an. 



188.S.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



3 



aothlypis americana) when seen in a largo series. 

 They are small, ilelicately marked eo;g;s, rarely 

 presenting any brilliant colors, ami tlicy must 

 be closely examined in a strong liglil In -^ec .ill 

 their beauties. 



Having bcM'ii exceptidiially furl iHiali- In tniiii- 

 ing an unusually tine series, lor wliicli 1 am 

 almost whullv imleliled to the famous I'ollector 

 anil naturalist ".). M.W." (Mr. ('. I.. Hawson) 

 of Xowich, Connectieut, it li.is oci-urrred to me 

 that some deseription of them niigbt be wel- 

 come to the readers of TnK Okmthologist 

 .\Ni> Ool.ociST. With tin- exception of those 

 sets where it is especially noted to the con- 

 trary, they were all collected by ".l. M. W.," 

 and they wi-re selected liy him from a very 

 large series, running tlirongli a luimber of 

 years, with the ol)ject of showing all the vari- 

 ations to which the eggs of this sjiecies are 

 subject. 



Set I. Juni> 12, ISSl. Xcw London County, 

 Conn. Two eggs, ineubat<'d. Nest in low 

 swamp oak, reached from the ground. Kggs 

 very peculiar, being shaped like those of Ortyx 

 irirgiiiiiina. Creamy white, spotted and speck- 

 led with reddish brow n and lilac, more heavily 

 at the larger ends : .63 x An ; .(ill x .45. 



.Set II. .June 7, 1S83. Groton Long I'oint, 

 New London County, Conn. Four eggs, fresh. 

 Ne.st twenty feet from ground on hornbeam 

 tree, in wet ground, but away from main sw aiTip. 

 Tree covered w ith lichens. Nest of usnca. Two 

 .straws at entrance. Female .seen; many males 

 in neighborhood. Nest with eggs in next tree, 

 two rods awaj'. Eggs very small. White, 

 speckled (at large? ends only) with reddish 

 brown and faint lilac: .o!tx.4G; .60x.46; .60 x 

 .44; .60 X. 4.5. 



Set III. June 4, 1886. Groton Long Point, 

 New London County, Conn. Four eggs, fresh. 

 Nest well up in large outstanding swamp oak, 

 heavily draped with usnca. Small eggs, quite 

 pointed. Glossy white, delicately speckled 

 with lilac and dark reddish brown. The mark- 

 ings are almost wholly at the larger ends : .05 

 X.46; .67X.48; .66x.4"; .65x.47. 



Set IV. June 4, 1881. Groton Long Point, 

 New London County, Conn. Four eggs, fresh. 

 Nest in ftSHPa-covered swamp, in a huckleberry 

 bush, in a submerged bog. Female watched 

 on nest. Eggs chalky wliite, delicately speck- 

 led with lilac and reddish brow n : .05 x .47 ; .63 

 X.47; .64X.48; .64x.47. 



Set v. June 12, 1881. Groton, Long Point, 

 New London County, Conn. Four eggs, fresh. 

 Nest well hidden in usnea, in swamp. On ma- 

 ple tree, at end of lowest limb. Last nest of 



season. Female seen. Eggs white, wreathed 

 around the larger ends with reddisli brown and 

 lilac specks: .67 x .48 ; .67 x.47: .69x.4!t; .65 x 

 .411. 



Set VI. June 22, 1880. Side hill opposite 

 Hell Gate, Preston, Conn. Three eggs. Nest 

 in savin. Last set of eggs of this species taken 

 in 1880. Kggs white, w ith a slight gloss, speck- 

 led with dark reddish brown and lilac, chiefly 

 at the Ijirger ends, where the markings form 

 indistinct wreaths: ."Ox. 48; .70x.48; .67 x.46. 



Set VII. May 28, 1886. Saybrook, Conn. 

 Collected by Hon. John M. Clark. Four eggs, 

 fresh. Light creamy white lightly speckled 

 with rcdilish brown and lilac. In three of the 

 eggs the markings form indistinct wreaths, but 

 in the fourth they .-ire wreathed aroimd the 

 smaller end: .07x.4'.(; .60x.50; .67x.50; .64 x 

 .51. 



Set VIII. June 4, 1881. (Jroton Long Point, 

 New T/ondon County, <'onn. Three egg.s, 

 fresh. Nest in lichen-draped young oak. 

 Both parents observed. Eggs glossy white, 

 delicately speckled with lilac and reddish 

 brown. The markings are more numerous 

 near the larger ends, where they form indis- 

 tinct wreaths : .67 x.47; .06x.40; .08 x.47. 



Set IX. June 0, 1881. Groton Long Point, 

 New London County, Conn. Four eggs, fresh. 

 In a scrub oak, outside of swami>. The highest 

 of twelve nests in this colon}-. Two pairs of 

 birds crying, but the other nest was not found, 

 owing to the thickness of the lichen. Eggs 

 light creamy white, beautifully wreathed with 

 light reddish brown and lilac. Quite pointed : 

 .66 x.46; .67 x .45 ; .67x.40; .e7x.45. 



Set X. June 8, 1880. Hell Gate, Preston, 

 New London County, Conn. Four eggs, fresh. 

 Nest in savin tree — a mass of hanging lichen, 

 six feet from the ground. Eggs blunt and 

 thick in contour. Creamy white, quite glossy. 

 Spottted with light reddish brown and lilac. 

 The markings are thicker near the larger 

 ends: .63x.48; .63x.50; .64x.51; .64x.50. 



Set XL June 1, 1880. Long Society Swamp, 

 Preston, Conn. Four eggs, fresh. Nest in 

 large black birch. Female on eggs until the 

 nest was touched. Eggs glossy white, speck- 

 led with dark reddish brown and lilac. The 

 markings form wreaths around the larger ends 

 and the remainder of the eggs are almost en- 

 tirely unmarked: .03x.49; .03x.49; .60 x .46 ; 

 .62X.49. 



Set XII. June 3, 1885. Old Saybrook, Conn. 

 Collected by Hon. John N. Clark. Fou. eggs, 

 fresh. Nest hanging from the branch of a 

 small cedar tree about seven feet from the 



