TllB OOLOGI8T 3'^^^>? 



93 



This nest contained one egg and was 

 deserted before identification was 

 complete. 



In view of the fact that the birds 

 have been heard singing on different 

 occasions during the nesting season, 

 together with the above records, leads 

 to the conclusion that the Bachman's 

 Sparrow although rare, is a regular 

 breeder in the southern part of Penn- 

 sylvania. 



James B. Carter. 



through the Pearly Gates with his col- 

 lection. 



George D. Peck. 

 Salem, Ore. 



SHUFELDT'S JUNCO. 



This Junco is one of our familiar 

 birds. I have found them near the 

 California line. They never seem to 

 be ' numerous anywhere. I generally 

 find one nest a year. 



If you do not see the bird building 

 the nest you have a small chance of 

 finding it. You may see the male bird, 

 but he is too wise to let you know 

 where the nest is. The nest is a neai 

 structure placed under a bunch of 

 ferns or dry grass, and is nearly even 

 with the top of the ground. The eggs 

 are from three to five, but there are 

 generally four in every nest. 



I think they have a second brood, 

 but am not sure. They bring their 

 young near the house, and I have a 

 good chance to see the change of 

 plumage. Sometime in August they 

 disappear, and when I see them again 

 they are in a fiock of about fifteen. It 

 is a mystery to me how they sort 

 themselves out when they get in a 

 flock of Oregon Juncoes. 



I am feeding a small flock now. 

 They come regularly for their food. I 

 well remember the Slate-colored Jun- 

 co in the Berkshire Hills. They nest- 

 ed on the mountain there, but I never 

 found a nest. If I had, I would not 

 have dared to take the eggs, for in 

 those days it was a deadly sin to take 

 a bird's nest. What a time the Editor 

 of The Oologist will have getting 



Robins and Bluebirds. 



Charles F. Moore. 



The condition of Robins and Blue- 

 birds in Rutherford County, N. C, is 

 becoming alarming. Since 1910 these 

 birds have decreased steadily. Where- 

 as in the winter of 1910-11 these spe- 

 cies were here in great numbers. Now 

 they are very scarce. 



In the winter named there were 

 thousands of Robins in this locality. 

 They were in the town of Cliffside in 

 flocks of hundreds, and in many in- 

 stances became quite tame. Now 

 there are no robins in town and, in 

 fact, I have not seen a single Robin 

 this fall and winter. 



With the Bluebirds it is slightly bet- 

 ter than with the Robins. On the 7th 

 of this month (January) I saw a fiock 

 of about fifty Bluebirds. This is the 

 first time I have seen so many in over 

 a year. I found one nest last season, 

 in a pine snag in the water, about six 

 feet up. I spent considerable time in 

 the vicinity of this nest, as it was the 

 only one I found. The Bluebird is 

 one of my favorite birds, and I regret 

 that there may be none here in a few 

 years more. 



A SET OF FIVE OF THE WESTERN 

 RED-TAIL. 



Perhaps some of THE OOLOGIST 

 readers might be interested in hearing 

 of the taking of a clutch of "Western 

 Chicken Hawk Eggs." Out here very 

 few people call them by their right 

 name of Western Red-Tail. 



Having noticed the activity of a pair 

 of these birds in the vicinity of an old 

 nest quite frequently, I decided to in- 

 vestigate the nest as I only possessed 

 a very inferior clutch of these eggs. 



