136 



THE OOLOGIST 



Doves Using Old Nests of Robins 



In reading the last issue of The 

 Oologist I was interested in the article 

 "Doves Mimicking Cowbirds." The 

 following evidence may be of interest. 



No. 1. In the spring of 1918 a pair 

 of Doves built a nest on a particular 

 limb of a box elder tree near my resi- 

 dence. Eggs were deposited but later 

 the nest was destroyed by Jaybirds. 

 Early in the spring of 1919 a pair of 

 Robins built a nest on the identical 

 spot. Whether they reared their 

 young or not I do not know. Some 

 weeks later I noticed a Dove sitting 

 on the same nest and know hat she 

 reared her young. The cavity of the 

 nest had been filled in with a few 

 roots and sticks by the Doves. 



No. 2. During the spring of 1918 a 

 pair of Robins built a nest on the 

 branch of an elm tree, under which I 

 pass four times daily. The spring of 

 1919 a pair of Doves used the old nest 

 apparently without any repairing and 

 the young left the nest the 24th of 

 June. 



This is the first instance that I ob- 

 served Doves adopting other birds' 

 nests. 



The nests above referred to are now 

 in the University Museum. 



W. H. Over, 

 June 27, 1919. Vermillion, S. Dak. 



My Chickadee Guests 

 By Stewart H. Burnham 

 "When piped a tiny voice hard by, 

 Gay and polite, a cheerful cry. 

 Chic-chickadee-dee! saucy note 

 Out of sound and merry throat, 

 As if it said, "Good day, good sir! 

 Pine afternoon, old passenger! 

 Happy to meet you in these places, 

 Where January brings few faces." 

 At Glenwood, Hudson Falls, N. Y., 

 an old medium sized grape basket, to 

 which cords were attached, holding it 

 when the window sash was let down, 



was placed on the window sill. The 

 basket was lined with newspapers 

 which were changed every few days. 

 Two or three times on opening the 

 window, the basket fell to the ground; 

 so afterwards the cords were looped 

 about a yardstick in the room. If the 

 wind blew very hard a small piece of 

 marble was placed in the basket, to 

 keep the paper from blowing out. 



The first Chickadee found the bas- 

 ket, December 17th, two or three days 

 after it had been put out. Then they 

 continued to come every day; from be- 

 fore sunrise until after sunset. A 

 Chickadee seemed to be always about 

 and were a great deal of company. 

 Unroasted peanuts, chopped fine in a 

 chopping bowl were put out. Usually 

 the bird would take its bit of peanut 

 and hop to the edge of the basket, 

 hold the meat with its foot, and take 

 tiny bites. The birds usually ate with 

 their backs to the window; but if the 

 wind was blowing hard, they would 

 often times face the window. Often a 

 bird would remain in the bottom of 

 the basket picking up the peanut 

 crumbs, from time to time hopping to 

 the edge of the basket, to make sure 

 another bird was not coming; or again 

 it would remain quietly feeding for 

 two or three minutes. Suddenly 

 through the air would come another 

 Chickadee to the basket, and frighten 

 the other one, which would hop to the 

 edge of the basket, but seldom would 

 leave it. Sometimes when one came 

 and found another there, one of the 

 birds would come against the window 

 pane, "thump," like a flash. 



The Chickadee, eating, woulu eye 

 the others which came, and should one 

 alight on the blinds above the basket, 

 it would look up and eye it sharply 

 but continue eating. Sometimes the 

 one eating would try to drive the 

 others away with open beak; often 

 starting towards the other bird, but 



