50 HELMINTHOPIIAGA RUFICAPILLA, NASHVILLE WARBLER 



An excellent and very acceptable account of the nesting and eggs of 

 tliis species has lately been given by Mr. Maynard, who discovered a 

 nest in West Newton, Massachusetts, June 12, 18G9. It was placed on 

 the ground, on a small [)iece of green moss, "i)artly overshadowed by 

 some ferns and rank weeds; but these must have grown after the nest 

 was built,'" so that there was no attempt at concealment. "The nest is 

 composed outwardly of large oak-leaves, of the previous year, and grape- 

 vine bark, and is lined, not very smoothly, with tine grass and a few 

 horse-hairs. It is large for the size of the bird, quite deep, and slightly 

 smaller at the top than in the middle. The whole vStructure is not nearly 

 as neat as would be expected for so small and elegant a bird, and re- 

 minds one strikingly of the nest of the Maryland Yellow-throat. The 

 dimensions are: Depth externally 3.15 inches, internally 2.20; diameter 

 internally in the middle 2.25, at the top 1.9U; diameter externally 3.50." 

 The eggs, four in number, measured 0.67 by 0.55, 0.66 by 0.55, 0.66 by 

 0.55, and 0.67 by 0.50. They were white, spotted and blotched with 

 reddish-brown, thickly at the larger end, where, in one example, the 

 spots formed an irregular wreath, more sparsely" elsewhere. There was 

 also a Cow-bird's egg in the nest. The yellow parts of the mother of 

 these eggs were nearly as in the male ; there was less white on the tail ; 

 the black of the throat and cheeks was replaced by slate; the back was 

 tinged with greenish, instead of being pure pearly gray ; and the under 

 parts were yellowish, not white. The writer remarks upon the partial- 

 ity of the species for swampy places, generally on the edges of woods. 



Two nests in the Smithsonian from Racine, Wisconsin, taken by Dr. 

 P. E. Hoy, in June, without their outer wall of leaves, are built of fine 

 grasses, neatly bent and w^oven ; one is lined with w-hite horsehair, the 

 other not. An egg measures 0.68 by 0.49. A large bulky nest from 

 Georgia (Dr. Gerhardt) is chiefly composed of leaves, with fine fibrous 

 lining. An Ohio nest is essentially similar in all resi)ects ; it contained 

 two Cow-bird eggs. The eg^ is sparsely sjjrinkled all over, but more 

 thickly around the large end. 



HELMINTHOPHAGA RUFICAPILLA, (Wils.) Bd. 



Nashville Warbler. 



Sylvia ruficapUla, Wils., Am. Oru. iii, 1811, 120, pi. 27, f. 3.— Aud., Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 

 450, pi. H9. 



Helminthophiu/a rufwapilla, Bd., B. N. A. IKB, 256 ; Rev. 18fi4, 175.— ScL., P. Z. S. 1856, 

 2'Jl (Cordova) ; 1858, 298 (Oaxaca) ; 1859, 373 (Xalapa) ; Cat. 1862, 29.— Wheat., 

 Ohio Agric. Rep. 18G0, No. 74.— Coues & Pkent., Smiths. Rep. 1861, 406.— 

 BoAiiD.M., Pr. Bost. Soc. ix, 1862, 125 (Calais, Me., very rare) — Veijk., Pr. Ess. 

 lust, iii, 1862, 147 (Norway, Me., rnre).— Allex, Pr. Ess. Inst, iv, 1864, .59 

 (Springfield, Mass., breeding). — McIlwr., Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1866, 85 (Hamilton, 

 C. W., snmmer, common).- Coue.s, Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 18()8, 270. — Tuitxi'.., B. E. 

 Pa. 1869, 16— SiMicii., Mem. Bost. Soc. i, 1869, .546 (Orizaba).- Coop., B.Cal. 

 i, 1870, 82 (quotes Fort Tejon, Xantits, 1858, and Siena Nevada, near Lal:e 

 Taboe, Griihn; I8(i3, "many specimens").- Allkx, Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 124, 

 175 (Kansas and Utah). — Mayn., Guide, 1870, 99.— Mayx., Pr. Bost. Soc. xiv, 

 1871 ; B. Fia. 1872. 63.— Coies, Key, 1872, 94. 



Sylvia ruhricapiUa, Wil.s., Gen. Index to Am. Orn. vi. 1812, 15.— Bi>., Journ. Phila. Acad, 

 iv, 1825, 107, No. 159.— Bp., Syn. 1828, 87.— Nutt., Man. i, 1832, 412. 



Sylvicola ( Vcrmirora) riihricapiUa, Sw. »S; Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 220, pi. 42, upper fig. 

 (Cumberland House). 



Siilricola rnJ)ric<t]tilla, Run., Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1837. 



Vcnnivom nibriiajiilla, Bp., List. 18:!>-', 21.— L xii., YiC ousk. Meddel. for 1853 (1854), 82 

 (Greenland).— Brew., Pr. Bost. Soc. 1856, 4 (breeding). 



Hclinuia rnhricapiUu, Avix, Svn. 1839, 70. — Aud., B. Am. ii, 1841, 103, pi. 113. — PUTX., 

 Pr. Ess. Inst. i. 1856, 227. 



Hclmintha-ux ruhricainlla, Bp., Consp. i, 1850, 315.— ScL., P. Z. S. 18t36, 291 (Cordova).— 

 ScL., P. Z. S. 1859, 363 (Xalapa). 



