Page 46.

LEAST BITTERN.—Botaurus exilis.

Range—Temperate North America, from the British Provinces to the West Indies and South America.

Nest—In the thick rushes, along the edge of the water, bending down the tops of water grass and plaiting it into a snug little nest, about two or three feet above the water.

Eggs—Three or five, pale bluish or greenish-white.

Page 50.

BALDPATE.—Anas americana.

Range—North America from the Arctic ocean south to Guatemala and Cuba.

Nest—On the ground in marshes, of grass and weeds, neatly arranged and nicely hollowed; usually lined with the down and feathers from its own breast.

Eggs—Eight to twelve, of pale buff.

Page 54.

PURPLE FINCH.—Carpodacus purpureus. Other names: “Purple Grosbeak,” “Crimson Finch,” “Linnet.”

Range—Eastern North America, breeding from Northern United States northward.

Nest—In evergreens or orchard trees, at a moderate distance from the ground. Composed of weed-stalks, bark-strips, rootlets, grasses, all kinds of vegetable fibres, and lined with hairs.

Eggs—Four or five, of a dull green, spotted with very dark brown, chiefly about the larger end.

Page 58.

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.—Melanerpes carolinus. Other name: “Zebra Bird.”

Range—Eastern United States, west to the Rocky Mountains, south to Florida and Central Texas.

Nest—In holes in decayed trees, twenty or thirty feet from the ground.

Eggs—Four or six, glossy white.

Page 63.

SAW-WHET OWL.—Nyctale acadica. Other name: “Acadian Owl.”

Range—Whole of North America; breeding from middle United States northward.

Nest—In holes, trees, or hollow trunks.

Eggs—Four to seven, white.

Page 67.

BLACK SWAN.—Cygnus atratus.

Range—Australia.

Nest—On a tussock entirely surrounded by water.

Eggs—Two to five.

Page 71.

SNOWY PLOVER.—Aegialitis nivosa.

Range—Western North America, south to Mexico in winter, both coasts of Central America, and in western South America to Chile.

Nest—On the ground.

Eggs—Three, ground color, pale buff or clay color, marked with blackish-brown spots, small splashes and fine dots.

Page 75.

LESSER PRAIRIE HEN.—Tympanuchus pallidicinctus.

Range—Eastern edge of the Great Plains, from western and probably southern Texas northward through Indian Territory to Kansas.

Nest—On the ground in thick prairie grass, and at the foot of bushes on the barren ground; a hollow scratched out in the soil, and sparingly lined with grasses and a few feathers.

Eggs—Eight to twelve, tawny brown.