FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Aug. 21, 1909. 
292 
showed the same intelligence, the cowbird would 
no doubt soon become extinct, but as the ma¬ 
jority accept the imposition and hatch and rear 
the unwelcome offspring, the cowbird lives and 
multiplies at the expense of other species. 
Probably the most beautiful and intricate nest 
that we see is that of the Baltimore oriole. It 
is woven with rare skill, in the shape of a pouch 
or bag, often six or more inches in depth, and is 
usually suspended at some distance from the 
ground in such trees as the willow or elm. I 
have one of these nests into which is woven a 
bit of a white shirt, with a button hanging on 
the outside of the nest. 
The vireos construct beautiful cup-shaped 
nests, well woven and softly lined. One in my 
possession is made largely from pieces of news¬ 
paper. There is no prettier sight in mid-sum¬ 
mer than to see the little downy vireos follow¬ 
ing noisely from limb to limb, begging their 
attentive parents for food. 
The tiny cup-shaped nest, in which are de¬ 
posited the two white eggs of the ruby-throated 
hummingbird, is built of moss and lichens and 
is placed on the upper side of a limb in such 
a manner as to closely resemble a knot of the 
wood itself. This tiny species feeds its young 
by regurgitation as do the pigeons—pumping the 
digested food down the little necks from its own 
crop. If one watches this operation through 
glasses, he might imagine the parent bird was 
endeavoring to swallow its offspring. 
It was at this interesting season of the year, 
several years ago, that I was fortunate enough 
to locate the nest and young of the little green 
heron far up in the top of a pine at the edge 
of the lake. Waiting until we supposed the 
■ young were about ready to leave the nest, a 
companion and myself sallied forth to capture 
the immature birds. 
Arriving at the tree, we saw the young herons 
already out of the nest, perching on the top¬ 
most branches. My companion stationed him¬ 
self below, while I began the hazardous climb. 
As I approached, the young birds became alarm¬ 
ed, and flapping awkwardly with untried wings, 
they crashed down through the branches to the 
ground below. 
My companion had been enjoying himself im¬ 
mensely at my expense as I climbed to my dizzy 
perch. It was now my turn to laugh, for it was 
a most amusing sight to see the man below in 
his pursuit of the young birds, dodging under 
low hanging branches, stumbling over rocks, 
tearing through wild grape vines, and all the 
time calling lustily for help. In answer to his 
urgent appeals I hastily descended and we 
finally secured the three young birds. 
I kept them several weeks, getting many fine 
photographs and much information regarding 
their habits. I was greatly surprised to ascer¬ 
tain the amount of food they demanded. It took 
much of our time procuring minnows for them, 
as they would bolt a three-inch fish easily, then 
open their mouths and beg for more. Being 
anxious to know just how many fish they would 
consume at a “sitting,” I fed the largest bird 
fourteen fair-sized minnows at one time and then 
stopped only because I saw the tail of the last fish 
protruding from the corner of the bird’s mouth. 
I finally liberated the captives, which, mount¬ 
ing high in air, after one or two unsteady wing 
beats, got their balance and flew leisurely away 
in the direction of the lake. 
There is much to be learned regarding the 
domestic habits of the little families of wood, 
marsh and field at this season, and the indus¬ 
trious bird student may spend many profitable 
hours afield, calling at the various households. 
At each one visited he will find something to 
instruct and entertain him. 
Elmer Russell Gregor. 
Not Passenger Pigeons. 
Saginaw, Mich., Aug. 9 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: In May I had a report from the Fon- 
tinalis Club that passenger pigeons were in evi¬ 
dence near its club house. This is a trout fish¬ 
ing preserve, situated six or seven miles east of 
Vanderbilt, Mich., an ideal country for passen¬ 
ger pigeons. Mr. Selleck, the caretaker, was 
certain that they were passenger pigeons. He 
had shot and trapped them several years ago, 
had heard them “holler” and these birds had 
“fed with his chickens,” that there were three 
of them when he first saw them in the spring, 
but later on there were two which were evi¬ 
dently nesting. Several of the club members 
confirmed this report, so that it looked to be 
based upon a fact. 
I had taken a trip to the Upper Peninsula in 
Michigan, looking over some lands that were 
damaged by fire last fall, and by the way I saw 
the work of beavers, fresh workings at that, for 
miles and miles along the Taquamenon River 
where our land was situated, so on my way 
south I stopped at Vanderbilt and spent a half 
day at the club. All that Selleck had written 
seemed to be confirmed, and I had talked with 
several of the members of the club who were 
certain that the birds were passenger pigeons. 
I could not stay long enough to find the birds, 
but on my return tried to interest some orni¬ 
thologist to go up there and make an investiga¬ 
tion, but the sand flies and mosquitoes were too 
thick to permit an investigation at the time. I 
then went salmon, fishing, on the Grand Casca- 
pedia, and on my return on July 17 I again took 
the passenger pigeon matter up with Mr. Selleck. 
He said then that the number had increased, that 
there was “hardly a day when he went to town 
that he did not hear them hollering through the 
woods.” I was again about to investigate this 
thing when I was called to Duluth on business, 
and other matters coming up, it looked as if 
someone else would have to do it. 
I took the matter up with Prof. W. B. Bar- 
rows, of the Michigan Agricultural College, he 
being the ornithologist of that institution. He 
at once expressed a willingness to go, and upon 
furnishing him the proper credentials for enter¬ 
tainment, etc., at the Fontinalis Club, he left last 
week, stayed at the club two days and reports 
that the passenger pigeons are nothing more than 
mourning doves; that he went out with Selleck 
and found the birds and that Selleck admitted 
that was the pair he meant, and that the cooing 
of the mourning dove had been mistaken by 
Selleck for the “holler” of the pigeon. Anyone 
that has ever heard the passenger pigeon “hol¬ 
ler,” however, should not make this mistake. 
Thus has the last hope gone a-glimmering. I 
do not believe there is a passenger pigeon in 
the wild state in existence. Every investigation 
I have made, and I have made dozens of them, 
has turned out to be something else and not the 
passenger pigeon. W. B. Mershon. 
Afler the Okapi. 
Some months ago the American Museum of 
Natural History in New York sent out to Africa 
an expedition to make collections of rare natural 
history material. Among the specimens hoped 
for, and for which special permits from the 
authorities were received, are two okapis, the 
recently discovered giraffe-like beast of which 
very few specimens have reached museums. 
The expedition consisted of Mr. Lang and 
James Chapin, a Columbia University student. 
It reached Leopold in the Congo Free State July 
1, having gone there from Brussels. Leopold, 
King of the Belgians, contributed 6,800 francs 
toward defraying the expenses of the trip, and 
the final arrangement with the Belgian Govern¬ 
ment were completed not very long ago. The 
museum has just received Mr. Lang’s first re¬ 
port since his arrival in the Congo Free State, 
and from this the following paragraphs on the 
life of the region are taken: 
“You would be rather surprised,” he writes, 
“to see the relative poverty of the fauna around 
Boma and Matadi. This, of course, goes hand 
in hand with the general monotony of the phy- 
siographical conditions, nothing but hills, one as 
barren as the other, though occasionally the 
grass, usually four or five feet high, is replaced 
in the valleys by a few bushes. The scarcity 
of bird life is most striking as one enters the 
Congo River. 
“The only country near the coast where col¬ 
lecting could be advantageously undertaken is 
in the Mayombe and the French Congo, chiefly 
forest, whehe apes are common, chimpanzees, 
and even gorillas being occasionally met with. 
The country from Boma to Matadi is not worth 
while for an expedition to work over, and im¬ 
possible for a single man.” 
How Geese Fly. 
New York, Aug. 14 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Kindly decide which is right in the 
following controversy: 
A claims that geese, during their migratory 
period, fly in a flock without any regular forma¬ 
tion. 
B contends that geese fly in a regular V-shape 
formation. 
A claims that brant observe the V-shape for¬ 
mation in flight. 
B contends that brant fly in a flock without 
any regular formation. W. A. T. 
[All the geese when making long flights 
usually fly in wedge-shaped or V formation, 
yet often for some cause not known they may 
change this formation, huddle together and fly 
in a flock without any regularity. This is as 
true of brant as it is of other geese. It is not 
alone during the migration that geese of any 
kind fly in wedge-shaped formation. Often they 
do this in passing from one place to another 
while on their winter feeding grounds, though 
as often they may fly in a loose irregular flock- 
just what A means by geese is of course un¬ 
certain. Very likely he intends to say Canada 
geese, though perhaps he may mean all large 
geese, but brant are just as truly geese as any 
other birds of the group. Neither disputant is 
wholly right, though both are partly so.— Editor] 
