THE OOLOGLST. 



177 



Notes from Florida. 



The following is taken from my note 

 book, including the seasons of 1887 and 

 1888. 



1887, April 10, Set 1 fresh egg3 Logger- 

 head Shrike. The nest was composed of 

 old string, woven together with small twigs 

 and situated in an orange tree, about 10 feet 

 from the ground. Also, about the same 

 date, set 5 fresh eggs of Yellow-shafted 

 Flicker, set 2 fresh eggs Night Hawk and 3 

 fresh eggs of Gray Kingbird. The nest of 

 this Flycatcher is, invariably, built over the 

 water, in this vicinity. How is it in other 

 places ? 



The following sets were taken during 

 May, set 3 fresh eggs Loggerhead Shrike, 

 Mocking Bird 4 eggs, Meadow Lark 3 eggs, 

 aud 5 sets of Least Tern, 3 sets of 2 and 2 

 of 3 eggs. The eggs were laid on the lake 

 shore about 2 miles from my house. At 

 one time hundreds of Terns came to this 

 place to breed, but rarely come since it has 

 been settled. 



June, Killdeer 3 fresh eggs, Least Tern 

 2 fresh eggs, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 eggs, 

 Red-winged Blackbird 3 sets of 3 each, " 

 Chuck-wills-widow 2 eggs, incubation^. 



1888. April 19 Cardinal Grosbeak 3 eggs, 

 April 22 Carolina Wren 4 eggs, also, same 

 date Blue Bird 4 eggs, April 24 Mocking 

 Bird 3 eggs, May 14 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 

 eggs, May 17 Cardinal Grosbeak 3 eggs, 

 Night Hawk 1 egg, same date, May 20 

 Killdeer 1 egg, Night Hawk 2 eggs, May 23 

 Night Hawk 2 eggs, June 1 Night Hawk 2 

 eggs, June 4 Sparrow Hawk 1 egg, set not 

 complete. 



W. E., Thonotosassa, Fla. 



America. 



The Ornithological report of California 

 says that it is very abundant in California, 

 especially in the central part of the state. 1 

 cannot say that I found il very abundant 

 in the portion where I spent over five years; 

 in Lucerne Valley, Tulare County. To the 

 contrary, I saw very few, the first year or 

 two I saw several pairs, and in 1883 I found 

 a nest containing live eggs resembling very 

 much the eggs of the American Crow. Since 

 1885 I haven't seen a single magpie in that 

 region. I never saw any about Santa Rosa 

 Sonoma Co., neither have I seen any about 

 Los Angeles. I found a great many in San 

 Luis, Obispo Co., qu'.te a distance from any 

 habitation. This leads me to believe that 

 they do not like settled places, but prefer 

 wild country. 



Their note resembles somewhat the hu- 

 man voice, which they may be taught to 

 imitate like a parrot. They chatter away 

 and have a call likepait, pait. 



The nest I found was made of coarse twigs 

 woven together, round, and having an en- 

 trance in the side, it was a large nest for a 

 bird of such a size. The eggs were whitish 

 green spotted with laveudar, The food con- 

 sists of animal and vegetable matter that 

 can be found to eat. 



H. C. L., Tulare^Co., Cala. 



Yellow-billed Magpie. 



In the United States are two species of the 

 Magpie, differing in almost nothing save 

 one has a yellow bill, while the other has a 

 black bill, 



The Yellow-billed Magpie belongs to Cal" 

 ifornia, while the other is found more north- 

 ward and in the middle portions of North 



A Query and Observation 

 of Interest. 



Editoe Oologist : 



Seeing C. B. C's. article in the Oct. and 

 Nov. number of the Oolooist, regarding 

 the white eggs of the Bluebird, I would 

 like to ask him through your paper, whether 

 or not the birds were identitied, and what 

 peculiarities they had, if any ? 



I have in my collection a set of six pure 

 white eggs of the Bluebird, which I collect- 

 ed in Ithaca, N. Y., in 1883. The nest was 

 in a hollow limb of a butternut tree, about 

 twenty feet from the ground. The birds 

 which I identified were very dull in color. 



W. J, S, 



