THE OOLOGIST. 



75 



on where one is standing and which way 

 he is looking. Tlie egg tliat is laid seventy 

 or eighty feet from terra firma is not in my 

 beat, and I do not want it. The climbers 

 used here have been such as nature gave us, 

 the introduction of the climbing irons being 

 quite a recent thing. 



Now as to how to hunt nests. Hunting 

 at random for the egg in general is, perhaps, 

 the best way for the beginner, as variety 

 and quantity are what he needs; yet, after 

 getting started, it is better to adopt what 

 may be termed still hunting. To follow 

 this you should know the songs of all male 

 birds and the time when each species begins 

 to nest. The song of the male will enable 

 you to locate the pair of birds, as, in case 

 of most of our small birds, he stays near by 

 where the female is building. After find- 

 ing the male, you can station yourself near 

 by and wait until you see the female fly by 

 with building material, to her nest. The 

 male sometimes flies toward her as she goes 

 to the nest. After finding one nest, you 

 can continue on until you come to another 

 pair of birds, and so on. After finding the 

 nests, you can observe their situation and 

 return a week or two later when they have 

 completed their sets, and make collections. 

 This will give you a better chance to ob- 

 serve the habits of the birds, &nA fresh eggs, 

 which are not only easier blown, but make 

 a much more desirable shell for the cabinet. 

 As incubation advances, the shell assumes 

 a dull, sleek appearance, and becomes 

 brittle. 



In case of Rubj^-throated humming bird, 

 you need spend no time on the male, but 

 may locate the female and her nest by the 

 noise of her wings. In one season tne 

 writer found 57 new nests of this species in 

 this way, in another, 35; another, 28; an- 

 other 21. Total for the four seasons, 141. 

 Of Blue-gray Guatcatcher, which is mod- 

 erately rare here, have taken over 30 in one 

 season. In an liour and thirty minutes, I 

 have found six nests of the Hummer, and 

 in two hours, four nests of the Pine-creep- 

 ing Warbler. 



This mode of hunting is most available 

 where the eggs of the rarer small birds are 



desired on some species it could not be prac- 

 ticed. The best time for this hunting is 

 from 6 to 10 o'clock a. m., as most of the 

 building ing is done during those hours. 



Now, Mr. Editor, doubtless you think I 

 should not presume to give so much fath- 

 erly advice, nor consume so much space, 

 but should you think this of no interest, 

 grant it space in the wapte-basket, and you 

 will do me a favor which will be appre- 

 ciated. Oologically, 



K. B. McLaughlin, 



Feb. 8th, '87. Statesville, N. C. 



Bird Surgery. 



Dr. Walter S. Morgan, of Leavenworth, 

 Kan., sends to the Medical Record this 

 curious account of what may be called 

 avarian surgery, related to him in 1876, by 

 the late Joseph O'Brien, Esq. , of Cleveland, 

 Ohio. ' ' On going into his barn, Mr. 

 O'Brien discovered a swallow's nest, and, 

 being a natural observer and lover of ani- 

 mals, he climbed to the nest and found in 

 it two young swallows, one being smaller 

 and less vigorous than the other, and hav- 

 ing a slighter covering of feathers. Upon 

 taking the young bird in his hand he was 

 astonished to find one of its legs very thor- 

 oughly bandaged with horsehair. Having 

 carefully removed the hairs one by one he 

 was still more astonished to find that the 

 nestling's leg was broken. Mr. O'Brien 

 carefully replaced the bird in its nest and 

 resolved to await further developments. 

 Upon visiting the "patient" the next day 

 the leg was again bandaged as before. The 

 bird surgeon was not again interfered with 

 and the case being kept under observation, 

 in about two weeks it was found that the 

 hairs were being cautiously removed, only 

 a few each day, and finally when all were 

 taken off the callus was distinctly felt, and 

 the union of the bone evidently perfect, as 

 the bird was able to fly off with its mates. 

 Such instances may seem incredible to those 

 not yet fully prepared to accept the axiom 

 of the scientists, viz. : ' that the intelligence 

 of animals differs from that of man only in 

 degree and not in kind.' '' 



