200 BULLETIN 203, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



deposit the bit of cinquef oil or liairlike fibre hurriedly, the female who 

 is oftentimes less timid than the male, doing most of the modelling, 

 turning around and around in the tiny dwelling and shaping it with 

 her breast. Two birds that I timed carefully spent 4 days building 

 their habitation, and another pair 6 days in doing the same work. The 

 amount of time occupied by the task is determined by the abundance 

 or scarcity of materials and the weather ; continuous, heavy, cold and 

 retard the work greatly." 



Eggs. — Four eggs almost always form a full set for the magnolia 

 warbler, but sometimes there are only three and occasionally five. 

 They vary in shape from ovate to short ovate, or rarely to elongate 

 ovate, and are only slightly glossy. The ground color is white or 

 creamy white and in some instances greenish white. Their markings 

 vary considerably, some being very lightly speckled, while others are 

 boldly spotted, blotched or clouded with "buffy brown," "cinnamon- 

 brown," "Mars brown," "Front's brown," "mummy brown," "Brus- 

 sels brown," "chestnut," "auburn," or "tawny-olive," with occasional 

 scrawls of "bay" or black, and with undertones of "vinaceous-drab," 

 "deep brownish drab," or "Quaker drab." There is a tendency for the 

 markings to be concentrated at the large end, w^here they often form a 

 wreath, or sometimes a solid cap. Many interesting effects are found 

 on the boldly marked eggs, where the large brown blotches are super- 

 imposed on the drab undertones. The measurements of 50 eggs aver- 

 age 16.3 by 12.3 millimeters ; the eggs showing the four extremes meas- 

 ure 17.9 by 13.2, 15.0 by 12.0, and 15.8 by 11.6 millimeters (Harris). 



Young. — The period of incubation for the magnolia warbler is said, 

 by different observers, to be 11, 12, or 13 days, and it is evidently per- 

 formed by the female only. Miss Stanwood tells me that incubation 

 sometimes begins after the second %gg is laid. One egg is laid each 

 day until the set is complete. The young remain in the nest from 8 

 to 10 days, usually the latter. The eyes of the young are opening on 

 the third or fourth day. On the sixth day, the feathers are breaking 

 the sheaths, and by the eighth or ninth day the young are well feath- 

 ered. The female does all the brooding of the young, of which Miss 

 Stanwood writes in her notes : 



"At first the mother bird covered the young much of the time, as the 

 infant birds were fragile and the weather was cold and damp. Every 

 few minutes the brooding bird moved back on the nest far enough to 

 feed the nestlings regurgitated or digested food, and to cleanse the nest 

 of biting pests such as ants, which might endanger the lives of the baby 

 birds. The father bird sang gaily, far away and near at hand, 

 throughout the long summer day. Wlien he came to the nest with 

 food, he flirted his tail, fluttered his wings, quivered all over and 

 twittered very prettily to his mate, who responded in like manner. 



