THE BAY STATE OOLOGIST. 



41 



Collecting in New York. 



BY H. A CARHART, COLLAMER, X. Y. 



I do not often see any notes from collectors in the central part of New York, 

 where I live, so 1 will try to say something to show that there are friends here. 

 There are some here who could furnish the journals some valuable matter if they 

 choose. I have never had the fortune to have any special incident happen which would 

 of itself be deemed of enough importance to merit a - 'write-up." Perhaps it would 

 be of more interest to readers in other states to hear of our "every day" collecting 

 than of some extraordinary adventure. 



I remember, just now, a trip which I took into a locality not far from here, but 

 at that time, new to me. I was, as usual, accompanied by a friend. We arrived 

 early and began our tramping, up what was probably at some former age the bed 

 of a river. It was now thicklv wooded most of the way and in places had grown 

 up so thickly with bushes and brambles that it was with difficulty we made our 

 way through it. The banks were verv steep, and a small creek flowed at the bottom. 



It was a capital place for birds, and the air was filled with the songs of many 

 species. A little further up nestled a small lake in a spot where the valley wid- 

 ened. On the borders of this lake were many marshes and the cat's-tails which 

 had grown there teemed with hundreds of Red-and-Buff Shouldered Blackbirds. 

 Marsh Wrens were here too. Grebes and other water fowl were said to breed here 

 occasionally, but we saw none of them. A Catbird's nest was found in some bush- 

 es growing out of the face of an almost perpendicular cliff. Although we were not 

 wanting any Catbirds' eggs the novelty of the position caused us to climb for them. 



We quenched our thirst at a well which was fitted up with the most primeval 

 kind of pump we had ever seen. The water-bucket was raised by being balanced 

 by a large stone attached to a rope which wound around a beam overhead. We 

 ate our dinner in the doorway ot a barn, and hearingthe swallows under the eave^. 

 we got a ladder and examined the nests, but found no eggs. 



Taking a boat, we poled it around among the cat's-tails, and were rewarded by a 

 goodly number of Red-and-buff-shouldered Blackbirds' eggs. Seeing a sandy 

 bank near b\ we investigated some holes, which vielded us some Bank Swallows' 

 and Kingfishers' eggs. The occupants of these nests were invariably ''at home." 



As the afternoon shadows began to fall, we started leisurely back, amusing our- 

 selves by occasional}- shooting out over the water to see the shot splash; or stray- 

 ing from the road to examine some geological specimen, with which the country 

 abounded. We reached home tired, but ready to try it over again the next day. 



