



VOL, I GARLAND, MK., MAY & J jXK, 1890. NOS. 3-4 



MY FIRST COLLECTINa Tii:P. 



WKITTKX FOKXIVISE OUNimOLof; STA>1) 



<t<)l.()<;'St, 



^ V fiJist experience in collecting 

 <)n-uro<l while attondin*:^ a boardiiiir 

 i»<.'h(>ol in the t*as1ern part of this state, 

 tea ytMiva ajro The first nest of the 



uejj.xon the (irent Horned Owl (iJnlo 

 Vei-f^i/tiduvs) was hiiilt in a lofty Elm 

 I're.' nhic'h overhunj^ a steep ravine. 



Ai< the tr«e had no branches for the 

 first thirty t«,'et or so, it made prety 

 ToumI. ••linibin;; forn novi«!e ; consequent- 

 ly v\ he»» I ha'l neaily readied the nest 

 (a nil-re l^nndie of sticks with a few 

 ..iiheisas lining ) a !»nd(len rush apd 

 'wlieer-r-r as the parent bird unexpected* 

 y fhislu'd by alin(»st between my face 

 and the branch which here hung direct- 

 ly oier the ravine, nearly caused mc to 

 luse my hold, however, I managed to 

 'diuf' on and whs rewarde<l with three 



'riiiiiking liic hole miglit contain ^ 

 nest of some kind, Katty after much 

 difilcuity and more puffing managed t<> 

 •*erMini)h' up after me to a place directly 

 over tliL' hole the opening of which be- 

 ing two or three feet down in the 

 perpendicular bank. 



I wanted Fatty t«) anchor himself by 

 taking hold of some shrubs that grev/ 

 near with one hand whi'e I let myself 

 down by clinging toliis; other hand and 

 quickly inserted my hand and arm mto 

 the aperture" and as qui-'kly withdrew 

 them, for a sharp pain in one finger fol- 

 lowed by a crtckefy-ciii'kety-click and 

 what seemed to me a do/ en pair of 

 wings fluttering in my face startled m; 

 into such v iolent motion tiiat Fattysshrub 

 he was clinging lo, "still in his list, .?ame 

 down upon me an i together w" rolled 

 some fifteen or twenty feet down tlie 

 soft clay bank into the muddy shipc at 

 white nearly round eggs which r stowed h^e foot, ""^^ "<''^'*^y i"tothe brook 

 .rs^y in seperate pockets and safely that tlowed at the bottom of the ravine. 



reaeluMl the ground, thankful of escap- 

 «!ig a fall of nearly one hundred foet. 



This was in the middle of March and 

 I found nothii.g more worth noting until 



As we had barely time tochangeour 

 outer garments before '' roll call' did 

 not investigate farther until after school 

 hours, when I returned withamore atli. 



.June first, when with a schoolmate ( a ^'-^^'<' anchor -anchor' in the sliape or 

 sort of brick, and although -ut thirteen j '^ «^^^"o ^^'^v pupil and manag(r(l t.> get 

 years old he weighed one hundred and K'^'*^ ^^■•^M>>-^'tty round pink e-gs as I 

 Keventv pounds and was called .-Fatty'' i 1»'^^'<5^«'*" »" making a subsequent collec 

 ^or short ) We noticed a large hole in '^^^°*^^ ^^^'^ '^'^^ ^^'''■''^^' 

 >i high clay hi ilk, inthesamfj invineund 



Of ourse. vou have ideiitifird tlij 



i«ot far froDi the oak tree 



I owner of the nest as t"ic 



o 



