26 



THE OOLOGIST. 



will tend to make achild need fewer 

 toys, because his collection takes the 

 place of toys, to a large extent. 



A child educated without any ex- 

 pense, is likely to have a very cheap 

 education, one which dwarfs his 

 mind, rather than devolops his many- 

 sided manhood. 



As to the space taken up by a little 

 collection, almost any house can 

 afford to spare the child a few shelves, 

 or a home-made box, or cabinet. And 

 it will help to train and systematize 

 the child's mind, to feel that he has a 

 place of his own, where he can keep 

 Lis treasures, and for the good order of 

 which he is responsible. 



As to the time occupied in making 

 collections, that can be regulated by 

 the amount of time at the child's dis- 

 posal. Naturally, bis collecting time 

 will come out of his play-time, and so 

 will not be any time lost from study. 

 But in fact, collecting is one good 

 method of study, better because it 

 pleases and entertains. 



A small collection made by children, 

 will often solve the hard problem of 

 what to do with your children on a 

 rainy day. And, even at other times, 

 the time spent with the collection 

 keeps the child out of mischief. 



In every way, I believe in the habit 

 of collecting, kept, of course, within 

 reasonable bounds, as to expenditure 

 of time and money. It helps to train 

 the mind in many ways. 



I have seen the practical good of col- 

 lecting, in my own family, and in my 

 own life. And so I would encourage 

 the young folks to collect: and also the 

 older folks, who will rind, in collect- 

 ing, a restful change, and an antidote 

 for" the blues," and a help to him 

 who would " look through nature, up 

 to nature's God. " 



E. C. Mitchell. 



St. Paul, Minn. 



Nest and Eggs of the Swainson's Warbler 



DR. M. T. CLECKLEY. 



( Helinaia swainsonii).— June 1*1 

 and 8th were 'red-letter' days for me 

 from an oological standpoint. Jump- 

 ing on my wheel and riding two or 

 three miles from this city, I came to a 

 swamp I had never visited before; 

 and while looking carefully among 

 the thick cane-brake, I heard chips ( ,f 

 a warbler. Birds were singing and 

 darting all around, and the ' swamp- 

 flies ' were making my life miserable, 

 when I perceived a bunch of cane- 

 leaves near the top of a cane-bush 

 seven feet above the ground. On going 

 closer, I saw a warbler on the nest, 

 which immediately flushed and feign- 

 ed lameness, rolling and chirping on 

 the ground among the cane. I at 

 once recognized the bird as Swainson's 

 Warbler, and on peering into the nest 

 saw, to my great delight, three white, 

 unmarked eggs of a slightly pinkish 

 hue and rather globular in shape. 

 The nest was a typical warbler's, being 

 made of leaves of the elm, cane in 

 layers, pine needles, and lined with 

 tine rootlets and grasses. I at once 

 packed the eggs with the enthusiam 

 of having found such a rare nest— the 

 rarest eggs I have ever found in this 

 locality. Having read that this specie 

 of warbler nests in small colonies, I 

 continued in the cane, stooping often 

 to search the tops of the cane. I had 

 not gone ten feet, when I came to 

 another nest with a warbler on it, in a 

 canebush situated five feet above the 

 ground. The bird dropped and flut- 

 tered off. The nest was more com- 

 pactly built and contained three fresh 

 eggs, somewhat smaller than the eggs 

 of the other set. Proceeding near the 

 end of the cane-brake, I saw a warbler 

 dart out from a clump of cane, and on 

 investigating. I saw a neat little Hood- 

 ed Warbler's ( Wihonia mitrata ) nest 

 with three creamy white eggs marked 



