THE OOLOGIST 



36 



Two miles west from where the above 

 was seen a flock of about 25 was ob- 

 served on the University Campus, 

 where they remained for several days. 



On March 20, of the same year, a 

 pair — male and female — was observed 

 some ten miles west of the Univer- 

 sity. 



At this writing, January 12, 1917, 

 no Purple Finches have been seen or 

 reported to me this winter. I will, 

 however, pay closer attention and be 

 on the lookout for them in the future 

 and will report to the readers of The 

 Oologist if any appear. 



Albert Lano, 

 Fayetteville, Ark. 



Bumble Bees and Wrens Nests. 



While looking for Least Bittern 

 nests at Great Island, Lyme, Connec- 

 ticut, the cattails being full of Marsh 

 Wrens' nests, of course I tried a few, 

 and as I was about to stick my finger 

 in another nest, there was a great 

 buLzing and out came a bumble bee. I 

 tore the nest open and found the bee 

 had started to make a comb. 



Now, in most all of the dummy 

 nests, and a few other nests, there are 

 bees. I opened a few of the nests 

 which were made to raise a brood in, 

 and found that the eggs were broken; 

 some had two and others three. 



Now, the question is, did the bees 

 break the eggs, or did the Wrens 

 break them trying to drive out the 

 bees? Has any one ever had the same 

 experience? 



N. E. WILMOT, 

 West Haven, Conn. 



Life Saved by a Robin. 



While out collecting once I was fool- 

 ish enough to cross a railroad trestle 

 and when half way across a train ap- 

 proaching from the other direction 

 thundered past and frightened a Robin 

 from off its nest. I turned around to 



see what the bird was and saw about 

 one hundred yards in back of me on 

 the same track I was on an express 

 coming at about ninety miles an hour. 

 It is needless to say I made the water 

 fifteen feet below in one jump, if I did 

 go up to my waist. 



T. E. McMullen. 



Mareca Penelope In Virginia. 



I wish to record another specimen 

 of the European Widgeon, a fine male, 

 shot by T. E. Williams on Back Bay, 

 Virginia, December 27, 1916. This is 

 now the third specimen of this duck 

 in my collection taken in this section, 

 Harold H. Bailey, 

 Newport News, Va. 



F. H. LATTIN. 



The following from Mr. A. M. Eddy, 

 of Albion, New York, who prints and 

 mails The Oologist for us, is prompted 

 by the note in last month's issue rela- 

 tive to our old friend. Dr. Frank H. 

 Lattin : 



He, in his time, and perhaps even to- 

 day, is the best known bird eggs man 

 in the United States. The tally sheet 

 forwarded with the communication 

 gives the figures of Dr. Lattin's elec- 

 tion, by which it appears that out of 

 7,767 votes he received 4,582, certainly 

 an indorsement from his neighbors 

 which he may well feel proud. Though 

 everybody knows that all other con- 

 siderations being- equal, an Oologist is 

 superior and preferable for all pur- 

 poses and at all times to any other 

 member of that family of animals 

 known in science as featherless bi- 

 peds. 



We congratulate Dr. Frank H. Lat- 

 tin and trust that he will make as 

 pronounced a success in his new busi- 

 ness as he did in his old business of 

 birds' eggs. 



The Editor. 



"I notice your remarks, in this issue 



