530 us. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part i 



nally of a black wool-like lichen, closely felted, and with a scanty 

 admixture of feathers and bits of grasses. The nests are nearly black, 

 and thus present an odd appearance as compared with those of the 

 usual consistency of other birds. The nest measurements are: 

 internal diameter 2.20, depth 1.20; external diameter 4.00, depth 

 2.50." 



James Bond (1938) found the species rare in the Magdalen Islands 

 in June 1934 and 1936, but in June 1935, he says they were "exceed- 

 ingly abundant everywhere, ranking second in numbers, among forest 

 birds, to the ubiquitous Blackpoll Warbler. * * * j^ number of 

 young, which had probably hatched in April, were seen being fed by 

 the adult females, while other individuals were obviously nesting 

 or were about to nest. Males were observed singing here and there 

 in the woods and examination of certain of these showed enlarged 

 testes. This was noted not only in the adult male but in the imma- 

 ture as well." A nest which he found on June 8 "was situated near 

 the top of a small spruce about seven feet above the ground. When 

 found, the female was on the nest, covering her four young. On 

 being flushed, she returned immediately to within a few feet of the 

 nest, emitting an incessant, querulous pit, while the nest was being 

 examined and photographed. The following morning the female 

 was absent for some time but appeared at the nest about 9 o'clock 

 with a flock of her kind that had been feeding in a stand of taller 

 spruce a quarter of a mile distant. As the flock flew high overhead, 

 she descended and immediately began her monotonous calling, 

 whereupon several others joined her, although for a short time only. 

 One of them, an adult male, was collected but proved not to be the 

 owner of the nest, which I never saw. The males evidently take 

 little or no part in the care of the young. The nest was a rather 

 roughly-built cup composed of dry spruce twigs and was heavily 

 lined with rabbit fiu*." 



Kalph S. Palmer (1949) mentions a nest found by Manly Hardy 

 on which both the male and the female were engaged in adding the 

 lining. The nest was completed on July 19, 1889. 



James L. Baillie, Jr., and Paul Harrington (1937) mention a nest 

 found, according to D. A. MacLulich, on Aug. 19, 1926, in a small 

 cedar at Head Lake in Victoria County, Ontario, and another 

 discovered 41 feet up in a spruce tree by Milton B. Trautman on 

 Aug. 20, 1928, at the Michipicoten River in the Northern Algoma 

 district of the province. 



J. W. Aldrich and D. C. Nutt (1939) collected an adult male in 

 eastern Newfoundland on Sept. 6, 1938, which, they say, "was in 

 breeding condition, and the plummage was rather worn." It is 

 quite possible, though, that this bird may already have bred. 



