nest loomed up on all sides, and when inhabited 
the heads of the sitting birds could always be seen 
at some distance rising above the centre of the 
nest like the knob on a Tam O’Shanter cap. 
Ospreys were soaring in graceful circles overhead 
at various heights scanning with watchful eyes 
the river below, while others were shaping their 
course to and from their hunting grounds; at such 
times flying with a steady flapping of the wings 
and an occasional sail. Frequently we saw the 
birds plunge headlong from a dizzy height on 
their prey, striking the water with a heavy splash 
and throwing the spray in all directions. Only a 
few seconds elapse before the bird rises, clutching 
her quarry in her talons, and either carries it to 
her mate or some favorite perch where it enjoys 
the feast alone. They invariably carry their food 
in their talons, parallel with the body, the right 
foot a trifle in advance of the other. They also 
preserve the same rule in carrying large sticks to 
their nests when building, (so as to cut the wind 
and not be a hindrance to their flight,) and may 
be often seen flying with sticks extending far out 
in the rear. 
A nest placed forty feet up in a tall locust in 
the rear of a farm-house could have been easily 
reached but for the following inscription placed 
on a board fastened to the tree : “ Beware ; no 
tresspassing on these premises.” Wa followed a 
cart path for some distance along the edge of a 
swamp, which we soon entered and made our 
way as best we could through the dense growth of 
briars and saplings to the foot of a large leaning 
ash. The parent bird arose from the nest as we 
drew near, uttering its note of alarm, and flew 
around overhead. The nest was placed forty feet 
from the ground and was reached by ascending 
on the upper side of the trunk, which was none too 
steady. It contained two very dark colored eggs, 
the same number and shade of color as laid the 
two previous years in the large chestnut tree in 
the open field just spoken of. This set was packed 
in a “ patent box ” prepared for the purpose, and 
let down to the ground and repacked in a separate 
box by 3.80 a. m. This was a new nest and built 
and inhabited by the same pair who formerly held 
possession of the chestnut. We retraced our steps 
and crossed ploughed land to a large oak, which 
held a clean, well built nest, saddled to a horizon- 
tal limb ten feet from the trunk. This was reached 
by C. H. A., who brought the set of two small 
eggs down in his felt hat. These differed so 
greatly in coloration that unless we had circum- 
stantial evidence w T e would hardly have believed 
that they could have been laid by the same bird. 
Several nests could'be seen from one position but, 
they were in very difficult situations, and only 
one was reached, which was in a tall leaning elm, 
out some distance in a marsh. Rubber bools were 
put on, and with climbers, rope and boots dang- 
ling over my shoulders I started out. On reach- 
ing the tree, boots were changed, climbers fastened 
on and the ascent made. Though the upright 
crotch in which the nest was placed was reached 
in a few moments, it was nearly an hour before 
the set of two large handsome eggs found their 
way into my box. The eggs were the largest we 
had ever collected, and were well along in incu- 
bation. It was a noticeable fact that those eggs 
in sets of two were as a rule larger and farther 
advanced in incubation than those with three. It 
is very rarely that four eggs are found in one nest. 
My friend has only two sets of four eggs to show 
out of two hundred sets examined of a smaller 
number from this colony. A tall shaky chestnut 
stub towered several feet above the surrounding 
woods and attracted our attention from the very 
fact that it contained a nest, around which we saw 
the birds hovering when we were a quarter of a 
mile away. This was a treacherous old tree, but 
after some expert climbing the nest was reached 
by our friend, but found to hold but one egg, 
which was heavily blotched and splashed with 
dark brown, completely concealing the impure 
white ground color around the crown. As we 
were leaving this nest the Ospreys were seen 
carrying materials to the nest in the elm, repairing 
the damage done there necessary to obtain a foot 
hold. We then directed our steps to a large 
swamp surrounded by hills and hardwood groves 
which were fairly alive with our earlier Warblers. 
As we appeared from under cover of the woods 
an Osprey, sitting on a large nest in a buttonwood 
tree on the opposite edge of the swamp, discovered 
us, and rose flapping its wings and whistling 
loudly, accompanied by its mate, who was equally 
concerned. This nest was about forty-five feet 
from the ground, and placed on top of the partially 
dead trunk. It contained but one large egg on 
May 12, 1884. Hunting over the same ground in 
’85, we ascended to the nest and found it held one 
large egg of abnormal proportions on May 8th. 
We were surprised to find two eggs as the com- 
plement this season. These were of the same 
shade of color as those taken in our previous visits 
and we have found that they do not differ ma- 
terially in the same individuals from year to year.. 
Some sympathizing companions joined in with 
this pair and made considerable disturbance, but 
none ventured to attack us. We found that 
several nests that we procured sets from in our 
former trips had been prostrated by the winter 
storms. Crossing a small stream we walked some 
ktupu. lOOU.J 
distance down the opposite side along the brow of 
a hill and came to a large wild cherry tree situated 
between the hill and swamp, where carefully but 
firmly balanced on the topmost branches was a 
well made nest. This was a very difficult place to 
get the eggs from, for they were fully three feet 
from the edge of the nest, which was overhang- 
ing and very large, but finally we succeeded in 
getting the set of three eggs into a stocking and 
brought them safely down. The same old rail 
was propped up under the nest, that aided us in 
our previous climbs, and was the means of our 
getting to the nest this season. A short distance 
away there was another nest placed in a very large 
elm several feet in diameter, and.without a limb 
for thirty feet. Our long coil of rope now came 
in play and it did not take long to rig a boatswain’s 
sling, in which we. hauled our friend to the first 
limb, thence to another several feet higher, where 
he fastened himself to a large limb above, leaving 
slack rope enough to reach the nest, which was 
out several feet from the trunk on a horizontal 
limb at a great height from the ground. This was 
reached, and after tearing away a large mass of 
sticks hanging loosely from the nest, he was en- 
abled to get over into it and pack the three eggs 
which it contained. lie was let down slowly 
from his high perch, and after taking our lunch 
and a refreshing rest near a spring, we continued 
our walk along through pine groves for some dis- 
tance, until we reached open fields once more, 
which were skirted until a large chestnut tree was 
reached. An attempt was made in ’85 to ascend 
to the nest, placed seventy feet from the ground, 
but proved useless. Having a coil of rope with us 
now, we are supplied with the necessary means of 
reaching it. It was the most difficult one we had 
yet attempted, but rigging a boatswain’s sling our 
friend seated himsell in it, and was hauled up to 
the limit of the rope. Then resting a few moments 
he cast the rope over a' large limb twenty feet 
higher and fastened it. Then by the aid of rope 
and scientific shinning he mounted to the nest and 
worked himself over into it. This occupied nearly 
an hour, but the climber generally feels amply re- 
paid to find a handsome set of three eggs, even if 
it takes two hours to reach a nest. Packing the 
three eggs he let them down by aid of a stout cord 
and then descended slowly by aid of the rope to 
the grouud. Clouds were forming, and the wind 
increasing, and it looked decidedly like rain. Re- 
packing our eggs, we made notes, and left for a 
distant part of the colony, where we knew of 
several accessible nests, but before we reached the 
main road it commenced to rain heavily, and our 
“ waterproof ” hunting coats were soon soaked 
through. There was nothing for us to do then 
but to tramp home, for it was not safe to climb 
wet trees, and it would not do to get any farther 
south if we wanted to get home that night. W e 
know of one nest placed on the top of a large dead 
pine in dry woods a mile or more from water that 
we could visit by making a slight detour. 
After walking several miles we entered the 
woods and soon saw it through an opening. The 
bird arose from the nest as we drew near, and 
whistled loudly overhead, accompanied by its 
mate, which had been perched near the nest 
pruning its feathers. Ascending to the structure on 
the opposite side to that taken last year, we found 
it was reached much easier, but it was a rotten 
old hulk of a tree, and trembled considerably when 
ascended. We found it held a set of three,— 
same number as last year, but differing greatly in 
size and coloration. Those laid in ’85 were longer 
and not so heavily blotched, being evenly dis- 
tributed over the surface, and of a lighter shade 
of brown, while the three taken this year were 
very round and heavily splashed on the crown 
with very dark chocolate, and on one of the eggs 
the markings are confined to the larger end, the 
remaining portion being dirty white, resembling 
many Red-shouldered Hawk’s eggs that I have 
seen. These packed we prepared for a five hours’ 
hard tramp, for Le were yet sixteen miles from 
our friend’s house. Just about dusk we met a 
friend with a horse and wagon who was going our 
way and who very kindly carried us to the house, 
which was reached shortly after 8 p. m. , soaked 
and chilled through, but after a change of 
clothes we sat down to a hot supper. Then it 
was pleasant to talk over the day’s work, laugh 
and joke at some of the experiences we had had, 
and think that we had added another pleasant 
trip to the list, with still another to look forward 
to. Let not the reader suppose that the sets 
above recorded were all that we secured, but be- 
ing typical “climbs,” it would be a needless waste 
of sp^e jg S ^%pU^ r/3r-73S- 
Large Sets of Eggs. 
Mr.' F. L. Farley, of St. Thomas,' Ontario, re- 
ports finding, in 1885, twenty-one eggs of the 
Great Crested Flycatcher (Mytarclius ermitus,) in 
a single nest, -in a hole in an apple tree. The 
eggs were of five different' sizes and he thinks that 
several females must have deposited them. 
A somewhat similar ease was the finding of 
seven eggs of rife Chipping Sparrow ( Spizella 
domestica), in one nest last summer. It is very 
unlikely that one female laid them all— /. P. N. 
