Dec. 1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



189 



Nesting of the Yellow-breasted Chat Occurrence of the White-throated 



in 1888 near Raleigh, N. C. 



BY C. S. BRIMLET. 



In this locality these birds uest chiefly in 

 thicljets and briar patches, and less often in 

 scattering bushes on hillsides. The nest is 

 composed of grass or weed stems, the bottom 

 being almost entirely of dead leaves, and the 

 whole is lined with fine grass, never with 

 horsehair or feathers. 



The nest is placed in a suital)le Ijiish, briar 

 patch or bunch of reeds from two to six feet 

 from the ground, the usual height being about 

 three feet. The birds commenced to lay May 

 IGtIi and the last nest was found June 2.5, con- 

 taining a full set of 4. Early in the season the 

 set is almost invariably four, later on sets of 

 three begin to appear, and late in .lune, three are 

 more often found than four. Considering the 

 abundance of the species, comparatively few- 

 nests are found; a briar patch containing 

 several pairs often fail to reveal a single uest to 

 the most diligent search. The nests that are 

 found are always in such easy places to find 

 that one wonders at not finding many more. 



Seven Eggs of the \^^illet Laid in One 

 Nest. 



BY J. v. N. 



On May 9th, 1887, seven eggs of the Willet 

 (Syiiipheiitia semipalmata) were found in one 

 nest in Northampton County, Virginia. In all 

 probability they were laid by two birds, as four 

 eggs is the almost invariable number for this 

 species. 



The same collector informs me that he has 

 found tive and six eggs in a single nest, but 

 never before .seven. Is not this the largest 

 " set" of this species on record? 



Odd Nesting Site of a Field Sparrow. 



BY .1. p. NOKKIS, JK. 



On June 30th, 1880, I found a nest of the 

 Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) in Chester 

 County, rennsylvania, in a Hawthorn hedge, 

 eight feet from the ground. 



The nest and eggs (three in number) were in 

 no respect remarkable, but what caused the 

 birds to build in such a high situation is a 

 mystery. 



Warbler fso-called) at Raleigh, 

 N. C. 



BY C. S. BlUMLEY. 



A ? specimenof the hybrid between Helmhi- 

 Ihoplnla pinus and //. i^hnjKopli'ra^ referable to 

 the form formerly known as the White-throat- 

 ed Warbler {leucohranchiaiis) was taken here 

 by my brother on Sept. 6, 1888. The bird was 

 killed in mixed woods, being at the time in the 

 company of a large quantity of other Warblers, 

 and was not supposed to be anything out of the 

 way until after its capture. 



The bird was of a mixed bluish and greenisli 

 above, the rump being without any bluish lint; 

 the loral strip was black and there were black 

 traces about the auriculars. Under parts were 

 mostly white except the forepart of the breast 

 which was yellow ; throat and neck below 

 white, chin yellow. The crown, forehead and 

 wingbars bright yellow as in clirysnjiti'i-a. 

 Measurements L. 5, W. 2-i»jr, T. Ij J, E. 7fi, Sept. 

 G, 1888, ? . 



Yellow-headed Blackbird in Connec- 

 ticut. 



K. K. COLBKON. 



Last July I shot a female Vel low-headed 

 Blackbird from a flock of Red-winged Black- 

 birds in the marshes near Stamford, Conn., 

 which I believe to be an unusual occurrence. 



Addition to the List of the Shore 

 Birds of Cape Cod. 



BY JOHN C. CAHOON. 



1 wish to add Baird's Sandpiper (T. l)airdii) 

 to my list of The Shore Birds of Cape Cod. 

 A young <? of this species was shot on Mono- 

 moy flats, August 30th of the present year, by 

 Mr. Sanford of New Haven, Conn. This is the 

 first instance of its occurrence, to my know- 

 ledge, on Cape Cod. 



October 9th I shot a Ked IMialarope in a small 

 fresh water pond near Salt Meadows, and on 

 Novendjer 2nd a second one in a channel be- 

 tween the flats and the outer beach. This bird 

 is a rare visitor to our Cape Cod coast, and 

 I have never before seen one in the autumn. 



