any native animal that 

 roams the woods. It is a nocturnal 

 hunter, a splendid climber, a good 

 stalker, and a strong leaper. More- 

 over, it is only half domesticated and 

 reverts to the wild state more easily 

 than the dog. Statistics show that the 

 ordinary city cat destroys at least one 

 bird a week. The semi-wild cat in the 

 country lives entirely upon birds and 

 small animals. 



If we would protect ourselves, we 

 must protect the birds. There are 

 birds that eat their weight in insects 

 each day. If it were not for these 

 birds the earth would become un- 

 inhabitable in a few years. 



In the proposed bill, owners of pel 

 cats will be required to pay only 

 thirty-five cents for a license. Of this 

 sum, twenty-five cents goes to the 

 town or county, eight cents goes to 

 the State Treasurer, and two cents to 

 the clerk issuing the license. 



The aim of the bill is to reduce the 

 number of the half-wild, roving, 

 ownerless cats, fifty thousand of wliich 

 are taken in New York City, annually, 

 and also to take from our parks and 

 woods and bird sanctuaries, the well- 

 fed cats that make their living by kill- 

 ing birds — The Classmate. — W. A. 

 Strong, San Jose, Cal. 



GROUND NESTING OF THE BROWN 

 THRASHER 



Some weeks ago I wrote a short note 

 on ground nesting of the Brown 

 Thrasher here. Since that date I have 

 been very lucky again. On June 5th, 

 1922, I was "following my profession," 

 fruit growing, and in the course of 

 the day's work, as I drove the Fordson 

 and disc by a certain row of peach 

 trees I noted a Thrasher leave the 

 spot. Soon I got curious, and investi- 

 gated. I found a Brown Thrasher set- 

 ting on five eggs. The bird was very 

 tame: I caught her in my hands and 

 she now wears B'ological Survey band 

 No. 28767. I was very sorry to have to 

 break up the nest, but because of its 

 location I knew that it could not es- 

 cape the many working crews who 

 must go past, so I took both eggs and 

 nest and have them in my possession 

 now. The nest was of usual make ex- 

 cept that the bottom layer was of 

 course heavy twigs evidently dragged 

 on the ground instead of carried by 

 wing. Nest was located in a small 

 clump of new growth of sassafras. 

 The enclosed picture shows a little of 

 the situation but was the best I could 

 do with the equipment at hand. Wish 

 it showed how well sicuated the uesi 

 was It was really the most bona fide 

 growing nest of the Thrasher that I 

 have seen, as the base of the nest was 

 squarely on the ground and very large 

 compared to the size of the nest 

 proper. Almost as curious as the 

 ground nest was the tameness of the 

 bird. They nest here in great num- 

 bers and often I have laid a hand on 

 the side of the nest before the female 

 moved. But this was the first time I 

 ever caught one in my hands by the 

 simple process of lifting her off the 

 nest. Hope she has better luck with 

 her next attempt, and if anyone ever 

 catches No. 28767 I surely want to 

 know about it. Johnson Neff, 



