THE OOLOGIST. 



149 



to describe . Wo did not see the male but 

 bud a good look at the female with her red 

 bead and large crest. After securing this 

 clutch we hurried down to the boat, and I 

 picked up by the way another young gull 

 which we thought would be good company 

 for the other. We dubbed them "Moody" 

 and ' 'Sankey. ' ' We arrived at the clam 

 flats in time to catch the six o'clock train 

 for home, tired, but rich in Oological treas- 

 ure s . 



And now I would say a few words in re- 

 gards to collecting sea-birds eggs. First, be 

 sure and fully identify all specimens collected. 

 This has been said many times by persons 

 giving advice in regards to collecting, in 

 the Oologist and elsewhere, but it is doubly 

 necessary to take this precaution in collect- 

 ing sea-birds eggs, where so many nests of 

 different species whose eggs look alike are 

 found close together. Next I would say 

 have a water blow pipe. In collecting sea 

 birds eggs this is more necessary than else- 

 where, as they are generally large eggs and 

 you are also liable to get a greater number, 

 building as they do in colonies, and the la. 

 bor of blowing 40 or 50 large eggs by the 

 old method is not to be sneezed at. The 

 way of making this machine has been sever- 

 al times described in the Oologist. 



Lastly, I would say to the young collector, 

 don't be a "great American Egg Hog." A 

 collector is more liable to fall into this 

 fault while collecting sea-birds eggs than in 

 the collecting of most others, for breeding 

 close together they are plentiful and easily 

 gatherd if you once get near them. The 

 sight of so many eggs is liable to excite the 

 young collector, (I speak from experience,) 

 and make him forget that the sea gull with 

 its harsh cries, has as much maternal affec- 

 tion as the little songster that cries mourn- 

 fully when its eggs are taken. And with 

 this I will close my article, hoping that the 

 collector may find something of interest in 

 its hues. 



W. N. C, Biddeford, Me. 



Scarlet Tanager. 



I have been collecting birds and their 

 eggs for four years, and have never noticed 

 but two Tanagers in this vicinity until this 

 spring. On May 4. while collecting Warb- 

 lers, I shot a very fine male specimen in his 

 spring dress of scarlet, trimmed with black. 

 On May 10, two more fine male specimens 

 were shot by myself, and a few days later, 

 a friend shot two males. On June 4, I had 

 the good fortune to find a nest with four 

 eggs, which were the first that I ever saw. 

 In color they were a light green very thick- 

 ly spotted with reddish brown. The nest 

 was placed in a soft maple tree, on a small 

 horizontal limb about fifteen feet from the 

 ground. The nest was a very frail concern, 

 composed of weed stalks and rootlets, with- 

 out any lining, and was so thin that by go- 

 ing under the nest a person could look up 

 through and count the eggs. 



I have visited the small piece of woods 

 quite frequently since I took the nest and 

 eggs, and every time I saw either the male 

 or female, and I think by their actions they 

 have another nest in some part of the woods, 

 but thus far I have been unable to find the 

 same. 



If I wished I could have shot as many as a 

 dozen male specimens this spring without 

 going a mile from town, but I th'nk it a 

 very poor rule to shoot all the birds of one 

 species, just because they happen to come 

 your way one year in five. 



E. B. P., Brockport, N. Y. 



Albino Eggs. 



Seeing J. A. B., article in the July, 1888, 

 number of the Oologist, regards the finding 

 of an Albino, English Sparrow egg, re- 

 minds me that I have one which I collected 

 July 10, '88; size .65x.98. There was five 

 of the usual color also in the nest making a 

 set of 6. I also have a set of 5 Bluebirds 

 eggs which are pure white, average size . 70 

 x88. 



Mr. W, D. Hills, of this place, has a set 

 of 5 Albino. White-rump Shrike, which he 

 collecred in 1883. 



C. B. C, Odin, 111. 



