.luly 1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



99 



ten on this and kindred subjects, if a spirit of 

 interest is manifested in tlie readers of the (t. 

 & O. It ai)|)ears odd tlioiij!;li, to one wlio is so 

 intensely interested as llie writer, in all that 

 pertains to the internal eeonomy of all animals, 

 that so many who eall tliemselves natnrali'its 

 are almost nllerly i};norant of even Ihe anat- 

 omy of onr eommon birds. 



Birds Found Nesting in Bucks Coun- 

 ty, Pa., May 13, 1888. 



Nesting of the Yellow-Throated 

 Warbler in South Carolina. 



i»v .1. p. N. 



Mr. .\rtluir T. Wayne has been fortunate 

 enough to seunre live nests eontaiuing eggs of 

 the Yellow-throated Warbler {Dendraica domin- 

 ira), this season in the vicinity of Charleston, 

 .South ('arolina. lie states that all live uests 

 were taken from two |ialrs of birds that have 

 been breeding in an old avenue of oaks for 

 years. 'I'he trees are more than a hundred 

 and lifty years old, and owing to the gieat 

 height at whieh this warliler makes its nest, it 

 is a very dillleull matter to discover them. 



Mr. Wayne further states that Mr. William 

 Brewster and himself looked very carefully 

 for them in former years, but they were unsuc- 

 cessful. Mr. W. considers that it is the h.ird- 

 est nest to liiid that he knows of, and be is 

 only able to do so by watching the fenjale very 

 closely: and he believes she constructs the nest 

 wholly by herself. 



Of the live nests above referred to, three 

 contained four eggs each, and the other two 

 nests three eggs each. One nest found by 

 Mr. Wayne in 1887 contained five eggs, but was 

 probably exception.il, and four nuist be re- 

 garded as a full set. 



Remarkable Runt Egg of the Cara- 

 cara Eagle. 



nv .1. 1'. N. 



I'robalily the most remarkalile runt egg of 

 the Caracara Eagle (I'oli/lmrus chcriwaij), be- 

 longs to a set of throe, collected by W. H. 

 Werner, in Brazoria County, Texas, on April 

 24, 188.5. The two eggs in the set of normal 

 size measure 2.:^" x 1.02, and 2.40 x l.'JO inches 

 respectively, while the runt only measures .74 

 X .(i4, being about the size of an egg of the 

 Song Sjiarrow. In general coloration and a])- 

 pearance, it coiresponds with the other two. 



BY I. .S. REIFK. 



Being anxious to know if the cold backward 

 wcatlu'rof .\pril, 1888, would make any diller- 

 ence in the date of nest building of our early 

 birds, 1 left Philadelphia on a late train on Sat- 

 urday afternoon. May 12, for a favorite hunt- 

 ing ground of mine in Bucks County, Pa. 



I arrived at a friend's house after a ride of 

 25 miles, just in time to escape a good wet- 

 ting. Being too late to do anything that even- 

 ing, I had to content m3'self the best I could 

 until be<l-tiine. 



After a good night's rest, I was awakened 

 at four o'clock on Sunday morning by a Ilobin 

 singing on an apple tree which stood close to 

 my window, and springing out of bed, I looked 

 out to see what the prospect was for a fair 

 day. 1 was very much disappointed when I 

 saw a dark and threatening skj' which did not 

 change as the day grew older. After waiting 

 until 7 a. m., and seeing there was no prospect 

 of the sun appearing, I c<included to take a 

 drive and run the risk of a wetting. Getting 

 the team ready, my friend and I jumped in, and 

 after a drive of four miles, we arrived at the 

 river, and while my friend took charge of the 

 team, 1 started to see what I could find. 



The first nest was that of a Song Sparrow, 

 placed on the ground, containing three eggs of 

 the Siiarrow and one of the Cowliird. Walking 

 .ibout lifty feet farther, I found another of the 

 same species containing the same number of 

 eggs with the Cowbird's egg represented, and 

 about forty yards from nest No. 2, I found the 

 third of the same species, also containing three 

 eggs of the Sparrow. Their nests were all in a 

 line, being placed on a narrow strip of ground 

 overgrown with grass, that lay between the 

 i'ciad and fence. The eggs were fresh. Break- 

 ing the two Cowbird's eggs, I left tlic Spar- 

 rows in po.ssession of what rightfully belonged 

 to them. I then left the road to walk along the 

 shore to look for t\w. holes of Kingfishers and 

 Baidi Swallows. Of the latter, I found quite a 

 number of nests finished, one which contained 

 two eggs. 



I found three Kingfisher's nests, each con- 

 taining seven eggs. Set No. 1 had incubation 

 advant'ed about one-third. Set No. 2 was very 

 f:ir advanced; this set 1 did not take. I caught 

 the females of both sets. Set No. 3 had incu- 

 bation in six eggs advanced about one-third, 



