40 The Ottawa Naturalist. [May 



with light reddish dots, the third egg having undershell scrawls 

 and streaks. The nest, which is before me. is built externally 

 with dead ferns, vegetable and vine stalks, skeleton leaves, and 

 lined with black rootlets, a little moss, and horse hair. The 

 same locality was visited on June 23rd, 1909, and I apparently 

 ran across the same pair of birds again. After searching amongst 

 the undergrowth for fifteen or twenty minutes the nest was 

 located, about one foot up, in a raspberry bush and just over the 

 tips of some ferns and other plants. The nest was constructed 

 upon the same lines as the preceding one and the four fresh eggs 

 were similarly marked. On July 17th, 1909, in some deep, 

 mixed woods, another nest of this species, containing three 

 newly hatched young and one addled egg, was found. This 

 warbler, unlike the others, had chosen a very open wet spot, 

 wherein grew rank grass and water-cress, and built her home 

 about three inches up from the ground in the centre of a skunk 

 cabbage. The remarks on the composition of the other two 

 nests would apply to this one also, but it was quite a frail affair, 

 the bird evidently depending upon the thickness of the leaves 

 of the plant as a backing and as a possible protection from 

 storms. It is hard to say why this bit of swampy ground was 

 selected as a site for the nest, as there were many other more 

 suitable places in the immediate vicinity. 



W. J. Brown, Westmount, Que. 



OBITUARY. 



On Sunday morning, April 9th, the death occurred at Ham- 

 ilton, Ont., of Miss Ruby B. McQuesten, after a long and trying 

 illness, which she bore with great patience and cheerfulness. 

 For many years during her residence in Ottawa, Miss McQuesten 

 was a valued member of the Council of the Ottawa Field Na- 

 turalists' Club. She was a regular attendant at our lectures 

 and field excursions and did much to interest the young ladies, 

 under her charge, at the Ottawa Ladies' College, in the work of 

 the Club. Her gentle, kindly disposition endeared her to all 

 with whom she was associated. At a recent meeting of the 

 Council of the Club, a special committee was appointed to ex- 

 tend to Mrs. McQuesten and her family, in their sad bereave- 

 ment, the sincere sympathy of the members of the Council, and 

 also that of all the Field-Naturalists who had the pleasure of 

 her acquaintance. 



