THE OOLOGIST 



13 



A Newsy Letter from Massachusetts. 



Editor of the Oiilogist: 



I have been a subscriber to the OoLO- 

 GiST ever since it commenced its existence, 

 and have made some exchanges with and 

 some purchases of the popular editor. I 

 can congratulate him on his wonderful 

 success in both editing his magazine and 

 handling so many natural Jiistory speci- 

 mens. I also have been very much in-fer- 

 ested in the many articles that have appeared 

 from time to time in the columns of this 

 popular magazine, from different parts of 

 this country, more especially in an article 

 from the pen of Dr. W. S. Strode, of Illi- 

 nois, entitled, "A DifBcult Climb After a 

 Red-tailed Hawk's Nest," found in the 

 May and June numbers. ^ 



It recalled an experience I had in 1882 

 with the same variety of bird. While liv- 

 ing at home, in Buckland Co., Mass., I 

 found a nest of the Red-tailed Hawk in 

 my father's wood lot, not far from the 

 house, on a very tall and large beech tree" 

 It was full thirty feet to the first limb, and 

 then ten or twelve feet to the next. I knew 

 that if I succeeded in reaching the first, 

 which was a small one, it would be ex- 

 tremely diificult to climb to +he second. 

 Anyone who has ever climbed a beech 

 tree, knows that the bark is very smooth, 

 and it is almost impossible to " stick to it" 

 in climbing. I soon found that even with 

 the help of ladders I couldn't ascend the 

 tree. It stood on a side hill, and so I 

 climbed a small tree on the upper side and 

 soon discovered that some fifteen feet from 

 me were three fine eggs. I went to the 

 house, got a long pole, nailed a piece of tin 

 in the form of a circle to the end, and fas- 

 tened to it a small bag made out of a stock- 

 inet. I then, with the help of my brother, 

 scooped the three Red-tailed Hawk's eggs 

 out of the nest, and safely reached the 

 ground with them. 



As they were fresh laid eggs I soon had 

 them blown and added to my cabinet. I 

 took these three eggs from that nest April 

 10, 1882. The old birds never nested there 

 again, but May 17, of the same year, a 

 little over a month after, I took five Coop- 



er Hawk's eggs, all fresh laid, from the 

 same nest, in the same manner, and with 

 the same success. 



1 have a nice collection of eggs obtained 

 both by collecting and exchange, but busi- 

 ness cares, etc., have prevented me from 

 adding many eggs to my cabinet, during- 

 the past two or three years. 



1 remember here a little incident that 

 happened, I think, in 1872, when I was 

 teaching in Capron, Boone Co. , Illinois. I 

 went out to look for Prairie Chicken's 

 nests, in company with one of my scholars,, 

 in a slough near by covered with tall grass. 

 As we were beating around in the grass we 

 heard a hissing sound. My companion said 

 it was a rattlesnake, and advised me to run. 

 I had never seen such a reptile, so we went 

 to a rail fence and got a couple of stakes, 

 with which to protect ourselves, and com- 

 menced to look for his snakeship. When, 

 lo! after a few minutes, we saw standing- 

 ing on the edge of a large nest on the 

 ground, three little Marsh Hawks, and they 

 were hissing for all they were worth. They 

 were saucy, spunky, little chaps. I picked 

 up two half shells, as mementoes, and have 

 them yet. That was the first and last 

 Marsh Hawk's nest I have ever found. 



E. G. Ward, Three Rivers, Mass. 



A Q,uery from Chautauqua. 



I have been reading your paper for the 

 last few mouths with a great deal of pleas- 

 ure. I think it very interesting for the old. 

 as well as the young, if interested in natu- 

 ral history, and I would advise all to take 

 advantage of you very liberal ofiier and 

 " subscribe at once." I would like to ask 

 through your paper if all weasels turn 

 white? Some claim that they remain white 

 the year round, but I am well satisfied that 

 they change as I have been mounting some, 

 and the first one caught, about the first of 

 November, was partly changed. Another 

 caught about the 24th of the same month 

 was pure white, except the end of the tail. 



I must speak of the Resurrection Plant, 



as being one the prettiest and most curious 



of plants. It causes universal admiration. 



A. E. KiBBE, Mayville, N. Y. 



