Oct., 1882.] 
AND OOLOGIST. 
187 
small end is much more tapering than the 
other. Thirteen specimens in my collec¬ 
tion are decidedly pyriform, while twenty 
others may be described as pyriform, but 
they are much more bhantly so. 
The structure of the shell is very differ¬ 
ent from the eggs of other species of owls, 
and seems to be less compact in tex¬ 
ture. and the surface is not of that glossy 
smoothness which belongs to the Burrow¬ 
ing and other owls; it has a more chalky 
whiteness, a more dead, non-lustrous white 
than they. There is a certain oily appear¬ 
ance about these that is entirely wanting 
in the eggs of the Barn Owl. 
Capt. Bendire writes me that he thinks 
the eggs of the little Saw-whet Owl 
{Nyetale acadica, Gmel. Bp.) most resem¬ 
ble those of the Barn Owl in this respect. 
Having no eggs of that species by me at 
present, I am unable to make any compar¬ 
isons of them.— B. TF. Everman, Bur¬ 
lington, Indiana. 
Notes from Shelter Island. 
Blue Yellow-backed Warbler.— June 
12 , took a set of six eggs, being the second 
set of that number taken by me. Once 
found a nest containing eight, but was sat¬ 
isfied it belonged to two females. One 
nest found contained two eggs and one of 
the Cowbird. It is a mystery how the Cow- 
bird gets into the nest of the blue yellow 
back. 
(Does this not tend to confirm the theory advanced tliat the 
Cowbird and Cuckoo of Europe lay their eggs on the ground 
and place them in the nest with the beak.—E d.) 
Mottled Owl.— In examining a hollow 
tree occupied by one of these birds, (ju’oba- 
bly a male,) I found the headless bodies of 
a Robin and a Kingbird, which proves 
that it is not so harmless quite as repre¬ 
sented. 
(These birds must have been caught in the niglit when 
off their guard.—E d.) 
Wood Pewee. — Number of eggs in a 
set. June 18. 1879, saw a nest of this bird 
before it was taken from the tree. It con¬ 
tained four eggs which is an extreme set. 
(Three is the usual number.—E d.) 
Eggs in a Set. 
Catbird (Qaleoscoptes carolinensis ).— 
Nest and five eggs. Collector N. A. Eddy, 
Lake Whitney, New Haven, Conn., May 
22d, 1878; incubated. 
Robin. {Merula tnigratoria .)—Nest and 
five eggs. Collector D. Duncan, Vinal Ha¬ 
ven, Me., Jime, 3d, 1879 ; fresh. Suggest¬ 
ed by your editorial in July number. 
I should like to inquire if four eggs are 
often taken in the Fish Hawk’s nest 
In May 9th, 1879, my friend Mr. Daniel 
Duncan, of Vinal Haven, Me., collected 
for me at that place a nest containing 
fresh eggs ; at the same time he collected 
and sent me a large number of the eggs of 
this species, and as this set was unusually 
large, I made inquiries of him regarding 
it, whereupon he assured me that they w^ere 
taken from one nest. 
This season I spent a week in that local¬ 
ity, collecting—with Mr. D’s assistance—a 
large number of sets of the Fish Hawk 
were taken, and in order if possible to fur¬ 
nish me with additional proof as to the set 
sent me in ’79, for I think he was of the 
opinion that I was still a little doubtful re¬ 
garding it. Mr. D. took me to the same 
nest from which he had collected four 
eggs, and much to the suiqirise of us both, 
it this season contained the same number. 
Mr. D. also informed us that some time 
ago a gentleman from Mass., spent two sea¬ 
sons collecting in that vicinity and al¬ 
though he took a large number of eggs of 
the Fish Hawk, he took no nest contain¬ 
ing more than three.—iV. A. Eddy, Ban¬ 
gor, Me. 
[Three is the numt)er of eggs laid by the Fish Hawk, two 
and four the exception. In a series of forty-five eggs taken 
by us this Spring, in every case the full set was three. W^e 
never saw but one set of four eggs and that was in the coi- 
lection of Messrs. Southwick & .lencks. Knowing that M. 
B. Grifting, had as large experience as any one coilecting 
these eggs, we dropped a line to him and received the fol¬ 
lowing re])ly : “In four year’s collecting Mr. M'. W. W. and 
myself have taken ten sets of Fish Hawks containing 
four eggs each. Capt. B. F. Goss has two of these sets, 
W. E. Saunders, one, S. F. Rathbiin, one, one set W. sent 
to England, one set I broke. 1 now have three on hand and 
W. has two. Three is the rule for a set, however, and four 
the exception.” 
