itio 



OOLOGlSll 



A Few Words to Observers. 



Owing to a busy season I found but lit tie 

 time for oological work during the past 

 Spring and Bummer; in fact I took but 

 three sets of eggs. One was a set of 5 

 Towhee, another of 5 Long -billed Marsh 

 Wren and the third of 5 Red-and-Buff-sh'd 

 Blackbird with which was found an egg 

 similar to a Sparrow's. Was it a Cowbird ? 

 I examined several other nests of the Black- 

 bird at the same time, but found no more 

 strange eggs. 



The set of the Marsh Wren's were the 

 only eggs in 9 nests which I examined. 

 The eggs were in the first nest I saw. Five 

 of the other nests were completed but un- 

 lined and the remaining three were unfinish- 

 ed. 



A poultry fancier and also scientific friend 

 of mine has asked me if the Bob-white or 

 American Quail can be domesticated, and 

 also if the introduction of a wild turkey 

 cock among domestic birds would not im- 

 prove the stock. I should like to hear 

 some one else give their views on the sub- 

 ject. It is very probable that wild blood in 

 domestic turkeys would tend toward hardier 

 more rugged birds and at least in several 

 instances the number of wild birds have 

 been increased by renegade domestic 

 turkeys. The wild turkey is more common 

 in the east than is generally supposed, as 

 the native hunters seldom care to tell of 

 the haunts of this fine game-bird. 



It may still be found in considerable 

 flocks within 25 or 30 miles or even less of 

 the national capital. 



Will some one please tell about the Fall 

 migration of birds ? Within the past month 

 the marshes of the Potomac and Anacostia 

 rivers have become populated with reed- 

 birds, blackbirds and rail. 



The market gunners and sportsmen have 

 been hard at work diminishing their num- 

 bers, but still they rise in clouds as your 

 skiff is pushed through the rushes and jets 

 of white smoke show that the marshes are 

 still well filled. 



Only yesterday as I crossed the river and 



passed a group < f pot-hunters preparing for 

 their afternoons work, I fell to wondering 

 why they did not destroy the English Spar- 

 rows which are there quite numerous; my 

 attention was attracted by a peculiar looking 

 bird among them ; another look showed me 

 that it was a partial albino. Its wings and 

 I think the under parts of the bird were 

 pure white, giving it rath er a comical as- 

 pect. I hope to make myself better ac- 

 quainted with some of the native birds of 

 my region, and am always interested in the 

 notes and conjectures published in the 

 Oologist, however trivial they may seem. 

 Long live the Birds ! 



A. B. F., Bennings, D. C. 



Flying Squirrels Occupying Birds' 

 Nests. 



While out collecting one Saturday in May 

 1886, I noticed a hole in a dead beech tree 

 about twenty feet from the ground, which I 

 took to be a Woodpeckers' nest. I went to 

 the tree , unstrapped my climbers from my 

 back and commenced thumping away at the 

 butt of the tree, when soon a "High-holder" 

 (Flicker) flew out of the hole, this of course 

 convinced me that there was a nest there, 

 so I was not long in strapping on my irons 

 and going up the tree. On reaching the 

 hole I found that I couldn't get my hand in- 

 to the nest, so I took out my knife and cut 

 my way in, this took me about half an hour, 

 but I got there at last. The nest contained 

 seven fresh eggs, of a pure glossy pink 

 color, but they turned white when blown. 

 I very foolishly left half the eggs for the 

 bird, as I thought, but I found out to the 

 contrary. 



About a week later, I and a friend went 

 out in the same direction, so when we came 

 to the tree I told him I had left four eggs in 

 the nest, and he said the bird had left them 

 to he put on the climbers and went up and 

 put his hand into the hole, ' 'but he took it 

 out a great deal quicker than he put it in, " 

 for he felt the same kind of fur our friend 

 in the March Oologist felt, and probably a 

 little more for the nest contained five Flying 



