THE MUSEUM. 



land Vireos. They have the usual pen- 

 sile nest, but in my experience placed 

 on some dead dry limb, not at all 

 screened by leaves, as the Red-eye 

 and Warbling Vireos usually are. One 

 found June 7th, 1885 and noted in Bul- 

 lentin No. 2 of B. O. C. was placed on 

 a dead limb of a pine, and very sta- 

 tionary. 



The Black and White Warbler, while 

 an extremely common bird of our woods, 

 is seldom flushed from her nest. One 

 was discovered quite by accident, on 

 June 3d, '94, while walking through a 

 rather wet swamp, a locality in which 

 I did not expect to find any ground 

 breeders. The nest was placed on a 

 "hummock" at the base of a maple 

 and partly covered by a root that 

 branched off from the trunk some few- 

 inches above the ground. The eggs 

 were live in number of a very clear 

 transparent white with a circle of tine 

 amber spots around the crown. In 

 every other instances in which I have 

 noted the nidification of this bird, the 

 nest has been placed on a rather dr\- 

 slope free from moisture. 



Hie Indigo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 

 Crested Flycatcher and Yellow-breast- 

 ed ('hat, are very rare local birds, and 

 their nesting is an occurrence of inter- 

 est. 



Th(,' quite famous colony of Parula's 

 in the large moss covered orchards of 

 Rockyhill are still in (evidence. They 

 have been visited by nearly everv col- 

 lector in this part of New England, 

 and eggs from this Ujcalitv must be in 

 many collections. They have not 

 been disturbed imich during the past 

 few years and their munbers are great- 

 ly on the increase. It is seldom that 

 a globular nest of these- birds are found. 



The\- generall}' work out a cup shaped- 

 cavity in a bunch of moss which ren- 

 ders their homes much less conspicu- 

 ous, and it is often that one is obliged 

 to give the limbs of the tree several 

 smart raps, to ascertain if it is inhabit-- 

 ed by these dainty little warblers. 



In a rather active collecting exper- 

 ience now extending back for fifteen 

 years I have never found but a single 

 set of eggs of the Cat-bird numbering 

 more than four, and that was a set 

 noted on May 28th, '94. I would be 

 pleased to learn how great a rate such, 

 a sized set, is to the more common 

 compliment of three or four. In this 

 connection I would state that I always, 

 look into every Robin's nest for the 

 chance of a possible set of five to re- 

 cord, l)ut it seems as if I should have 

 plenty of opportunities and time to. 

 keep on looking. 



F. H. C, 

 Bristol Co., Mass. 



Nesting of the Whip-poor-will. 



There are, comparativeh', \ery few 

 of the horde o{ collectors in the I'nion 

 who ha\'e taken the eggs of this bird, 

 and tfie description of the breeding 

 habits are rare. The price of eggs has 

 remained quite high and even in these 

 days of hard times when prices drop 

 on nearly all things, \\'hip-])oor-will 

 eggs maintain their jM-estige. ICxery 

 year ignorant buyers and sellers traffic 

 in Nighthawk's eggs and think in all 

 sincerity that thev are Whijijioorw ill's. 

 1 do not doubt that there are hundreds 

 of the impositions in the collections of 

 the }()unger oologists. And, too, there 

 are many collectors who do not know 

 the (liffert'nce between the two birds, 

 and onh' have a vat-ue notion that 



