'file ]\[aturalists' Companioii. 
0 'igCCCae “ECCC^' 
VoL. 1. Brockport, N. Y,, Januaky, 1886. No. 7. 
J COLLECTIA^G TRIP. 
I t wjis about seven o’eloek in the fore¬ 
noon of a bright spring day, when 
I, aeeompanied by a tfiend, started 
olf on a eolleeting trip. It was when 
the most of the birds of this vicinity 
were nesting. We went about tw’O miles 
up the railroad and then struck for 
a belt of timber thickly interspersed 
with underbrush and wild grape vines, 
which we thought w’ould be a good 
place for birds’ nests. We worked 
our way a short distance info the tim¬ 
ber and than separated for a search. 
Soon after parting I saw a Cdiewink 
hop from a low bush so thickly cover- 
edwith vines that I could hardly tell 
that it was a bush, and on examining 
closely I saw' a nest containing four 
eggs. I picked one of the eggs up and 
saw that it w'as slightly chipped and 
knowing all the other eggs in the nest 
w'ere so, I carefully placed it back and 
continued my search awnys further. 
On looking up into a small elm tree I 
saAv a Jay’s nest w'hich contained six 
fresh eggs, and putting them in my 
box after blowing them, I went on 
and on until I wns about tired out from 
Avalking so fai- through such amass of| 
undergrow'th, wdien finally I met mt' 
friend and Ave started for the rail-road, 
wdiich Ave soon reached, and journeyed i 
on for a. mile of two farther. While I 
Ave Avere wmlking along my friend told | 
me what he had found, and shoAved me 
a set of four Yellow'-breasted Chat’s 
eggs and liA^e eggs of the Black-capped 
(Jhickadee, besides a great many eggs 
of the Brown Thrasher and Mourning 
Dove, for Avhich we cared but little, as 
tiiev aig very common here. 
We soon left the railroad and entei’- 
ed a piece of timber AAdiich Avas clear 
of underbush, so Ave looked especially 
for Woodpecker’s nests in the large 
trees. I soon discovered a good sized 
hole in a large oak tree which looked 
as though it might contain something. 
With the aid of 1113 ' friend I soon reach¬ 
ed the opening, and thrust mj^ hand in 
the hole but could not find the bottom, 
I then stuck a stick dowm and heard 
something snap at it, then on examin¬ 
ing w'here I thought the bottom of the 
hole must be I found that the wnod 
W'as decayed, and w'ith the aid of in}' 
knife soon cut into the hole, and saw 
to my astonishment two young Screech 
Owds, and after some difficulty I suc¬ 
ceeded in securing them. In a short 
time Ave found a Chewink’s nest con¬ 
taining four eggs which w^ere fresh. 
After advancing a Avays farther Ave 
came to some small bushes which Avere 
growing among the trees all OA'er one 
side of a hill, in which we found fiA'e 
sets of Yellow-breasted Chat’s eggs and 
four sets of the Cardinal Grosbeaks 
besides some eggs of the Eed-and-buff- 
shouldered Blackbird. Now' as it w^as 
getting late and Ave w'anted to get home 
before dark Ave started at once, having 
considerable fun on the wmy Avitli our 
young OAvls, and Avell pleased Avith our 
day’s wa 3 rk. F. H. Bokgholthaus, 
LaAvrence, Kansas. 
So perfect Avere the Egyptians in the 
manufacture of perfumes that some of 
their ancient ointment, preseiw'ed in 
an alabaster vase in the museum at 
Munich, still retains a very poAverful 
odor, though it must be between 2,000 
and 8,000 ycsirs old. 
