A XI) OOLOCrIST. 
179 
Dec, 1889. j 
iAy heart sank within me. Of the twenty-seven 
Had tail’s eggs collected during the season, all 
we\e destroyed but three; also of Cooper’s 
Hawk, three; Barred Owl, four; Ruffed Grouse, 
about three dozen; of Crows an, indefinite 
number. Luckily my season’s collecting of the 
Great-horned Owl were at the bottom of the 
box, and not having yet reached them were 
safe. \ 
I neve repossessed very much s^ill in quoting 
profane history and therefore could not get 
satisfaction in that way. But there was one 
thing I coul\l do and that at ofice. Going to the 
room where lie had retreated 1 found him con¬ 
cealed in a bi^d, all except ojie eye witli which 
he peeped outVunningl'y at me, as if to ascertain 
what I was going to do abeut it. This 1 had 
already determined upon, and taking him by the 
t lil lie was convened to the/woodpile, where with 
a sharp axe his spirit was" sent to that “ haven 
of rest” from which mischievous “Coons” 
never more return. Wde be to the individual 
that ever again daras tj!> offer me a raccoon. 
One of the most amusing experiences that 
ever fell to my lot as/, a collector was in the 
spring of 1888 . I was out for an afternoon of 
it and was accompanied by a hard-headed, 
black-eyed gamin m the village, whose front 
name was George. Oua route lay over wood- 
1 md pastures, down into deep shady hollows, up 
steep hills,and then across cultivated fields, 
from one stretch of woodland to another, when 
we had reached ai certain large hawk’s-nest tree, 
four miles frqin the villiage. We were to 
return by another route. We were having 
great luck and consequently were in corres¬ 
pondingly high spirits. Already there was in 
our collecting boxes fifty eggs 6f the Crow, of 
the Chickadee several sets, White lumped 
Shrike one set of five, Hairy Woodpecker one 
set of four, Long-eared Owl one set of five. 
Suddenly our attention was arrested by the 
noisy and/ excited cawing of a pair of Crows 
some distance in our front. Has tiling in this 
direction we soon came in sight of a nest in a 
tall, straight sapling. The crows perched over¬ 
head wire making a great ado about something 
that tliey appeared to see in their nest. George, 
who had insisted on doing nearly all of the 
climbing, was half way up the sapling before I 
could get one climber adjusted. Little did he 
suspect what was awaiting him at the nest. 
Asiiis face came on a level with it, a huge 
black snake (Coluber obsoletus) ran his head 
ovfer the edge and darted out his tongue al- 
ufost in the boy’s face. Great Caesar! the Way 
that lad came down that tree was truly aston¬ 
ishing. Nor did he pause wlr6nlie reached the 
ground, but shot off though the woods like a 
strealc. of lightning. Putting on a pair of 
gloves JN^scended tffle tree, and taking Mr. 
Black Snake'By the neck removed him from 
the nest, wlieie^re had doubtless resorted for 
the purpose of feaXBng upon the young crows 
which it contained. Taking the reptile home 
with me Lfound his length to be five feet and 
a half, and lie proved quiteTyi attractive ad- 
ditiop^to my den of snakes. 
Dr. W. A Strode. 
rnadotte, 111. 
Hunting Herons with a Camera. 
I iiad watched the going and coming of 
Great Blue Herons as they passed over to and 
from the hill east of the town, to the bay shores 
southward, early mornings, then back, after 
the day’s fishing, at night to their liome-roost 
in some deep canyon. I had a desire that, after 
many years of information, led me to hunt 
these Great Blue Herons’ rookery with a cam¬ 
era instead of the usual gun and shells. 
1 started out one morning with a friend, in 
April, 1887 (one of those days that occur only 
in the climate of California), with my mind 
filled with the great sight I expected to meet, 
and the pleasure of a day among Nature’s 
most beautiful things, green hills and trees 
teeming with spring life. The old white horse 
took us leisurely along the unused road, up a 
grade of four miles. 
Meadow-larks were singing from fence-rails 
to their mates, busy in the grasses; Red¬ 
winged Blackbirds showing off their bright 
shoulder-straps from every long weed-stalk, 
throughout the hay-fields; now and then whiz 
would go by a Hummer to its bower home. 
When the grade began in earnest and Old Faith¬ 
ful commenced to blow, I gave him the rein to 
suit his own gait. The atmosphere was filled 
with liot-house steam of spring, and made the 
sweat roll from us both. After getting up the 
first ridge the air became cooler from the bay 
breezes across the valley. Ruddy Horned 
Larks were common on these ridges ; some 
had begun incubation, as we found by shoot¬ 
ing specimens. Across a deep canyon side 
could be seen a Golden Eagle’s eyrie in the 
top of an old white sycamore ; and far up on 
a rocky point of the ridge sat his majesty, 
“monarch of all he surveyed.” We left him 
in peace of his white, scraggliug “castle.” A 
bend in the road brought us in sight of an old 
Californian rancher, where we were directed 
