VOL. IV, 
KANSAS CITY. MJHSUURI, Ji^NUAKY, 1889. 
NO ]. 
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS. 
Kecent Notable Additions to it. 
One of tlie niostimpoi tant events in tlie 
soieiititio annals of the university of Kau. 
has just transpired in the return of Pro- 
tessor L. L.Dyche, from Texas, bringing 
with him eleven complete Buffalo skins 
for the university cabinets. These skins 
have been carefully prepared for tax- 
idermic purposes, and a choice selection 
from them will Foon be mounted for ex- 
hibi^u at Snow Hall of Natural History, 
making with the ma^rnifiooni- "Montma 
l)air, already mounted, the finest group of 
Biiftalo in the world. It is a great piece 
of good fortune that these last survivors 
of the Southern herd of Bison have been 
secured for Kansas, and the state is to be 
congratulated that Professor Dyche was 
able to successfully conipete with agents 
of two of the largest museums in the 
United States, the National Museum at 
Washington, and the American Museum 
of Natural History, in New York city. 
Being on the ground in person, he was 
able to eft'ect an advantageous purchase 
of the skins, and the university will now 
enjoy the fame and prestage of possess- 
ing another attraction beyond the reach 
of Eastern institutions. The skins not 
used for mounting, can be advantageous- 
ly exchanged for the skins of other mam- 
mals, which it would be impossible to 
obtain in any other waj^ 
The ranchman from \yhom these ani- 
mals were obtained, has for several years 
been a constant observer of the Sonthern 
herd of Buffalo, and has regretfully 
watched their gradual disappearance. 
Last autumn only twenty-nine individ- 
uals were left of what was once an im- 
mense herd, numbering tens of thou- 
sands, and fairly blackening the plains of 
Western Kansas. Since October, twcnty- 
tive are known to have been killed, and 
the ronaining four, all of them females, 
have probably also perished. The elev- 
en specimens secured for the university 
were killed very near the Kansas line, 
and there is every reason to believe that 
they were born tipon Kansas soil. 
The above article is part of a letter 
from a Tiawrence, Kan. correspondent to 
a Kansas City weekly. 
The following is an extract from an ar- 
ticle that appeared in the same paper a 
few days later: 
A portion of '•the only herd of Buf- 
faloes ill the \\o!-l(r' arrived in Kansas 
City from St. Paul la^t iii-ht. These ani- 
mals area part of a herd of forty Buffa- 
loes which the well known breeder 
••Buffalo .Jones" of Garden City, has 
recently purchased in M:'.nitoba. 
Dr. W. F. Carver, the noted shot, con- 
ceiving the idea of exhibiting them here, 
built a strong corral on Walnut street, 
and accompanied by Will Joiius, a bro- 
ther of ''Buffalo" and fourteen cow boys 
aimed with huge clubs, undertook to 
drive the buffaloes- from the cars to the 
corral up town, Well, they and 5(10 
other fellows chased those brutes all 
over town, and when morning came had 
succeeded in getting all but three in the 
corral where they remained several 
weeks. 
Mr. .Tones has over one hundred ButPi- 
loes on his ranch near Garden City. 
With the exception of a few isolated 
specimens these are the only Buffaloes in 
the world and on this herd is placed the 
sole dependence of perpetuating the 
stock and recreating the race. 
Vermont Notes. 
On (he seventh of last May, I was out 
collecting eggs, and passing under a 
stone bridge, caught sight of a Plurbe's 
nest. Climbing up I flushed a Song Spar- 
row, and found two Sparrow eggs and 
one Phrebe egg in the nest. I did not 
disturb the eggs. I saw a Phrebe sitt- 
ing on the fence not far awaJ^ Some 
ten days later, passing by the bridge, 1 
discovered the Sparrow dead on the 
ground and the Phoebe sitting on the 
nest. Climbing up, the Phoebe flew 
away. The nest contained two young 
Phoebes and two young Sparrows. I do 
not know whether the Pho'be killed 
the Sparrow or not. 
On August 15, 18S8, while digging out 
Bank Swallow's nests in an old gravel 
pit. I was surprised to see a Bluebird fly 
from a hole near by. On investigating 
I found six fresh Bluebird eggs. The 
entrance to the nest was fourteen 
inches deep, and the nest itself was com- 
posed of dry grass and a few sticks. 
I never found the Bluebird nesting 
this way before. I would like to bear 
from collectors in other localities. 
H. II. B., Castleton, Vt. 
Cox'nioi-ant. 
229. Pholacrocorax carbo. (2^inn.) [642.] 
Ilab. AllU'itic coasts of Eiii'opc Hiid Anicri- 
ica, sontli in winter on tlie co:ist of the I'+ii- 
ted states, casually, to tlie Carolinas. 
The Common Cormorant is very gener- 
ally distributed throughout nearly the 
entire northern hemisphere. It iDreed.s 
ill the northern parts of Europe and Asia 
and in Xoi th America from the Bay of 
Funday to Gi eenlaiid. The C'oriiiorants 
are curious birds ot strange flgure; the 
outer surface of the plumage in most 
species normally is of a dark lustrous 
greeiiish-lilack, but subject to great 
changes, makhig their study very diffi- 
cult. The eyes as a rule are green, a 
color rarely seen in birds. They feed 
principally ui'on flsh and their voracity 
is proverbial, 'i'his species breefis in vast 
iiumbersoii the rocky shores of Ijabrador 
and Newfonndland ; making the nest up- 
on the top of ledges or on projections 
and in crevices of precipitous rocks, 
which arecovei'ed with the excrement of 
the birds. Itiscomposed of sticks, kelp 
and seaweed. lake all the Coraioraiits. 
this species is gregarious and breed in 
communities. 'I'hey are all known un- 
der the common name of Shag. 
Mr. Frazar met with a coloiu' of this 
Cormorant in company with the Double- 
creasted species on the coast of Labra- 
dor. Many of the nests contained large 
young, .Tune 19. Nests of the Double- 
crested Cormorant were placed wherever 
the ledges would hold them, while those 
of the common species were built close to 
the top. Thenestsof the Common Cormor- 
ant usuallj^ contained four or five eggs, 
and several sets were taken of six. The 
eggs' average larger than those of the 
Double-crested ; the sizes var}' from 2. .38 
to 2.G5 long by 1 .29 to 1 .c.O broad. Color, 
pale greenish; form, elliptical — Fn^m 
Prtif. Davif's Nrsts and EiJi/s of North 
American Birds, Srd edition., by the au- 
thor's kindness. 
34,oG0,000,000, 000,000.000 to 1. 
AVhat a vast difference there is be- 
tween the size of the animalcula^ which 
only appears like a visable point, when 
magnified 500,000 times, and the whale, 
which is 100 feet long and 20 feet broad ! 
The proportion between the two is 
34,560 trillions to I.— Dr. Dick. 
"Wanted to Exchange ; Cones' "'Birds 
of the North-west" for Coue.s' ''Birds of 
the Colorado Valley.'" 
Wm. SxEPnENSOx, Ft. Verdi, A. T. 
