(Continued.)
Egg Collecting in Colorado.
On a pleasant morning in the early part of May last, (May 2, 1885) our collector put his gun, collecting-box, etc., into the buckboard, and started for a point 16 miles below Greeley, on the Platte. The destination was a long island midway in the Platte while on either side was the rushing, dirty river. This island was noted among the boys of the neighborhood as a great resort for crows, owls, herons and other large birds during the breeding season; but, owing to the river being high in the spring of the year few have ever cared to reach the island for such “trifles as bird’s-eggs.” ’Twas too early for herons’ eggs, too late for owl’s, but just the time for crows. The latter we were after, and crows’ eggs we determined to have. The sight of a few nests in the trees on the island, and several crows flapping about, worked our desires to the highest pitch. Stripping and holding all necessary articles to take crow’s eggs with in one hand, we partly waded and swam across the wild and dirty stream to the crow-den shores. In a short space of time I took 11 sets of 6 eggs, and 3 of 5 each from nests from 12 to 20 feet from the ground, all eggs were perfectly fresh. Once I thought I had a set of Raven’s eggs (280), as they were larger than the average crow’s, and my aid shot a female raven as she left the nest. It must have been a mistake however on her part and I have since given up the idea.
I flushed an American Long-Eared owl (395) off of an old crow’s nest about 8 feet from the ground, and obtained a handsome set of 6 eggs. It was so late in the season for owl’s eggs that I was afraid they would hatch out before I could get them to the ground. On blowing them I was much surprised to find them all perfectly fresh. Has any one ever taken a fresh set of 395 as late as this?
Also took one set of B. B. magpies (286) 5 eggs, incubation well advanced; nest 6 feet from the ground. We saw several herons busily fixing up their old nests in the high tops of a large cottonwood, but we never get fresh heron’s eggs until the last of May.
Fred M. Dille,
Greeley, Colorado.
Nesting of Brown-headed Nuthatch.
(SITTA PUSSILLA)
All the accounts I have seen in books say the brown-headed nuthatch builds no nest, but lays her eggs in the bottom of a hollow in the tree on the decayed wood. Now, I have never found one that did not make an attempt to build a nest. I have found several, ranging from two to forty feet from the ground, and in every case a nest was built, composed of fibrous roots, pieces of hanging moss, hair and feathers mixed together. The nests were built in a hollow in a decayed tree, from one foot to three feet deep. The nest is very loosely put together, and it is impossible to remove it without cutting the cavity open to the bottom of the nest. A gentleman in California, who is well versed in Ornithology and Oology, who I wrote to in regard to it, says his knowledge and experience has been in almost every case, that a nest is attempted by this bird—the description of a nest taken by him in Orange county, Fla., some years ago is—the nest was composed of pieces of fibrous, decayed wood, small scales of pine bark, wings of pine seeds, and a little woolly vegetable material arranged in cup form.