46 



THE COLLECTORS' MONTHLY. 



tures that always collect around a car 

 case, and will not permit them to ap- 

 proach until he has gorged himself to 

 his fullest extent. Wilson tells how a 

 Bald Eagle had taken possession of a 

 heap of dead squirrels that had been ac- 

 cidentallally drowned, and prevented any 

 other bird or beast of prey from ap- 

 proaching his treasure. He is especially 

 fond of lambs, and is often more than 

 suspected of aiding the death of many a 

 sickly sheep by the dexterous use of hi s 

 beak and claws. Sometime he pays the 

 penalty of his voracity, as the following 

 quotation from Selmar Hess's "Animate 

 Creation" will show. "A Bald Eagle had 

 caught a wild duck, and carrying it to a 

 large piece of ice, tore his prey to pieces 

 and began to eat it. When he had finish" 

 ed his repast, he spread his wings for 

 flight, but found himself unable to stir 

 his feet being firmly frozen to the ice. 

 Several persons who witnessed the scene 

 endeavored to reach the bird, but were 

 unable, owing to the masses of loose ice 

 that intervened between the Eagle and 

 the land. At last the poor bird perished, 

 as was supposed, having been seen to flap 

 his useless wings in vain endeavors to 

 escape until night drew on and darkness 

 hid him from view. By 



Edward Fuller. 

 161 Main Street, Norwich, Conn. 



Notes on the American Red- 

 start. 



("For the Collectors' Monthly.") 

 During the past season I have found 

 five nests with eggs, of theAmerican Red- 

 start, but have only been able to get oue 

 set of four. 



I will give the readers of the "Monthly" 

 the benefit of my experience, hoping it 

 may be of interest to some. 



The first nest I found, which was on 

 May 23rd., contained two eggs Nest 



placed in a clump of Elderberry bushes, 

 five feet from the ground. I took one of 

 the eggs in my hand, to examine it the 

 more closely, but replaced it very care- 

 fully, hoping to get a full set by leaving 

 them for a few days. On the 25th, I 

 looked again as I was passing by, but 

 both nest aud eggs were gone. 



My next nest was found on the 27th, 

 It was completed, ready for its speckled 

 beauties. The next day it contained one 

 egg, for the two or three days following 

 no more eggs were added, but the next 

 time I visited the place, the one egg was 

 missing. 



No. 3, I found May 30th it contained 

 two eggs, but when I went to the place 

 again, the whole outfit was gone. 



1 also found my fourth nest on this day. 

 This was placed in a Bitter-nut tree, 

 saddled on a limb about twenty feet up. 

 Saw the bird sitting on the nest at inter- 

 vals during the following week, but when 

 I went up to see it eight days later there 

 were no eggs to be seen. 



June 2d, 1 found No. 5, It contained 

 ^our eggs, I took them at once, not wish- 

 1 ng to run any more risk of not getting 

 a set. 



The folio wing is from my note-book. Ob- 

 tained set of four perfectly fresh eggs of 

 American Redstart. Nest in Basswood 

 tree placed at the end of horizontal limb, 

 thirty feet from trunk of tree, and twenty 

 feet up, saddled on top and composed of 

 fine fibers, etc., lined with hair and thre t , 

 or four feathers. 



All of these nests were placed in a heavy 

 piece of timber, and so situated where 

 they would not be seen, except by one 

 who was looking for such things, being 

 saddled on top of the limb in every case. 



Think it barely possible that another 

 person besides myself knew of their 

 whereabouts. There is, then, but two 

 causes for the removal of the nests and 



