4 
66 
THE OOLOGIST. 
Jane 22. — Early this morning we heard! 
the crack of a gun not far from tlie camp, 
nu«l at the same time missed oue of the hoys. 
SooTi after Ave heard a loud .shotit and th(j 
crackiini^ of midcrhrush and sticks, and 
Walt. iSImms, one of the quietest fellows 
in the ganj^, wa,« seen ruuniiij^ toward the 
cau»p. He had his rifle in his han dan<l 
tiiat marie us helicve that it was he Avho fir-, 
cd the sliot. He was still quite a distance 
from tlie tent, when he exclaimed, 
Oh 
b — oys, — he — hca — " or sometliing like it, 
then lie stumbled and fell, liis p^un falling 
to the ground. At the report of Walt's gnu, 
every fellow who had a gun sUfatched it and 
ran out. Well, not fifteen yards behind 
Simms we saw a brownish ol>jccl which we 
supposed from his disconnected words was 
a bear. Ail of the boys were much fViglit- 
ened, and rushed into the tent, leaving 
Simms in a bad pitsition. 
Two or tln*ee, however, managed to rak« 
up courage enough to go out.sidc, a)id soon 
alter Ave heard two reports and a yell from 
(I think it Avas) .Simms, Soon after we 
heanl a shout, and going out of the tent, 
beheld one of the boys Avith his hat in his 
hand, standing over something black, Avhich 
on our nearer approach avc found to be a 
Idack bear. My I'rieud Ed. had the honor 
4»f shooting the beast. Of course the affair 
caused considerable exciLcment and talk all 
day. iSimms Avas not hurt ; his gun Avas 
broken in its fall, and, being a valuable 
one, he Avas mucli grieved ov^er it, 
July 2. — Simms, the victim of the ad- 
venture with the bear, returned to Forest- 
port this morning with a guide who passed 
our camp. 
Someone got into my case of skins and 
deliberately took out that of a Canada Blue 
jay, and mutilated it so that it is good for 
nothing. It Avas one of the specimens T took 
particular care to preserve, and I Avas nat- 
urally incensed about it. One of the boys 
says that he saw Simms in the tent this 
morning doing something, and as lie is a 
sneaking sort of a fellow, I must lay the 
blame on him. * * A thunder-storm 
demolished a magnificent tree that shaded 
our camp, but I did not care much, as I 
gained by it ; a Golden Kobin had built 
nest in the upper branches, anil, as the tm 
came doAvn easily, and its branches beinfr 
elastic, the four eggs that tlu* nest contaui- 
ed Avere not hurt in the least. Ed. avoii- 
dered hoAV in the Avorld the eggs could in- 
unbroken after such a jar, but it was so. 
So far, I liavc live varieties of eggs, all 
collected here. 
July 3. — Found a YelloAv Warbler's nei't 
to-day Avith four eggs in, tAvo* of Avhich 
differ so much from the others, that I raii*t 
believe they belong to the sanu- bird. AVliy ' 
they are as much as two-thinlsl larger,, 
and are covered Avith little spots, while tlir^ 
smaller ones have a circle of broAvu color- 
ing on one end. I think they are quite a 
curiosity ; I knoAV the bird I suav avjis h, 
YelloAv Warbler, because I ptit my band l<i 
the nest before it flew aAvay- The larger 
two are so much thicker shelled too, tliHl 
I think I have made quite a discovery, Hml 
Avheu I get home, 1 shall send all fom* 1" 
Professor Wright to examine. Ed. .say.^ 
he never saAv eggs so unlike before thui 
came from the same ne.st. 
TO BE CONTINUED. 
EGGS AND NEST 01 THE CONDOR. 
ALTHOUGH a large bird, the Condor "f 
the Andes is not as great as is generally 
supposed. Its eggs, also, arc considerably 
smaller than they have been n-presentcd In 
be. They have been supposed to lie six in- 
ches long, from the accounts i cndcrcd by 
old travelers and explorers, Avlio are always* 
given to exaggerati ng ucav discovenes. 
The nest, it Avas affirmed, was seven fell 
across, nnd placed on the verge f»f thenio;*! 
inaccessible crags, the latter fact, ouly. 
being acceptible^ 
♦From my recollection of the eggs, thetwf' 
mentioned juust have been those of the Cow- 
bird, as it often deposits its cffirs in small'.'V 
birds^ nests. 
fl hardly think they Avere as nuieh as thai : 
my fancy was exaggerated eonsidembly. 
