68 The Ottawa Naturalist. [June 



vines, on the northwest corner of Wildwood Farm, a small bird 

 flushed out from a thicket of vines within a few feet of where I was 

 passing. A little research revealed a new-made nest, which I in- 

 ferred belonged to a mourning warbler; though at the time I had 

 got only a glimpse of the builder; yet, though all the members of 

 this genus of the warbler family compose nests, and deposit eggs 

 much alike, there is always some variation on the part of each 

 species, by which the attentive student of bird architecture can 

 distinguish the owner, even in most cases without seeing the bird, 

 much less without resorting to the crime of murdering the mother, 

 and in this section of country I know of no other member of the 

 family except the Maryland yellow-throat that nests in a similar 

 manner and situation; and even between these near relatives there 

 is a distinguishing difference which will be noted hereafter. This 

 nest was not sunk in the soil, nor yet in the herbage in which the 

 builder evidently desired to conceal it; but its foundation rested on 

 some dry vine stalks elevated a few inches above the ground; and 

 the first strata was formed of dry leaves and vine stalks placed 

 loosely over each other, and not pressed down in the centre, as is 

 the manner of the Marylander. On the top of this mass of dead 

 leaves and stalks, and partly supported by the growing vines, the 

 nest proper was placed. This was quite compactly put together, 

 as though the materials were damp with rain, or the morning dew; 

 when used by the builder, and may have been further moistened 

 by the saliva of the bird when engaged in placing the particles to- 

 gether. The materials used were mostly dry leaves, fine fibres of 

 vine stalks, rootlets, and some cattle hair. The inside was about 

 two inches in diameter, by one and a half deep, the top of the nest 

 was quite open, their being no artificial attempt at concealment, as 

 is the habit of the Maryland yellow-throat. Six days after, I re- 

 visited this nest, the mother bird was at home and on flushing she 

 did not rise on the wing, but ran off among the herbage in a 

 mouse-like manner, for about 20 feet, when she rose and took a 

 position on the top of a log, about two feet off the ground, and 

 here she remained about a minute, twitching her wings and tail, 

 a peculiarity of this species when excited. She flew off and dis- 

 appeared in some underwood; but on neither occasion did she 

 utter a note that I could hear, but there was no doubt of her 



