40 



THE OOLOGIST. 



excepting a shell-marking of purplish drab, 

 giving it a much richer appearance. In 

 some eggs before me, the spots almost con- 

 ceal the ground color, while others are 

 necked quite sparingly; and the sizes are 

 almost as variant. 



The Cardinal Grosbeak has a peculiar, 

 and to the collector, very vexing habit of 

 breaking the eggs of its own nest in an 

 attempt to carry them off, when it has been 

 touched by the intruder, or even when the 

 bird has reason to know it has- been 

 discovered. 



I once found a nest accidentally, while 

 on an errand, and without even touching 

 the nest, went on, intending to secure the 

 eggs on my return. What was my surprise 

 and vexation, however, on coming back 

 justin time to see the female bird stick her 

 bill into and try to fly off with the last egg! 



I have never seen this habit of the bird 

 mentioned in any accounts of it, but I am 

 certain of it from repeated experience. 



F. W. Clay, Ann Arbor, Mich. 



Notes from Southern Kansas. 



1887— July 27th I took my last set for 

 '87 which was a set of three Yellow Billed 

 Cuckoo. Nest in an elm tree about twenty 

 feet up. Incubation advanced. 



Serjt. 20th. I saw an English Sparrow 

 carrying straws for its nest. Is'nt that rath 

 er late? 



Oct. 25th. I counted twenty-seven 

 Night Hawks flying south-east. They did- 

 not congregate in flocks but flew by, one by 

 one. I did not see two together in the 

 twenty seven. 



Nov. 3rd. Saw a Little Screech Owl in a 

 grove about a half mile west of town. It is 

 a rare visitor here. 



1888— Jan. 23rd. Saw three flocks of 

 geese containing forty seven flying north- 

 ward. They were flying high. It is very 

 seldom thej r ever light near here during 

 their migration. 



Feb. 18th. The birds have commenced 

 to arrive here. Saw several Chickadees, 

 Sparrows, of all kinds, many Blue Jays, 

 Crows, Blue Birds, Wood-pecker and Nut- 



hatches. 



Feb. 20th. Saw a pair of English Spar- 

 rows building their nest. That is, I mean 

 the female was doing Ihe building, while 

 the male sat close by attending to his 

 toilet. 



Feb. 21st. Discovered a pair of Blue 

 Birds building their nest in a fence post; 

 the nest was about half completed. 



Feb. 22nd. The Robins nirived here to- 

 day. I saw quite a mumber for the first 

 time this year. 



I have seen several English Sparrows 

 building during the past week. These pests 

 begin early and rear from four to six broods 

 in a season. I remember of seeing one 

 carrying material for its nest during the lat- 

 ter part of September. 



They place their nests in such places that no 

 body can get at them, and on account of 

 their numbers they can drive away any spe- 

 cies that dares to molest them. They gen- 

 erally rear their young in peace. 



Charles T. Hepburn, Fort Scott, Kansas. 



An Odd Nesting Place. 



On a barn in the suburbs of New York 

 City, there is a weather-vane tn the shape 

 of a horse, which has in it a bullet hole a 

 little over an inch in diameter. 



Now a weather-vane is at the most, but 

 an inch and a half in thickness, but still 

 this small space was utilized, by a pair of 

 house wrens, as a home, and here they have 

 bred for two years. I often sat and. 

 watched these little workers, trying to carry 

 small sticks into this tiny space, but as tte 

 entrance was in the bottom of the horse, 

 they never succeeded in the undertaking, 

 and at last gave it up, and built their nest 

 entirely of soft materials. 



They never seemed to mind the motion of 

 the vane, and many a time as I have been 

 passing, I have stopped to listen to the clear 

 sweet notes, coming from that small throat, 

 as the male bird perched upon the horse, 

 sang his love song to his better half, while 

 she tended her house-hold duties upon the 

 inside. In this stronghold they have raised 

 three broods; one the summer before last, 

 and two last summer, the latter brood con- 

 taining seven young. - W. J. S. 



