THE OOLOGIST. 



153 



from destruction one of our finest game birds. 

 Our hunters here persist in killing them 

 during "drumming" time which occurs dur- 

 ing the rarly months of spring and summer. 

 During this time the logs on which they 

 drum are watched by the sportsmen(?) who 

 keeps himself well hid near by until the 

 bird comes to his accustomed log when the 

 hunter shoots him, now how is this for a 

 true sportsmen? And of late years they have 

 actually got to trapping them with steel 

 traps on the logs on which they drum and 

 nearly always catching one. And again, I 

 have seen some gentlemen go out hunting 

 and return with maybe an old female and 

 several young ones a few days old, they 

 having kille.l the old ones and caught the 

 young ones alive, probably thinking they 

 could raise them, which cannot be done. 

 They nest here in April and May and lay 

 from six to twelve eggs never over twelve. I 

 haven't found but two nests in the last four 

 years and they were both situated beside old 

 logs in a dense forest of swamp oak and 

 thorns. The birds are very wild now and 

 only frequent the densest thickets. During 

 the fall they feed on wild grapes and thorn 

 apples. Aud now I think if this wholesale 

 destruction could be stopped, a few would 

 be thankful anyhow. I think if this state 

 and a few others were a little more rigid in 

 regard to game laws we would feel better. 

 T. S., White Sul. Sprs., W. Va. 



Bird Notes from Lake Co. , Ohio. 



Birds are very plenty here. Fifty spec- 

 ies were observed last sp.iing, Crows, Blue- 

 birds, Flickers, Nuthatches, Cuckoos, Ori- 

 oles, Mourning Doves, and Warbling Vireos, 

 are notably abundant. Crows, though 

 very common, are generally safe in breed- 

 ing time, as their eggs can hardly ever be 

 taken. A number of new birds were noticed 

 last spring, the Maryland Yellow-throat, 

 Black-throated Blue warbler White-crowned 

 Sparrow, Horned Lark and Night Heron. 

 Yellow-throats are quite common uow, but 

 I have been unable to discover their nests. 

 Red-headed Woodpeckers, Shrikes, Swifts, 



Bobolinks, "Tip ups, " Killdeers, Kingfishers, 

 Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo 

 Buntings, Sparrow and Eed-tailed Hawks, 

 and many other birds are common. Night- 

 hawks are often noticed. A good many 

 Hummingbirds, Ruby-throats, are seen. 

 Three or four of their nests have been found 

 here. Quail are not very common, one 

 spent the day in the fields near our house, 

 recently. He would answer our calls readily. 

 His whistle was generally "Bob White," or 

 ' ; More wet, " but once in awhile it would be 

 "No more wet." Rose-breasted Grosbeaks' 

 nests have been common the past few sea- 

 sons, while Tanagers have been more scarce, 

 Virginia and Sora Rails have bred lately, 

 in a small swamp half a mile off. Bald 

 Eagles have their nests every season in the 

 secure top of a large tree, at the Lake, three 

 or four miles north of us. 



My first nest this year was a White -rump- 

 ed Shrike's with two eggs, April 26, a Rob- 

 pis nest containing one egg was found April 

 28, other early finds, were Mourning Dove 

 May 2, Blackbird, May 6, and Bluebird, 

 May 7, a fine set of six Kiugfishers eggs was 

 also found May 6. A few other nests which 

 I found this season, are Warbling and Red- 

 eyed Vireos, Redstarts, Orioles, Grosbeaks, 

 an unknown Hawks nest; six or eight In- 

 digo Buntings', (2 sets containing spotted 

 eggs,) and Wood Thrushes by the dozen. 

 Here are a few of our earliest arrivals, Crow 

 Feb. 20; Robin and Bluebird, Feb, 22; 

 Flicker and Red-headed Woodpecker, Feb. 

 23 ; Meadow Lark, Red-wing and Cowbird, 

 Feb. 24; Red-tailed Hawk, March 8. Thirty 

 wild Geese were seen flying southward, 

 May 20. B., Perry, O. 



Bronzed Grackle. 

 This bird is very common in this locality 

 in the summer season. Its black plumage 

 has the same metallic luster which is notica- 

 ble in the plumage of the crow. The note 

 of the Grackle is not a musical one, it being 

 a short chirping note. The nest, which is 

 generally placed near the top of a tall spruce 

 tree, is deep and composed of dried grass 

 straws woven together. The eggs, four to 

 six in number, are of a blueish green mark- 

 ed with irregular lines and scrawls of black 

 and umber, clouded with lighter shades of 

 black. The average measurement is 1.18 

 by . 84, although I have taken eggs measur- 

 ing 1.25 by .88. 



F. W. C, Wanwatosa, Wis. 



