174 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Notes from St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. 



The Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — This bird is a 

 summer resident here, but its nest is not 

 found nearly as frequently as the Black-bill- 

 ed species. The nest is placed in a bush 

 about six feet from the ground and contains 

 four or five bluish green eggs of a light 

 shade. These eggs fade upon exposure to 

 the light. 



Short Eared Owl — Resident. It nests in 

 thick bushy forests building a nest greatly 

 resembling that of the Common Crow. The 

 eggs are from three to five in number, pure 

 white, measuring 1.54 by 1.22 inches, 

 This owl is sometimes called the Marsh owl, 

 on account of its frequenting marshes and 

 low meadows in quest of frogs and mice. 



Whip-poor-will — This bird is common 

 here in summer, but as yet, I have been un- 

 able to secure any eggs. Like the eggs of 

 nearly all the goat-suckers, they are eliptical 

 and colored almost exactly like the bird. 



Bartrams Sandpiper — Common summer 

 residents, breeds extensively. The nest is a 

 slight depression in the ground lined with a 

 few grasses. This bird lays four buff eggs, 

 spotted with brown, measuring 1.70 by 1.30 

 inches. 



The flesh of this bird is highly esteemed 

 for food, and they afford great sport in their 

 season. 



The following are some of my finds for 

 1888: Great Horned Owl, three eggs; Little 

 Screech Owl, six eggs; Bed -tailed Hawk, 

 three eggs; Bed-shouldered Hawk, two, 

 three and five eggs; Sparrow Hawk, five 

 eggs, American Woodcock, four and five 

 eggs, Bartrams Sandpiper, three sets of four, 

 Maryland Yellow-throat, four eggs, Traill's 

 Flycatcher, three eggs, Belted Kingfisher, 

 two sets of seven and one of six eggs, Night 

 hawk, two eggs, Cedar Waxwing, five eggs. 

 Yesterday, Aug. 6, while returning from 

 a tramp through the woods, my dog Vixen 

 scared up a grass finch and began smelling 

 around the place where she flew from. 

 Thinking perhaps there might be young 

 birds in the nest, of which Vic is very fond, 

 I heaved a rock at him and drove him off. 

 Upon examining the nest, to my surprise I 



found it to contain three eggs, which proved 

 to be perfectly fresh. Is this not rather 

 late for fresh eggs of the Grass Finch? 



Last spring, I found over thirty crows 

 nests. One of them contained five fine eggs 

 and a "cull." The latter had a faded gray 

 appearance, as if it had been left in the sun 

 and rain for several years. It was very light 

 and upon breaking it on my gun barrels, I 

 found it to contain a lump of half liquid 

 matter the'size of a pea. I am not aware of 

 the fact that crows occupy the same nest 

 twice, yet this seems the only solution, un- 

 less the bird that laid it was "no good." 

 Will some one enlighten me. 



In June I. came upon a set of eight Blue- 

 birds eggs in an old Woodpeckers hole. 

 They were highly incubated, so I left them. 

 It is the largest set of Bluebirds I ever found 

 and it may be possible that two females 

 occupied the same nest. 



V. H. L., Potsdam, N. Y. 



Arrival of Birds in DeKalbCo., N. E. 

 Indiana. 



"And above, in the light of the star -lit night 

 Swift Birds of Passage wing their flight. 



Through the dewy atmosphere." — Long- 

 fellow. 



The first date is when the bird was first 

 seen ; the second date, when next observed. 



Canada Goose, March 21., (only flock 

 seen.) 



Great Blue Heron, Mar. 29, Apr. LI. 



Green Heron, May 2. 



American Woodcock, Apr. 7, 14. 



Spotted Sandpiper, Apr. 28 , 29. 



Killdeer, Mar. 15, lfi. 



Mourning Dove, Mar. 31, Apr. 1. 



Bed-shouldered Hawk, Mar. 17. 



Sparrow Hawk, Mar. 29, Apr. 3. 



Yellow-billed Cuckoo, May 23, 24. 



Belted Kingfisher, Mar. 31, (probably ar- 

 rived earlier.) 



Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Apr. 14. 



Night Hawk, May 8, 9. 



Chimney Swift, Apr 30, May 2. 



