THE OOLOGIST. 



171 



Girls claim eggs were cold and as far 

 as they noticed were fresh. 



C. B. VANDERCOOK. 

 [As several of our migrating shore 

 birds have been known to deposit eggs 

 during migration. I thought it best 

 to see these eggs before passing opin- 

 ion. They proved to be Killdeer of 

 an extremely dark type. Owing to un- 

 usual nesting site, we print this in 

 full, Eggs of Yellowlegs, Wilson's 

 Snipe and what were believed to be 

 Solitary Sandpiper have been found 

 deposited in Great Lake regions and 

 northward by migrating birds, but as 

 far as I know they have been usually 

 single eggs. — Ed.'] 



The Bittern's Method. 



Editor The Oologist: — 



Dear Sir: — In the September Oolo- 

 gist, Mr. Edward Reinecke states 

 that the American Bittern places its 

 beak in the water when making it's 

 peculiar call. I think he must be mis- 

 taken. I have been close to them a 

 number of times when making this 

 cry — "pumping" — and the bird has 

 held its neck and beak erect, almost 

 vertical, moving the neck and head 

 at each cry. 



Some times when uttering it's call 

 the bird was standing on dry land. 

 Respt. yours, 



D. D. STONE, 



Oswego, N. Y. 



Unusual York State Records. 



Nov. 2, 1906— Snow banks in patch- 

 es on sides of knolls and in hollows. 

 5 p. rh_. saw a large, pure white 

 Snowy ""Owl (Nyctea nyctea), alight 

 in middle^ of wheat field. 



S'ecured~ gun and. approached with- 

 in 400 feet. Bird was certainly wal- 

 lowing around in the mud, picking 

 off blades of the green wheat. Could 



not prove that he swallowed them, 

 but it looked that way. Owing to it 

 being sunset, the bird could see me 

 well and would not allow nearer ap- 

 proach. 



Took flight and dropped in midst 

 of snow bank in adjoining field. Evi- 

 dently thought he was protected by 

 color, as he allowed me to approach 

 within 300 feet this time. Still too 

 far away for an effective shot with 

 only No. 6 shot. 



I noted positively this time that 

 the bird was pure white except the 

 mud stains on belly and legs. I des- 

 ignate the bird by male pronoun, as 

 I believe the pure white specimens 

 to be almost invariably males. 



Nov. 12 and 13, 1906, third snow 

 storm this fall. Four inches of snow 

 on morning of 13th. 



Heard two Snowflakes, (Passerina 

 nivalis), on evening of 12th and saw 

 small flock flying south on morning 

 of 13th. 



Monroe Co., N. Y., 



E. H. SHORT. 



Publications Received. 



Mineral Collector, Vol. XIII, No. 6. 

 Contains much interesting matter in- 

 cluding good half-tone likeness of the 

 late Prof. H. A. Ward and the contin- 

 uation of "Mineral Localities Around 

 Philadelphia." 



Bulletin Div. Zoology Penn., Dept. 

 Agri., Vol. IV, No. 2. 



"Am. Botanist," Vol. II, No. 2. 



"Philatelic West," Vol. XXXIV, Xo. 

 .. 2. 



"Amateur Naturalist," Vol. Ill, No. 

 6. 



