116 



THB OOLOOI8T 



The 2% of Failures. 



As I read the various articles that 

 came out in THE OOLOGIST, ninety- 

 eight per cent of which are stories of 

 success, I often think of the fine sets 

 I didn't get. Many an hour of close 

 hard searching of the ground 

 bordering meadows and boggy 

 pastures, have I put in search- 

 ing for a Jack Snipe, nest and 

 eggs. But after more than thirty- 

 five years in the field all I have to 

 show is a part of one egg shell, while 

 a playmate and a boyhood friend of 

 mine has found several nests and eggs 

 of the Whip-poor-will and showed me 

 exactly where and how they nested, 

 I have never been able to find a set. 

 A brother of mine has often found the 

 eggs of the Night Hawk, but I have 

 never been able to find a set. 



Then again I have found five or six 

 sets of Killdeer and four of American 

 Woodcock, while I know of persons 

 who have never found of either for 

 themselves. I have found several 

 nests of the Prairie Hen but never 

 could find one of the Ruffed Grouse or 

 Bob-white. Yet many a farmer has 

 told me of Grouse and Quail nests 

 they have found. Another elusive 

 nest to me is the Least Bittern. 

 fScreech Owls and White breasted 

 Nuthatch are among my common 

 finds, while many a collector would 

 give a lot for just one set of each of 

 their own find. Just recently I read 

 an article of a party who has found 

 but one Belted Kingfisher's nest, and 

 then not eggs. Well that is the kind 

 I found once at least but many is the 

 set of eggs I have dug out too. Every 

 now and then I used to find a tiny nest 

 in the clover or June grass with four 

 or five very small white eggs covered 

 thickly with fine pink specks, but now 

 for years I have been unable to find 

 any. Another bird that has always 



eluded me with the nest is the Oven 

 bird. 



On page 49 last col. lines 29-30-31-32 

 for face read phase. 



Geo. W. H. Vos Burgh. 

 Columbus, Wis. 



Among the Birds of the Virginia Coast 



By B. R. Bales, M.D., Circleville, Ohio 



To one who lives inland, far from 

 the sea, a trip to the coast with its 

 thousands of breeding sea birds is a 

 never-to-be-forgotten experience. The 

 writer spent the month of June, 1919, 

 upon an island off the coast of Vir- 

 ginia, and this article is a chronicle 

 of the nests observed. 



The first day among the birds was 

 spent upon a small crescent shaped 

 island of sand, which for convenience 

 we will call "Sandy Island." It is so 

 slightly elevated above the sea level, 

 that extra high tides sweep over it, 

 and some years the whole population 

 of young birds is destroyed. 



There was a large colony of Com- 

 mon Terns breeding here, the nests 

 being scattered over an area of sev- 

 eral miles. Very little work in nest 

 building is done by this species, — 

 there is simply a hollow in the sand 

 with a few bits of beach grass for a 

 lining; some nests lacked even the 

 few blades of grass. But very few 

 complete sets of three eggs were seen 

 on this date, (June 3rd), most of the 

 nests containing but one or two eggs, 

 although about twenty-five nests con- 

 tained their full complement. A nest 

 of the Oystercatcher containing three 

 eggs with incubation far advanced 

 was found on this date. The nest was 

 simply a depression in the sand, spar- 

 ingly lined with bits of sea shell. 



Upon our return to the island that 

 was to be my base of operations, a 

 nest of the Osprey containing two 

 badly incubated eggs was discovered, 



