Page:Bird-lore Vol 04.djvu/118

 Notes from Field and Study 97

others, develops a new song late in the season.

On the third day the bird left her nest with the same precipitation as at the other visits, making it entirely impossible to iden- tify her. I therefore hid myself in the thicket within sight of the nest. After about ten minutes a female Goldenqvinged War- bler came creeping suspiciously toward me through the branches, uttering low scold notes. Perceiving that l was discovered, I rose to change my hidingrplace, and, as I passed the nest, was most grieved to find that the young bird was dead—overcome by the heat of the sun, for the nest was very exposed. (I was careful not to cut away a single leaf in photographing, and therefore, do not feel responsible for the young bird‘s death.) The female soon deserted her bad egg, and thus was cut short an acquaintance which I had hoped would prove most in- terasling.

Although I never identiﬁed the bird actu- ally at the nestiindeed I have never met a bird so timid—I feel justiﬁed in calling the nest that of a Golden»winged Warbler, for the male was always close by, I saw the female, and there were no other birds about to which it could possibly have belonged.

Later, [collected the nest and the bad egg. The nest, which is of the usual Warbler style, was in a low bramble about four inches from the ground. It is com- posed of grasses with a few dead leaves, the ﬁner material being used as a lining.— C. G. ABBOTT, New York City.

A Talking Magpie

It is of course well known that quite a number of birds outside of the great group of Parrots can be taught to speak a few words with more or less distinctness. Of the relatively short list of such species the Magpie may, perhaps, be said to stand at the top. It is, for instance, not an uncom- mon sight in western towns within the range of the Magpie to see caged specimens that can speak a few words quite plainly, but I have never seen one that could compare, in this respect, with one it was my fortune to observe during the past summer. This

Magpie was the property of the station agent of the D, & R. G. Railway, 3 Mr. Martin, at Mancos, Colorado. The bird occupied a large cage, usually kept on the station platform, and was especially ‘talkative’ at train time, the cage then being the center of an interested group of people. The bird was propriately named 'Maggie.’ The exhi on would start usually in the follow- ing order, each word being uttered with astonishing distinctness, and with perfect human inﬂection: "Pretty Maggie,” " Pretty Maggiew “Maggie’s all right." Then would come the information: ‘-Martin’s a crank,” "Martin‘s a crank," followed by the emphatic statement, “Martin’s drunk,” "Martin’s drunk!” After this burst of con- fidence would come the heartiest, jolliest laugh one could imagine. It was said to be an exact imitation of the laugh of the wife of the agent. And, after the manner of cer- lain traditional Parrots, Maggie had been taught a number of words and short phrases not to be found in polite literature! Al— together it was, it seemed to me, an exhibi- tion of a remarkable character.—F. H. mecrox, War/ringlan, D. c.

The Great Auk in Florida

The daily press has already published some notice of the astonishing discovery by Prof. W. S. Blatchley, State Geologist of Indiana, of a Great Auk‘s humerus in a shell mound at Ormond, on the east coast of Florida. This bone was identified by Prof. O. P. Hay, of the American Museum of Natural History, after comparison with five Great Auk humeri which were collected by Mr, F. A. Lucas on Funk island and subsequently presented to the American Museum by the U. S. National Museum. The newspaper accounts above referred to attracted the attention of Prof. C. H. Hitch- cock, who chanced to be staying at Ormond, and aftercommnnicating with Professor Hay to learn the exact location of the mound Pro— fessor Blatchley had visited, Professor Hitch- cock made further excavations and succeeded in securing additional Great Auk bones. The subject will be treated at length by Pro- fessor Hay in ‘ The Auk‘ for July.—F.M.C.