THE OOLOGIST. 



After gathering nil the egga we could con- 

 veniently carry away, we started for home. 

 We found that we had eggs of the following, 

 viz., Snowy Heron, Little Blue Heron, 

 Louisana Heron, Green Heron, Night 

 Heron, American Egret, and Snake Bird. 

 We felt well repaid for the days tramp and 

 that night slept peacefully, to dream of 

 Herons, Egrets, &c. Oologically, 



T. G. Pearson, Archer, Fla. 



Among the Arctic Terns. 



On June 13th, of the present year ('87) 

 I made arrangements with the owner of a 

 small fishing boat, to land me on Pumpkin 

 Island, Eastern Egg Rock, and Thrumb Cap 

 Island. On the 14th, we came within sight 

 of Pumpkin Island. 



As we neared the shore, the Arctic Terns 

 rose from the rocks l>3 r the hundreds, with 

 S3reeches that were intended, perhaps, to 

 drive us from their abode, but nevertheless 

 we landed. Before I left the island, I had 

 collected 176 sets of the Arctic Tern; 170 

 sets contained 3 eggs each, 2 sets contained 

 4 eggs each, and 4 sets contain 2 eggs 

 each; I did not find a single set that con- 

 tained more than 4 eggs. I found the aver- 

 age size of the eggs to be 1.64 by 1.20. 



The nests were plaoed on rocks, compos- 

 ed of a few pieces of grass and sea weed; 

 some sets were placed on the bare rock. 



I might have easily taken 300 sets of 

 three eggs each, and I intended to take a 

 few more than I did, but on learning from 

 a fisherman that as many as five hundred 

 eggs were taken a few days before I arrived, 

 by people who live along the coast. I asked 

 him what they did with them, and he an- 

 swered saying, they would go on the Island 

 and smash all the eggs they could find, and 

 a day or two after the smashing they would 

 go on and gather all the eggs they could find, 

 the smashing was done so that there would 

 be none but fresh egga. I again asked him 

 what they did with them, and he said they 

 used them for all the purposes that civilized 

 people use hen eggs. 



I went from Pumpkin Island to Thrumb 

 Cap Island, where the Black-crowned 



Night Herons breed by the hundreds. I 

 will perhaps describe my adventures on this 

 island some future time. 



Henry E. Berry, 



Damariscotta, Me. 



A Iiobin 



Wintering in Western New York. 



On January 22d, 1887, a mild spring-like 

 day, I sa-v a Eobin, perched in an apple 

 tree, in a door-yard primming his feathers 

 as calmly as though it were an April day. 



The Robin w T as again noted Jan. 27th, 

 which was a sharp, winter's day, with snow 

 on the ground. 



Our Robin left us last fall, about the 

 first of November, but on the 21st of No- 

 vember, I saw a single specimen, which has 

 remained in the vicinity of my home ever 

 since, I think, as I noted it on the follow- 

 ing dates: Nov. 22, 24; Dec. 1, 10, 26; and 

 on January 1 st, 1888, when it perched in a 

 tree by my window chirping loudly as if 

 wishing me a Happy New Year, 



I relate these instances, hoping that they 

 may be of interest to you. 



I would also say that on the 27th of De- 

 cember 1887, a very cold day, with several 

 inches of snow on the ground, I noted a 

 single Song Sparrow, flitting along a fence 

 by the roadside. 



Neil F. Posson, 



Medina, N. Y, 



For the past four years we have had the 

 Oologist printed at a large printing estab- 

 lishment in Rochester; this has caused us 

 much inconvenience, and frequently a f ull 

 months delay in the issuing of our little 

 Journal making it very unpleasant for its 

 patrons, and ten times "unpleasanter" 

 for its Editor, This issue with the future 

 ones for '88 will be printed at home; the 

 first few numbers may not look quite as 

 well as former ones, for as yet it is new work 

 for our printers, but we are sure that each 

 succeeding number will be an improvement 

 on its predecessor. 



