22 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ground. The eggs were the average 

 size and lightly dotted with black. 

 About 14 feet away, on the other side 

 of a stream, I found another nest 

 containing four ibirds nearly ready to 

 fly; and directly above this nest was 

 a nest of the Yellow Warbler in a ma- 

 ple tree, about 15 feet above the 

 gi-ound, which contained five fresh 

 eggs. 



Besides all these, I found two empty 

 nests of recent construction of the 

 White-eyed Vireo in the same swamp 

 and none of these were over three 

 feet from the ground. 



Every set I have ever seen taken 

 from my locality contained four eggs, 

 and in only one instance do I record 

 a set of five eggs taken in Virginia. 

 THOS. SEMMES, JR., 

 Richmond, Va. 



Hummingbird Notes. 



I desire to add a few remarks on 

 the Ruby-throated Hummer (Trochilus 

 Colubris) to the interesting notes of 

 Mr. Southwick in the July Oologist, 

 and of Mr. Harrower in the August 

 Oologist. 



I have found a great many nests of 

 the Ruby-throat, some in maple trees 

 in the village streets, ^ome in apple 

 trees in orchards, some in the depths 

 of Potter Swamp where the trees are 

 thick and large and there are partly 

 submerged logs and hummockswith a 

 rank growth of weeds and ferns, but 

 the favorite nesting site seenns to be 

 in the woods on the hillsides on either 

 side of our valley at an elevation 

 of 200 or 300 feet above the level of 

 the creek which flows down the val- 

 ley. 



Mr. C. F. Stone and myself have 

 found as many as five nests in a sin- 

 gle afternoon in the woods on the 

 east side of the valley. They are 

 usually situated from 10 to 20 feet 



from the ground, but have found them 

 40 and 60 feet up. We find them in 

 maples, oaks, beech, and hemlock 

 trees. I have a nest that has been 

 used two successive summers, a sec- 

 ond story having been added the sec- 

 ond season. 



The female does not seem to be 

 able to sit still on the eggs as she is 

 continually flying up from the nest 

 and taking short flights of a few sec- 

 onds duration, remaining on the nest 

 but a moment or two at a time. 

 VERDI BURTCH, 

 Branchport, X. Y. 



Additional Notes on the Bobolink. 



After reading the articles by Mr. C. 

 S. Prescott on the Bobolink in Novem- 

 ber issue of The Oologist together 

 with the Editor's personal experience 

 with this "Black and White Slough 

 Bird," I can disclose several inter- 

 esting narratives regarding the nidi- 

 fication of this species. 



On the uncultivated meadows, both 

 in dry and wet situations, the skunk 

 black bird abounds, though some 

 times very locally, in regions about 

 Northern Illinois and Southern Wis- 

 consin. I have observed 25 males in 

 a ten acre field during the month of 

 May, yet I know of no other bird who 

 conceals its nest more effectually in 

 proi5ortion to its abundance. The 

 birds practically nest in Colonies. The 

 territory which they resort to upon ar- 

 rival from the tropics, seems over- 

 flowing with their gushing melody 

 mingled with the flute-like notes of 

 the Meadow Lark and the sweet out 

 pathetic whistle of this dry land wa- 

 der, the Bartramian Sandpiper. 



When the Bobolink is nesting among 

 rank vegetation bordering our 

 marshes, it is extremely difficult to 

 observe the fem^ale as she arises from 

 the ground, because of her habit of 

 alighting, or simidy hopi)ing to a 



