11)8 



THE OOLOGIST. 



a liaih thi-ee and one-half feet from the 

 main trunk of a small tree. 'I'he limb 

 divided at this ))()int sending up three 

 branches rather vei'tically. The nest 

 was very {irmly wound about all three 

 of these branches, and altogether was a 

 freak ff)r the Redstart. 



Many nests that 1 have seen were 

 situated in very narrow crotches mak- 

 ing it necessary to i^nild quite high to 

 get a wide enough spot for the nest, 

 some nests being 5 fin. in height and 

 perfectly wedge-shaped in outline. 'J"he 

 majority of nests are about 8 feet from 

 the ground, the lowest being 3 ft., the 

 highest 20, (rare). 



Many of them are very difficult to 

 reach on account of the slender trees in 

 which they are situated. You cannot 

 climb them and they are often too top- 

 heavy to admit of cutting off, without 

 spilling out the contents. If you try to 

 bend the tree the chances are you will 

 either spill them out or jar them so bad- 

 ly as to crack them. Sometimes you can 

 climb another tree and pull the nest 

 ovei" to you, but this is not alvva3's ])os- 

 sible. I have taken nests of this bird 

 and also of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak 

 by taking a saw and some one to help 

 me. One of us would hold the tree 

 straight, while the other sawed out 

 pieces of the trunk and lowered it until 

 the nest was within reach. You must 

 be careful however to take a day when 

 there is very little wind or you will get 

 your trouble for your pains, as the eggs 

 (if there are any) will get rolled out. 



The nests are composad mostly of the 

 fiber stripped from the milk-weed stalks 

 and various other weeds, lined usually 

 with fine, dried grasses with such ex- 

 ceptions as I shall give below. Have 

 never known them to use any hair in 

 any part of their nest. 



In the September number, 1891. of 

 "Collector's Monthly" I saw an article 

 on the nesting of the Redstart, in which 

 the writer mentioned the use of feath- 

 ers in the nests of the Redstart. I 



wrote to the editor that I bad never, in 

 a large number of nests exaniined, 

 found any feathers. Well, experience 

 has materially changed my views on 

 this point. Last summer, 1893, I have 

 found three nests containing feathers 

 as follows: Numbers 1 and 2 were plac- 

 ed in the same woods and but a short 

 distance apart, and, from the close re- 

 semblance in the feathers should say 

 they came from the same place. iSo. 

 1 w;is composed almost entireh' of 

 feathers, while No. 2 had a few scatter- 

 ed through it. No. 3 was found a week 

 or ten days later in another wood at 

 some distance. A few days before I 

 had found a nest of the Wood Thrush 

 in this wood, and on looking at it the 

 next day found that some owl had cap- 

 tured the old bird from the nest the 

 night before and left the feathers on 

 the ground beneath. The uext time I 

 visited this wood I found a nest of the 

 Redstart composed almost entirely of 

 the feathers of this Thrush, at least I 

 think it is safe to presume so, as the 

 nest was bnt a short distance from the 

 scene of the foriuer catasti'ophe and the 

 feathers were undoubtedly of this spec- 

 ies. So, of course, I am convinced 

 that the Redstart will use feathers 

 when they can be found at hand. 



The eggs of this bird will invariably 

 number four if unmolested by the Cow- 

 bifd. This, however, seldom happens. 

 Most nests containing at least one egg, 

 and many two of the Cowbird, with 

 eggs enough of the Redstart to com- 

 plete the complement of four. One 

 nest which I found contained four of 

 the Redstart and two of the Cowbird. 

 The nest was filled to the brim and the 

 bird was incubating them. This is 

 rare however. In many cases the Cow- 

 birds lay their eggs before the Red- 

 starts commence, when she generally 

 leaves her nest and constructs another. 

 I never knew them to cover the Cow- 

 bird's egg after the manner of the Yel- 

 low Warl)ler. The eggs vary much. 



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