THE OOLOGIST. 



91 



April 16. — Today examined nests of 

 robin, bluebird, brown thrasher and 

 "butcher bird." The thrasher's nest 

 was made in a hedge, rather low, and 

 was composed of hedge twigs, lined 

 with fibrous roots. The bluebird's 

 nest was in a fence post and contain- 

 ed five eggs. The butcher bird's nest 

 was in the same place where I found 

 one last year, and I have known them 

 to build several years in almost the 

 same place. It is a cozy nest, com- 

 posed externally of hedge twigs and 

 stalks of weeds, and lined warmly 

 with fibers, feathers, wool, etc. 

 (To be continued). 



A Few Notes. 



In your March number there are 

 some notes that refer to previous ob- 

 servations of mine, anent the second 

 nesting of birds. R. F. Miller asserts 

 that he knows of (Ubiquitous) Spar- 

 rows, by which he probably means the 

 European nuisance, raising three, 

 "sometimes four and frequently five 

 broods or more" in a season. 



While this writer is undoubtedly 

 honest in writing to this effect, he is 

 certainly incorrect and sadly mistak- 

 en in thus jumping at conclusions. It 

 is lamentably common for those inter- 

 ested in any study to plunge into 

 print before a point is settled and 

 thus give a wrong impression to 

 others. If a bird lays three sets of 

 eggs in a season, which not infre- 

 quently happens, and even with birds 

 the size of a hawk, it does not prove 

 by any means that the pair rears the 

 young in each case. Of all species of 

 birds that are with us the ubiquitous 

 sparrow is the most difficult to study 

 in detail nesting because of its pen- 

 chant for promiscuous and one might 

 say communistic nesting and incubat- 

 ing. The females not rarely share the 

 common nest and I know of many in- 

 stances where two sets of eggs num- 

 bering from ten to twelve, all told, 



have been found, while one pair of 

 birds often drives out another pair 

 and occupies the nest in dispute. 



Is it fair in known instances of this 

 kind to assert that' this species rears 

 "sometimes four and frequently five 

 broods?" The very point that Mr. 

 Miller says that the species "fre- 

 quently rears five and more broods," 

 while he has just stated that it some- 

 times raises "four" broods, causes one 

 to think that he is juggling with fig- 

 ures without fully considering the 

 case. Though I think it just as well 

 not to mention the European Sparrow 

 in our notes on American birds and 

 while I do not wish for argument on 

 the question above, still I do think 

 from careful observations that the 

 notes presented in the last August 

 number of the Oologist are correct 

 and I would respectfully request all 

 to note very carefully before rushing 

 in print and giving a wrong impres- 

 sion. 



MORRIS GIBBS, 



Kalamazoo, Mich. 



The article referred to by Mr. Mil- 

 ler and Dr. Gibbs, appeared in Sep- 

 tember, 1902 issue of Oologist and 

 Dr. Gibbs' statement appears as fol- 

 lows: "If the birds are entirely un- 

 disturbed, they will be found to rear 

 but two broods in a season." 



Taking into consideration the em- 

 phasized words, (the emphasis is 

 mine), it will be difficult to prove that 

 Dr. Gibbs is not right. — Ed. 



Grand Rapids, Mich. 

 Editor Oologist: — 



Dear Sir: — Last spring, May 27th, 

 '05, I found a three-story Yellow 

 Warbler's nest in a wild rose bush 

 about two feet from the ground. The 

 lower and middle story each contain- 

 ed a Cowbird's egg and the top story 

 contained four of the Warbler's and 

 another Cowbird's. Is this not very 

 unusual? 



[Not so very unusual. This is the 

 common cause of double and triple 

 nests.] 



