Feb. 1886.] 
AND OOLOGIST. 
23 
good a collecting ground as it did when I first 
took up my o illogical studies as a boy. 
Spring came all too soon, and ou the evening of 
May 39th, 1885, Heft home, and after a ride across 
country of ten miles, put up for the night at a 
modest country Inn (a relic of Colonial times) to be 
near my ground by daylight next morning. Years 
had failed to make any changes in the place I 
we concluded to search' for' tWF'cggs f bSForeT.t-"]\ F'deau, 
ting down to our evening's work of preparing 
specimens. We had gone but: a few rods, when 
I saw, under a fallen rock, what I supposed in 
the dim light of its retreat to be an Auk, but on 
reaching under the stone and removing the bird 
I was greatly surprised to find I held the first and 
only live Petrel I had ever seen. On showing 
my prize to one of the Italian eggers, he ex- 
claimed, “ Why, that’s the first SwaUoir I've seen 
in two years.” 
The egg which the bird was so carefully guard- 
ing as to allow herself to be taken, was but slight- 
ly incubated. It is dull creamy white in color, 
with a circle of reddish dottings so fine as to be 
almost indistinct, around the large end— which 
is somewhat flattened like the large end of an 
acorn. It measures 1.18x 94 inches, and was laid 
on bare rock, in a natural hollow formed by a 
large rock falling in such a way as to leave an 
irregular cavity two or more feet in diameter by 
nine or ten inches in its greatest height. The 
egg was to one side of the centre of the cavity, 
and about fifteen inches from the entrance, which 
was too small to admit my arm until a number 
of stones were removed. On examining the 
cavity more thoroughly the next day, I found, 
it part of 
iiild reach 
;d a small 
mountain 
it went 
iver Dela- 
■ed on the 
and with 
icient and 
civil iza- 
in’s axe of 
for Chats 
on 1 had 
cr species 
had com- 
mal four- 
x sets of 
il ou this 
ret which 
1 take up 
v appear 
whiteness 
e spot of 
the point 
mrements 
li measure 
l .87x.63S 
arance of 
lashes or 
the mark- 
w Lark’s. 
The entire end and top are covered with these, 
which arc confluent. The remainder of the egg 
is here and there sparingly spotted with minute 
spots of same color. 
Set No. 3, — Four eggs, having an underground 
of highly polished white, similar to Yellow-shafted 
Flicker’s eggs, and Uic entire portion of three 
eggs is covered with a heavy marbled pattern in 
red, much like the mottling of Nighthawk’s eggs. 
The remaining egg is very peculiar, and looks out 
of place hi this set, having a ring of reddish 
brown spots around the smallest end, the remain- 
ing portion being the shining white. Measure- 
ments average .92.X.6G. 
Set No. 4. — Four eggs shaped like peanuts, 
faintly marked all over with the usual colored 
spot. The lilac shell marks show plainly. This 
set contained one og'g of Cowbird. They meas- 
ure 1.03.x. 58, 1.01x.56, l.Olx.55 and l.OOx.55. 
Set No. 5. — Contained four eggs, the most 
beautiful of my day's work. Ground color a 
pure dead white and ringed around the larger end 
iu innumerable spots of the brightest red, If an 
artist should take in hand a set of eggs of Purple 
Martin, and very delicately effect a wreath around 
the larger end, they would look as much like the 
set I am trying to describe ns anything I can 
think of. Fully four-fifths of each egg is pure 
white, unspotted. These specimens measure 
.94x.6ti, .93.X.66, ,92x.(j5 and .92.X.G2. 
Set No. G. — Four eggs and Cowbird’s egg. This 
set looks much like a set of Spurred Towliee, 
which were collected and presented to me by my 
friend W. Otto Emerson, of California. Tlie en- 
tire egg is covered with dull markings. Sizes: 
.9G.X.72, .92.X.70, .94x.6Q and ,90x.G8. 
Set No. 7. — Four eggs pure white. The lilac 
and reddish markings are about equally numerous. 
They are dispersed over the entire surface. Very 
glistening and pretty. One egg of the Cowbird 
was found in this nest. Average measurement : 
,90.x. 08. The eggs look like some sets of Golden 
crowned Thrush, [Siui'us aurimpillus). 
Set No, 8. — Four remarkably small, palely 
marked specimens. Nearly round, .71x.68. These 
little eggs have the appearance of having been 
dipped in an acid which would remove the color of 
the marking. They might be termed albinos. 
1 am convinced that four eggs is the usual nest, 
complement, as this is the most I found. The 
eggs at this date was mostly fresh, although 1 
saw one nest with young birds, and several with 
one, two, or three eggs, which I did not disturb. 
No nest was more than five feet from the ground, 
and all were built in bramble or low thickets, ex- 
cept one which was on a small tree. Several were 
within one foot of the ground, and on an average 
every fourth nest contained the egg of the Cowbird. 
The normal nest is long and thick ; very com- 
pact, and 1 think it quite a pretty bird borne. It 
is composed of leaves, strips of wild grape vine 
bark, and dead grass. One beautiful specimen I 
found was made entirely of dead beach leaves, 
with a plentiful lining of straw. 
Probably few collectors in this locality have any 
idea of the excessive abundance of this bird in 
suitable places ; and the fact that I found such a 
large number of nests in one day, and all within a 
radius of a mile, proves that the Chat loves an up- 
land solitude, and that he finds much pleasure in 
the society of his relatives, 
0.&O.XI.Feb.l88e.P.A2-«J. 
