thistlebird, etc. They arrive here 



early in May and remain until late 



in the fall. In size they are as 



large as our domestic canary. The 



nest is composed largely of thistle 



blows, and is placed in trees and 



bushes from two to ten feet from 



the ground. Although these birds 



arrive quite early in the spring, they 



seldom begin nesting until July, and 



like other of our smaller birds the 



period of incubation of the four or 



live grayish-white eggs is only about 



a week. This is one of the most 



beautiful of our summer visitors, 



and in this section (central New 



York,) are very common. M. T. J. 



— From Tidings From Nature. 

 >♦»•-•" 



EXCHANGES. 



Exchange column free to our subscribers. 



— I have a fine lot of U. S. cents and 

 half cents, some uncirculated; also 

 colonial hard times tokens. . War 

 tokens, store cards, foreign coins, 

 and silver. Correspondence solicited. 

 Address R. R. Gay, 36 Marietta St., 

 Rochester N. Y. 



— Mounted Birds. — I will exchange 

 for collections of eggs, (two of each 

 kind,) and no less than sixty different 

 kinds of medium and large ones, 

 and one hundred small ones, the 

 following Mounted Birds, all dated 

 and labelled by me. 1 Baltimore 

 Oriole; 1 Carolina Rail; 1 Chest- 

 nut-sided Warbler; 1 Red Wing 

 Starling; 1 Black and White Creeper; 

 1 Red Start; 1 Gold Finch; 1 Blue- 

 bird; 1 Black Cap; 8 Titmice. These 

 birds are all mounted on collection 

 stands by me and are some of my 

 best work, and are all labelled, when 

 shot and by myself. Address John 



F. Jones 526 Fourth Avenue, Mai- 

 den, Mass. 



OUR PREilUI LIST. 



To every person sending us 35 

 cents for one years subscription to 

 The Ornithologist we will send 

 any one, or any group of the follow- 

 ing first class side blown eggs. 



1. One egg of Cala. Thrasher 



9. 

 10. 



" Brown Towhee 

 " Cactus Wren 

 "West Wood Pewee 

 " Kildeer Plover 

 each of 11 and 149 a 

 " " 63a " 170a 

 " "231c" 274 

 « « 264 " 278 

 " " 482 " 460 



.40 

 .25 



.50 

 .40 

 .25 

 .35 



.28 

 .32 

 .28 

 .30 



The above excellent offers will 

 hold good till the next issue of our 

 little journal June loth. 



— Near Beaver Lake, in the Nation- 

 al Park of the Yellowstone, a recent 

 party of explorers came upon a re- 

 markable mountain of obsidian or 

 volcanic glass, which rises in colum- 

 nar cliffs several hundred feet in 

 height. It being desirable to pass 

 that way, the party cut a road by 

 building huge fires on the glass to 

 heat and expand it, and then dash- 

 ing the cold water of the lake 

 against the heated surface — the sud- 

 den contraction thus produced break- 

 ing large fragments from the side 

 of the mountain. In the grand 

 canyon of the Gibson River, the ex- 

 plorers also found precipices of yel- 

 low, black and banded obsidian ris- 

 ing hundreds of feet. The natural 

 glass of these localities has from 

 time immemorial been dressed by 

 the Indians to tip their spears and 

 arrows. 



