70 The Ottawa Naturalist [June 



hair. This was the first nest of this bird that I discovered of 

 whose identity 1 was certain. Since then a number of the nests 

 of this species has come under my observations, but nearly all of 

 these were placed among- growing vines, and mostly raised off the 

 ground, like the one first described. One however, was placed in 

 a clump of sedge grass, growing in low ground that earlier in the 

 season had been covered with water. 



In the "Biological Review of Ontario," published by the Cana- 

 dian Institute in Toronto, 1891, is an article from me on a nest ot 

 the mourning warbler taken that season, which I here reproduce. 



"On the 28th of May, as I was doing some w^ork on the mar- 

 gin of a swampy burn, and the highland wood on our farm, I dis- 

 covered in a clump of yellow-topped weeds a newly made nest, of 

 whose ownership I was at first uncertain, as it seemed to be rather 

 large for any of the warblers that nested in such situations. On 

 the 3rd of June this nest contained four eggs, and as the day had 

 passed without one being deposited, I concluded that the set was 

 complete, so I took them, and they are now in my collection. On 

 this occasion the mother bird was seated on the nest which she 

 did not leave until I almost touched her with my hand, and then, 

 instead of flying out, she ran mouse-like into a neighboring brush- 

 pile, which I shook before she flushed to a stand a few yards off, 

 when she uttered some notes and I had no doubt of her identity 

 as a female mourning warbler. The ground color of these eggs is 

 white, and the spotting more of a brownish hue, than either red- 

 dish, or black, and one of the set has its marking on the smaller 

 end. The nest itself was rather bulky for the size of the bird. 

 Underneath on the earth was a platform ot dry weed stalks; then 

 dry leaves, which had evidently been put together in a moist con- 

 dition, formed the bottom and the sides of the nest; but the upper 

 rim, and the inside was formed of fibers of vines and grasses, and 

 there was some cattle-tail hair intermingled with the lining." 



In 1871, Dr. A. M. Ross of Toronto, published a little work 

 on "The Birds of Canada," which is remarkable as being the first 

 treatise on this subject composed by a resident of Ontario. The 

 following is what he wrote on the mourning warbler. "Its note 

 is a little 'chit,' uttered in a soft, pensive tone; general color, ashy 



