152 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Useful Contrivances for the Oologist. 



Mr. F. H. Lattin ; I saw iu your Oologist 

 for April, a favor asked by C. S. L., War 

 riorsburg Pa. 



Sol write these few lines to let you know 

 how I succeed in getting Baltimore Oriole 

 eggs. In the first place I took about 18 

 inches of copper wire nearly £ of an inch 

 thick, twisted a loop on one end about one 

 and one-quarter inches in diameter, then had 

 a net crocheted of coarse homespun cotton, 

 which hung down about two inches. This 

 I found to be very useful on many occasions 

 and especially for the different kinds of 

 Woodpeckers. Next I had a "telescope" 

 fishing rod, 'one that shuts up like a cane. 

 When I came to a nest I would tie a long 

 cord to the pole, the other end to my sus- 

 penders, put the net in my pocket, when I 

 reached the site of operations up would 

 come the rod, then I would wrap about 6 

 inches of the wire around the tip, bend the 

 wire at right angles with the pole and fish 

 for eggs. Then comes the time which will 

 try your patience and nerves, that is in 

 sliding the butt of your rod over some limb 

 or crotch, so as to get your hand on the 

 net. Another usef nl little article is a small 

 looking glass about 1 and ± inches in diame- 

 ter, which you can fasten on the end of your 

 rod in such a way that you may see into the 

 nest, and by so doing you may save your- 

 self from killing the young if there be any. 

 With these three articles I have seen into, 

 and taken eggs out of a nest about 14 feet 

 high, while I stood upon the grouud. 



In one of your last spring numbers I saw 

 an article headed a '"Water Blower," 

 which I believe I have improved upon, 

 thanks to the man who wrote the first 

 about it. In the first place I took about 2 

 feet of quarter inch hose, and fitted it into a 

 small cork, squeezed the cork into the spigot 

 of the bath tub, put my glass tube into the 

 other end, turned on the water, drilled my 

 egg, held it about one-half inch from the 

 tube, and watched the "inside come outside, " 

 then with another bent tube I would blow 

 water out. I find the force of water for an 



egg the size of a robin, should be as follows: 

 hold the tube two feet high, and turn the 

 spigot until the water falls three feet from 

 directly under your hand. Of course small- 

 er eggs should have less force. 



A. A., Germantown, Pa. 



The Cactus Wren. 



This remarkable little bird is one of the 

 commonest in our locality. The bird is 

 about the size of an English Sparrow, but 

 builds a very large nest for its size. It is a 

 large structure about fifteen inches long, 

 placed among the Cactus plants. The young 

 collector who tries to reach it generally 

 comes out second best, for the prickly Cac- 

 tus sticks him all over his body. The nest 

 is oval in shape and looks very rough on 

 the outside. At the end there is a small 

 round hole which runs to the, bottom of the 

 nest, this is lined with feathers making a 

 warm, dry place for the eggs. The eggs are 

 of a pinkish color and have different shades, 

 according as the incubation is advanced. I 

 have found four sets of their eggs this sea- 

 son viz., 2 sets on tbe 31st of March with 

 four eggs each, with the incubation slightly 

 advanced, one nest April 14 containing five 

 fresh eggs and one on April 15 with four 

 eggs also fresh. 



A. C. L., Beaumont, Cal. 



Game Laws not Enforced. 



I have seen in various magazines articles 

 on protecting our birds but have never seen 

 an article on the "Pheasant" B. umbellm, 

 which is one of our finest game birds. The 

 fine Grouse is rapidly becoming extermina- 

 ted and is something is not done, in a few 

 years we shall miss it from our forests alto- 

 gether. It was formerly found here in im- 

 mense numbers but of late years has become 

 very rare and all on account of the feeble- 

 ness of the game laws of this state, ( W. V. ) 

 Now, if the laws were enforced we should 

 probably have a few left but our officers 

 are of no account. I wish some of our of- 

 ficers would investigate this matter and save 



