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THE OOLOGIST 



Archie Benners. 

 Archie Benners of Ambler, Pa., a son 

 of Geo. B. Benner's, one of the best 

 known oologists of the old schools 

 was killed while fighting with the 

 American army in France. He was 

 struck in battle by a machine gun bul- 

 let and died a few days later in the 

 hospital. Young Benners was a most 

 enthusiastic oologist and with his 

 father's assistance, had built up an es- 

 pecially fine collection. Some years 

 ago he went to the Virginia Military 

 Academy and had been trained into a 

 very able soldier and he was of that 

 class of soldier who are always ready 

 to go into battle. — Ed. 



The Audubon Oriole 



(Icterus audubonii) 



In any of the analytical keys to 

 North American birds the student will 

 find a most complete description of 

 each species and sub-species, and of 

 both male and female, insofar as 

 measurements, coloration and charac- 

 teristic peculiarities are concerned, 

 enabling him to readily classify the 

 specimen in hand. But when it comes 

 to a description of the nests and eggs 

 of some few species we find the ma- 

 terial lacking largely or of doubtful 

 authenticity, and in some instances 

 the dscriptions are entirely wrong. It 

 is my purpose in this article to give 

 my personal experience insofar as col- 

 lecting the nests and eggs of the 

 Audubon oriole is concerned and to 

 give a correct descrption of both nests 

 and eggs. 



The Audubon oriole is limited in its 

 range in the states to southern Texas. 

 I have found them from the lower Rio 

 Grande to the Nueces river, and it 

 may be found a little further east of 

 this river, but I am inclined to think 

 that it is about the limit. It ranges 

 north as far as San Antonio (H. P. 

 Attdater) and I suppose from what I 



know of the country that it may be 

 found in suitable localities anywhere 

 west of San Antonio and south of the 

 Southern Pacific railroad. This bird, 

 like the chestnut-bellied scaled quail, 

 during the past thirty years, extended 

 its range eastward. 



This oriole, unlike our other species, 

 is resident, and in the winter time 

 may sometimes be found to collect in 

 flocks of fifteen or twenty birds. It 

 is not as trimly built as our other 

 species and is rather sluggish in its 

 movements. It might very appropri- 

 ately be called the whistling oriole. 

 When disturbed it has a weak com- 

 plaining note that it may utter but it 

 does not really have a song. I well 

 remember my first introduction to the 

 Audubon oriole. It was in Starr Coun- 

 ty. Texas, in the thick bruhsy bottom 

 of the Rio Grande river. I was mak- 

 ing my way slowly when I come to a 

 sudden stop, feeling certain that a 

 dusky specimen of the genus homo 

 was near at hand, and that I might be 

 an intruder. I did not wish to meet 

 him, for at that time I had not ac- 

 quired enough of the Spanish lan- 

 guage to explain my presence there, 

 and it was always quite embarrassing 

 if not worse. I peered through the 

 thick Leaves but could see nothing. 

 The whistle was repeated just as a 

 person will sometimes whistle in an 

 aimless way; now high, now low, some- 

 times short, sometimes long drawn, 

 but always clear and flute-like. I 

 finally discovered the author and had 

 my first glimpse of the Audubon 

 oriole in his native haunts. They keep 

 pretty closely to the dense thickets 

 and usually nest in such places. Their 

 nests are not any harder to find than 

 those of the other orioles if you know 

 where to look for them. I spent sev- 

 eral years among them before I suc- 

 ceeded in adding the eggs of this 

 species to my collection, but I finally 



