254 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



American Ornithology will be thoroughly 

 arranged and settled forever by the majority 

 of the members of this Union. Two current 

 lists of N. A. Birds cannot be much longer 

 extant, therefore, it is necessary that a uniform 

 official system of classification and nomen- 

 clature should exist which would doubtless 

 be recognized and adopted by every ornitho- 

 logical student in North America. We 

 wish success to this Union ; its promoters are 

 hosts in themselves— a sufficient guarantee 

 that their object will be attained. — C. 



A VALUABLE DONATION. 



Parties visiting the collections of the Na- 

 tural History Society of Montreal will 

 doubtless admire a large English-made lighted 

 case of British Easores, comprising pairs of 

 each species. They are tastefully mounted on 

 artificial rock by Mr. Reuben Webster, taxi- 

 dermist, Sheffield. The birds are life-like, and 

 form a very valuable and attractive feature to 

 the Society's Ornithological collection. Those 

 interested should examine this group of British 

 partridge and grouse. Among the latter are a 

 pair of the rare capercailzie in very natural 

 positions. They were presented by A. A. 

 Jowitt, Esq., senior partner in the firm of 

 Messrs. T. Jowitt & Sons of Sheffield, Eng- 

 land, through his friends Messrs. Frothingham 

 and Workman of this city. This donation, 

 we are sure, will be appreciated not only by 

 the members of the Society but by all lovers 

 of natural history. — C. 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 

 Dear Sir — It is a repeated pleasure to me 

 as each succeeding number of the Canadian 

 Sportsman and Naturalist comes to hand, 

 bringing information new and interesting, 

 concerning the lovely creatures which form 

 the subjects of oui favourite study. I feel my 

 inability to write anything that will ornament 

 the pages of your magazine, while I read 

 with delight the articles from pens of able 

 authors, as I think do all those who are in 

 search of a knowledge of the life histories of 

 the quadrupeds, birds, &c, of our country. 

 My sincere desire in sending a letter for pub- 

 lication is to help to increase the knowledge 

 of natural history, and if anything I write is 

 new information to my brother Ornithologists 

 and Oologists, I shall be greatly gratified. 

 Early on the morning of May 26th, 1870, I 

 started into the fields and woods of our 

 neighbourhood inquest of desirable specimens 



of all kinds. When I started the sun had 

 just risen brightly and all vegetation was yet 

 moist with dew. Soon after entering a field 

 about half a mile from our house, I came 

 amongst some brier and red raspberry bushes 

 scattered about. After walking a little way a 

 female golden-winged warbler Helminthophaga 

 chrysoptera started with sharp chipping notes 

 from within a yard of my feet. Upon glanc- 

 ing down, I saw what at a short distance 

 appeared to be a bunch of red leaves sunk in 

 the grass at the roots of three little raspberry 

 bushes. No other tree leaves were on the 

 ground near the nest, which showed clearly 

 that the birds had carried all the materials 

 which formed their little house. The nest 

 was very bulky, considering the small size of 

 the builder. Fully two-thirds of the leaves 

 fell from the outside of the nest before I 

 reached home with it. The lour eggs and also 

 one of the cowbird which it contained were 

 fresh. This is the nest and eggs which I sent 

 to you to be described.* The two damaged 

 eggs were broken by the box containing them 

 accidentally falling from a shelf. Before 

 taking the prize, I stood b}' and watched the 

 actions of the parent birds. The female flut- 

 tered from one dewy bush to another for a few 

 minutes, all the time uttering rapidly her note 

 of alarm, when suddenly her mate appeared ; 

 but he, heartless little creature, instead of 

 joining in the defence, darted at the female and 

 fiercely pursued her hither and thither, re- 

 gardless of her cries of anguish and grief, 

 until both were lost to view. In a few mo- 

 ments the female again returned and behaved 

 exactly as before. She would flutter along as 

 if wounded, alighting on a bush within three 

 or four yards of me and instantly leaving it 

 again, moving away as she came, seemingly 

 anxious to entice me in pursuit of her, in- 

 stinctively endeavouring to lead me away from 

 the spot where the objects of her affection 

 were laid. So beseeching were the actions of 

 this tiny bird that I had to harden my heart 

 before I could take the nest away. I reasoned 

 thus: — Perhaps if I leave this nest, some car- 

 nivorous animal or bird which the Creator has 

 formed with egg devouring propensities, will 

 find it out and destroy them. The bird would 

 not forget her loss a bit sooner than if I took 



*The eggs, four in number, do not differ in size and 

 shape from others of this family. The average measure- 

 ments are -05 50-100, colour white, ground marked with 

 reddish brown spots and blotches of different shades, 

 the larger ends being most thickly marked. The mark- 

 ings are very irregular in size, shade and distribution 

 only one of the eggs having the small end immaculate. 



