A FEW BOOKS for exchange; send for list. Can use bird kins, books, magazines. etc. WHEELER MCMILLEN, Ada. Ohio.

Desirable bird books for sale or exchange for other books on birds or insects. Sets of Condor, Ridgeway, etc. L. R. REYNOLDS, 2971 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, Calif.

WANTED Osprey, Vol. IV No. 3 and index: New Series, Vol. I No. 4. 5. 7. FOR EXCHANGE or Sale Cheap. Some early volumes and single copies of Oologist, many Nos, of Bird Lore. Museum, a few copies of Osprey. JOHN WILLIAMS, Iowa City, Iowa. R. 9.

FOR SALE-Auks 4 Vol. 1894 to 97. Vols. 11-12-13-14 for cash. R. E. CASE, Avon, Conn.

FOR SALE Bird Lore, five volumes. year 1913-1917, one dollar per volume, carriage extra H. MOUSLEY, Hatley, P. Quebec.

WANTED FOR CASH-The Condor Vols 1-9 incl., Bird Lore Vols. 1 and 2 incl.. Nos. 1 and 2 of Vol. 3; No. 1 of Vol. 7; The Oologist of Utica, N. Y. Vols 1-5 inc. and its continuation. The Ornithologist and Oologist Vols. 6-8 incl. B. F. BOLT, 1421 Prospect Ave., Kansas City, Mo.

WANT-For cash or exchange, many issues of Oologist. Osprey, etc.. also Birds of Washington, D. C. and vicinity, by Mrs. L. W. Maynard, RALPH W. JACKSON, R. No. 1. Cambridge, Md.

FOR SALE-Vols 4-5-6-7 of Exploration and Surveys for the Pacific Railroad, 1853-1856. The books are bound and in good condition. What am I offered. GEO. E. OSTERHOUT, Windsor, Colorado.

Vol

FOR EXCHANGE- Books galore. taire, 43 vols., H. H. Bancroft, 39 vols., histories, fiction, scientific books on fishes,mammais, shells, Geology, Palaentology, Archaeology, etc. Texas mussel shells, correctly named, reptiles and amphibians in formalin, some Ornithological material. All to exchange for good Foreign and United States stamps. Can use some caeap U. S. stamps by hundred and thousand, 1861-3c, 1870-2c, 3c, JOHN K. STRECKER. 328 North 11th Street, Waco, Texas.

etc.

8-2t

WANTED-To correspond with anybody having back numbers of bird magazines for sale. DeLOACH MARTIN, Marshall, Texas.

WANTED-Exchange or sale lists of books or magazines on birds and general natural history. B. S. BOWDISH, Demarest, N. J.

WANTED-Back numbers of many amateur bird publications. List of desiderate sent to anyone having anything in this line for sale or exchange. Also have many numbers of Auk, Condor, Bird Lore, O. & O., Oologist, Bull. Cooper Club, etc. to exchange. A. C. BENT, Taunton, Mass.

WANTED-Oologist of Utica, N. Y., Vols. 1-5; Ornithologist and Oologist Vol. 6, numbers 8, 10, 11, index and title page; Vol. 7, index and title page; Vol. 8, numbers 4, 11, 12, index and title page. Nidiologist, Vol 1, numbers 1 and 2. Osprey, Vol. 1, numbers 2, 4 and 6; and other discontinued ornithological magazines. Will pay reasonable prices,

FOR EXCHANGE—Ornithologist and Oologist volumes 15 and 16 complete, and several numbers of Volumes 9-14.

Bird Lore Vol 1, numbers 1, 5 and 6; Vol. 2, numbers 1, 4 and 6; Vol. 3, numbers 5 and 6; Vol. 4, numbers 1, 2 and 6; Vol 5, number 5; Vol. 6, number 6; Vol. 7, number 2; Volumes 13 and 16 complete.

Osprey Vol 2, numbers 1, 3, 6 and 7; Vol. 3. number 1.

Bendire's Life Histories, Vol. 1; Nelson's Natural History Collections Made in Alaska; Turner's Contributions to the Natural History of Alaska; Forbush's Useful Birds and their Protection. R. W. WILLIAMS, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

"The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoce

phalus) in Virginia."

February and March are the Eagle months in Virginia and possibly Oologist readers may be interested in three photographs, showing type locations of nests in this state. Figure one shows a two year old nest in a dead chestnut tree. Most of the chestnut trees in Tidewater, Virginia, have been killed by the dreaded chestnut blight, and nests located thus are an exception. Figure two shows a four year old nest in a live pine tree. To reach it and nest number three, the writer had to wade in water almost over his hip boots, besides marsh grass waist high. Nest number three is the prize, its age unknown though old enough to have killed the pine in which it was located. Years ago such a dead tree had no terrors for me, but I find that with passing years and a growing family of kids to support, that I don't take the chances I used to. The tree trunk will not support the climbing irons when stuck into it, though the heart is solid light wood and the severe storms each year fail to blow it down, although it is top-heavy.

The nest is over seven foot tall, and four and a half feet broad, and will, I judge, weigh three quarters of a ton. I now pass this tree by, but still ad- . mire its beauty and the owners of the nest.

Eagles' nests are located far apart, and if one gets to three or four in a day's time, it is doing well.

Sometimes, after being robbed, the eagles will lay in the same nest within three weeks, but generally they build a new one, if no other old nest is available, in which case it takes about four weeks to build and lay. I have found it a rule, that they will invariably lay a second time after being robbed, unless the young of ten

days or two weeks of age, or over, are taken, in which case, they do not lay again until the following year.

It is useless to climb to a nest, unless the bird is seen to come off and one soon learns to judge by her actions whether the nest is empty or contains only one egg or a full set.

The largest and tallest trees are selected and after seeing the locations of Golden Eagle nests on the west coast, I am of the opinion that Golden Eagles' eggs are easier to se cure than those of the Bald Eagle.

Old birds lay as much as a month earlier than young birds, for I have taken fresh eggs from an old nest of young birds and young from the nest of old birds on the same day and in the same territory.

1

BACHELOR BIRDS

During the last half of May and all of June 1915, there was a bird that flew from one part of the village to another all the time uttering a loud cry of "Here, Hree;" until even those who do not ordinarily noice the birds had to take notice, and began to make inquiries as to what the bird was. It was so shy that it was difficult to get a good view of it as it would give its call of "Here, Here" and go to another tree. I finally made out that it was a male Baltimore Oriole, Icterus Galbula, and without a mate. During July he began to acquire the plumage of the adult male and either became silent or more probably learned the usual oriole song. This was in North Loop, Nebraska. This year during the

same months I made a similar observation of another bachelor Oriole here in Milton Junction, Wisconsin. The song was more nearly normal yet was peculiar enough to enable one to follow the wanderings of the bird about the village. I suspect there would be chance for similar observations if there were some peculiarity to enable one to identify individual birds.

In June 1898, I took a set of three of the Orchard Oriole, Icturis Spurius in southern Dane County, Wis., where the male parent was in the immature plumage. I have the male and the set of eggs in my collection at present.

Dr. G. M. Burdick,
Milton Jct., Wis.

American Dipper On Vancouver Isle.

Goldstream, situated a few miles from Victoria, is one of the beauty spots of Vancouver Isle. A mountain stream flows through the forest, and winds its way through miniature Cancns, with many water-falls, the banks of these Canons are clothed with heavy green moss and maiden hair ferns. In many places the sun never penetrates, one pool especially dark and although a foot bridge spans this rool, where many people pass daily, and it being a favorite spot for boys to fish, a pair of Dipper have for many years made this spot their nesting place. The pool is small but deep, and has had its tragedies, for two lads have been drowned there. Three pairs of Dipper nest along this stream within a short distance of each other, and many a happy hour I have spent, watching these fascinating birds, building their nests and also feeding their young. The nests, as most of us know, are large domes of green moss taken from the moss grown banks, the entrance being in front, for a lining dead leaves and

leaf stems are collected from the bed of the stream. The nest illustrated measured 31 inch cir. over nest and 8 inch high; the five eggs are a porcelain white and are covered with a thin slime. These birds are not easily frightened and if care be taken it is a simple matter to approach within a few yards and watch the nest being completed. I have read, that in order to keep their nests green, the birds plunge into the stream, then fly on to the top of nest and shakes the water off their bodies, but I have never seen this done for when the bird enters the water whether he swims on the surface or runs along underneath. When he emerges he is as dry as he was before he went in. Neither have I ever seen a bird on the top of the nest after completion. These birds do not dive gracefully, but either walk or drop in feet foremost and angry waters makes no matter for them. As their homes are nearly always in a very damp spot, sometimes so close to the water fall that they are kept wet by the spray, there is no need for birds to bother, for their nest will keep green for months without their help. When under water a silvery veil closes over the eye and by careful watching, this can be seen the instant the bird emerges. If the nest is built on a flat slab it is fastened in no way, and can be lifted off in the same manner as one would take a large dish from a kitchen shelf: the color of the moss always is the same as the surrounding vegetation, and if the nests are carefully placed are hard to locate for the female is a close sitter, and the male seldom visits her, although he is close at hand. The different nesting sites that I have seen are close to, and once behind water-fall. In crevice or on slab, not far away, on a big boulder in the bed of stream in upturned root by