THE OOLOGIST 



79 



Last August collecting coleoptera I found 

 a Ground Robin's nest in a hazel bush about 

 three feet from the ground containing two 

 eggs ; incubation in the first stages. The 

 female flew oiF when I was within four feet 

 of the nest, and hopped about on the lower 

 limbs of the hazel. The nest was compos- 

 ed of weeds, &c., lined with round stems of 

 fine green grass. 1 also found a nest on 

 the 23rd of this mouth (May, '79). This 

 nest was situated in the side of a sloping 

 bank, a narrow passage running uuder the 

 dry grass and leaves tor two or three inch- 

 es, at the end of which it suddenly widen- 

 ed, and where lay on a bed of grass, four 

 egors of the Chewink, and two of the Cow 

 Bird, the group almost filling up the nest 

 to the top. The birds had evidently left 

 the nest, for the entrance was covered over 

 with a spider web ; the eggs were fresh. 



. . Is it not an uncommon occurrence to 

 find eggs of the Cow Bird iu Crow Black- 

 birds' nests? Last spring a young collect- 

 or here found a nest containing five eggs of 

 the Crow Blackbird and one of the Cow 

 Bird. The latter was nearly covered up 

 with the lining of the nest. 

 Galesburg, Ills. C. W. Strumbekg 



[As a general thing, the Cow Bird does 

 not deposit her eggs in larger birds' nests ; 

 but sometimes she is constrained to do so, 

 and in such cases the fear of possible disa- 

 greeable consequences is doubtless overbal- 

 anced by the necessity of ejecting the egg 

 at once, for when a selection can be made, 

 the smaller species are almost invariably 

 imposed upon. What we should like now 

 to ascertain, is, Avhether any collector has 

 found eggs of the Cow Bird on the ground, 

 as if dropped there by the burdened female. 

 Vide supra. — Ed.] 



The Indigo Bird nests rather commonly 

 in the Middle and New England States. 

 About June 10th full sets of their eggs are 

 laid in the nest of fine straws, weed stalks, 

 rootlets and hairs. The nest is placed in 

 low bushes, from one to three feet above 

 the ground. Frequently it is fortified by 

 the thorns of raspberry bushes in which it 



is placed. The outskirts of woods, espe- 

 cially on side-hills and where there is con- 

 siderable undergrowth, are the usual haunts 

 of the Indigo Bird, and furnish it the best 

 nesting places. 



The eggs are clear, with the slightest 

 tinge of blue, and four in number. They 

 are of the size of Chipping Sparrows' eggs, 

 but not quite as pointed at the small end. 



Nest and Eggs of the Chestnut-col- 

 lared Bunting. — Dr. Coues says of the 

 nesting of this bird : "The Chestnut-col- 

 lared Bunting breeds in profusion on the 

 plains of Northern Dakota. On the bare 

 plains, away from a single laud-mark, it 

 is perhaps the most abundant bird of all, 

 though Baird's Bunting and the Missouri 

 Sky-lark are not far behind in this respect. 

 The nest of the present species is placed on 

 the ground, effectually concealed beneath 

 some little tuft of grass ; it is a slight affair, 

 merely a few fine grasses and slender weed- 

 stems, for the most part circularly disposed, 

 and considerably hollowed. It measures 

 about three and one-half inches across out- 

 side, and more than half as much in depth ; 

 the bottom is very thin in comparison with 

 the brim, which is well defined. The eggs 

 are usually four in number, measuring 

 about four-fifths of an inch long by three- 

 fifths broad, and are not peculiar in shape. 

 They are grayish-white, more or less cloud- 

 ed, and mottled obscurely with pale pui- 

 plish-gray, which confers the prevailing 

 tone ; this is overlayed with numerous sur- 

 face-markings of points, scratches, and 

 small spots of dark brown, wholly indeter- 

 minate in distribution and number, but al- 

 ways conspicuous, being sharply displayed 

 upon the subdued ground color. When the 

 nest is approached, the female generally 

 walks quietly off, after a little flutter, thread- 

 ing her way through the grass till she is at 

 a safe distance, and then taking wing." 



May 12, Broad- winged Hawk, 2 eggs 

 20, Carolina Rail, 4 eggs. 



