June, 1882.] AND OOLOGIST. 135 
Petrified Nest and Eggs. 
Sandj^iper among the bogs, and under the 
overhanging bog grass, until at a safe dis¬ 
tance, when, being joined by the mate, 
both commence an angry chirruping at the 
intruder, which is increased as they per¬ 
ceive him searching for their nest, which 
is usually finished and ready for eggs about 
the 5th of May, placed on a bog generally 
on one side of it. One nest taken May 
19th,, 1877, was under a stump aboiit ten 
feet from a brook. The nest has no spec¬ 
ial lining, except an occasional horse hair 
and a little fine wire grass. The outer ma¬ 
terials are wire grass, mixed with some 
coarser grasses. It is rather neater in finish 
than M. melodia's nest, which, however, it 
resembles more than any other species 
with which I am acquainted. Its meas¬ 
urements are usually about four inches 
outside, and two inside; diameter -with a 
depth of about one and three-fourths 
inches. One nest found May 24th, 1878, 
was five and a half inches in depth. Sets 
are usually four or five, the latter being 
the largest number I ever found.* They 
vary in size and color to a great extent. 
May 21st, 1878, found a nest and set of 
four in a bog surroiinded by water. The 
eggs were of a small ground green, dashed 
and spotted with light brown and lilac. 
May 24th, 1879, found a set of five, tw'o of 
which had rings of lilac and browm spots 
around the smaller end. May 15th, 1880, 
found a set of five, all the eggs heavily 
marked with reddish brown. Nest as 
usual, in a bog, but June 15th, 1881, I 
found a nest in a bush three feet from the 
ground, the eggs with usual markings, but 
the queerest jjosition of any nest I ever 
found. I could not be mistaken in identi¬ 
ty, having seen the bird several times at 
the nest. The earliest sets I have ever 
taken were two of five each. May 5th, 
1877, and the latest, June 12th and 1.3th, 
1881.— W. P. Tarrant, Saratoga, JV. Y. 
*We have a set of six taken by Delos 
Hatch, Oak Centre, Wis., May 27, 1881. — 
Ed.] 
While examining the collection of Dr. S. 
Woolverton of this city I was shoAvn a pet¬ 
rified bird’s nest, containing two eggs, 
which was found in a cave near Woodstock, 
Ont., several years ago. It seemed to be 
formed of sticks, which outside were placed 
longitudinally, but in the cavity laid hori¬ 
zontally. Many w^ere as much as five-eighths 
of an inch in diameter, but probably in¬ 
creased by their coating of lime precipi¬ 
tate. What had the a^^pearance of moss 
was laid around the edges. The eggs, also 
petrified, lay near the centre of the nest, 
the larger end of one adjacent to the 
smaller end of the other. The external 
dimensions of the nest are 5x5 inches, 
the cavity being 3^ X 3 ; the eggs both in 
size and appearance resembling a chaparrel 
cock’s. The w'hole w'eighed about two 
pounds, all the interstices between the 
sticks having been filled with the carbon¬ 
ate, welding them into a homogeneous 
stony mass. As a whole, it greatly resem¬ 
bled the lava-like formation of stalactites 
generally. The species is unknown, but 
the doctor thinks it belongs to a Pewee, 
the eggs being abnormally enlarged by the 
lime formation, as also the straw's, which 
have the appearance of sticks.— G. S. 
Smith, London, Ont. 
“ No Man’s Land. Some thrilling experi¬ 
ences in the Arctic regions. A lonely place 
where the sun never sets. Graphic descrip¬ 
tion by a United States Marine.” Under 
the above title appeared in the Boston 
Herald of March 4, an exceedingly inter¬ 
esting article on bird life and other matters 
in the Arctic regions. Among the birds 
;aken were “Ptarmigan with their large 
)roods. Snow Buntings, several species of 
Curlews and Phalarope,” also, “Eider 
Ducks in immense numbers. Wild Geese 
with their young. Auks, Puffins, Guille¬ 
mots, “Sea Falcons,” which were caught 
with hook and line for the table. The ar- 
;icle is novel and fasinating. 
