30 



THE COLLECTORS' MONTHLY. 



land. The nest is generally placed on the 

 ground at the corner of a rail fence, and is 

 constructed of dry grasses and straws. The 

 eggs are from fifteen to twenty in number, 

 pure white unless they are stained by the 

 bed on which they lie. They are quite 

 pointed at one end, and rounded at the other- 

 They present a great regularity in size and 

 shape, the average measurement of a set 

 collected at Falmouth, containing fifteen eggs 

 being i. 19x93. Often three broods are 

 raised in a season. 



300. Ruffed jjrouse. 

 {Bonasa umbcllus.) 473. 

 The "Partridge" is not a very common 

 bird in this locality ; only a few being seen 

 during the breeding seoson, and not very 

 many during the winter months. The "drum- 

 ming" of the "Partridge" is a curious sound, 

 produced by the bird striking it's wings 

 against the sides of it's body. To produce 

 the sound, the bird lowers it's wings, ex- 

 pands ' the tail, contracts the neck, and 

 inflates the body; then raising its wings the 

 bird strikes the body with them, increasing 

 the rapidity of the strokes, until] the wings 

 do not seem to move. 



The nest is usually placad at the border 

 of the forest and often near the roadside. 

 The nest is composed of dead leaves, and is 

 placed under the branches of a fallen tree. 

 The eggs are from five to fifteen in number, 

 dark cream, nearly brownish. Average 

 measurement, 1. 55x1. 14. 



331. Marsh hawk. 



{Circus kudsonius.) 4.30. 

 The Marsh hawk or Harrier is a common 

 bird in this locality, but I have found but 

 one nest. This was placed on the ground 

 and was only a collection of hay and dry 

 moss, containing five eggs which were a 

 greenish-white, spotted wilh brown. The 

 farmers think that the Marsh hawk is as 

 harmfull to their poultry as any other hawk, 

 but as far as any investigation of mine is 

 concerned, I can safely say that the Marsh 

 hawk is not at all given to plundering poul- 

 try yards, but prefers to subsist on mice, 

 grasshoppers, large insects and small birds 



C. C. PlIRDl'M. 

 (TO BE CONTINUED. ) 



My Experience. 



(For the Collectors Monthly.) 



I noticed in the Feb. No. of your Col- 

 lectors' Monthly, an article by C. E, Pleas, 

 on the Turkey Vulture or Buzzard. Mr. 

 Pleas gets there pretty well on the habits of 

 the Turkey Vulture until he says he has no 

 authentic account of their ever trying to take 

 life, it is strange that Mr. Pleas observed so 

 much of them and does not know they take 

 life, I have been a close observer of them for 

 the last 25 years and have been in the woods 

 almost daily during that time, and have 

 known them to kill Lambs and Pigs by the 

 wholesale and have seen them trying to kill 

 young Calves and have seen them disfigured 

 by the Buzzard, but it is a rare thing for 

 them to attact young calves. The reader wil 

 also bear in mind that the Black Vulture 

 takes a hand in the slaughtering business 

 with the Turkey Vulture. Now, to settle 

 this question I will not ask the reader to take 

 my word, but write enclosing stamp to some 

 of the parties mentioned below, who are not 

 bird men but men who are in the stock rais- 

 ing business. Rpbt York, Giddings, Texas ; 

 Fayette Balander, Giddings, Texas; R. C. 

 Thompson, Ledbelter, Texas; Robt. Knox, 

 Dime Box, Texas ; II. S. Moore, Dime Dux, 

 Texas; P. J. Atkinson, Dime Box, Texas; 

 these men are not men that I have heard 

 complain, but they are stock raisers and 1 

 know have suffered from the attacks of these 

 birds. Address them with stamp and see 

 what they say. 



Would also state I secured March nth 

 1891a set of 2 Black Vultures, incubation 

 advanced would have hatched in a few days 

 is not this early for them? 



Kit Atkinson. 



Dime Box, Texas. 



We consider it a very remarkable occurence 

 the earliest we have anv record of. [ Ki> 



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 cure an Elgin Typewriter. See list of premiums, 



