12 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Notes on the Yellow Warbler. 



On the first of May, 1899, I arot-e at 

 about three o'clock and started on a 

 long stroll, keeping my eyes and ears 

 open all the time for my feathered 

 friends. 



When after a walk of about a mile and 

 a half without seeing much of interest, 

 I came to a cow pasture of a few acres 

 in extent, overgrown with small thorn 

 bushes and briars. 



After climbing the fence, I sat down 

 on a log to rest and listen, and was re- 

 warded by heai'ing the song of several 

 Yellow Warblers (D.cestiva) and after a 

 search of a few minute.'-, I had found 

 three nests just completed and several 

 more just commenced. 



I sat down and watched them build- 

 ing, most of that morning and noticed 

 that both the male and female carry the 

 material of which their beautiful nests 

 are constructed. 



The female, however, seems to be the 

 architect and builder, commencing by 

 weaving a small ring about two inches 

 in diameter out of coarse grey fibres of 

 the milk weed, by way of foundation, 

 and then builds the nest proper by tak- 

 ing fine fibres in her bill and turning 

 around and around, pushing and weav- 

 ing it into the foundation ring and felt- 

 ing it together. 



While watching a pair building, a 

 Cowbird flew into a nest just completed 

 and deposited one of her eggs. The 

 owners of the nest on returning showed 

 every sign of anger, trying to throw the 

 egg out, but in vain, as the nest was a 

 very beautiful one, about two and one- 

 half {2i) by three and one half (3i) inch- 

 es outside by one and three-q carters 

 (II) in diameter by two (2) inches in- 

 side. 



After chirping a while to each other 

 and both trying to rid the nest of the 

 unwelcome egg, they both flew away 

 and did not return again that morning. 



I was so interested in what I saw that 

 morning, that on May 15th I returned 



to the pasture again and observed that 

 where the birds were building on May 

 1st and the birds had seen me bo much 

 as touch the uncompleted structure, 

 they had torn it down and moved it to 

 some other place. 



But what of the nest with the Cow- 

 bird's egg in it? Well, the birds had 

 built another nest right over the first 

 one, Cowbird's egg and all, making a 

 double nest seven (7) inches long by two 

 and one-half (2|) inches in diameter, the 

 upper story of this nest containing five 

 (5) fresh eggs. 



After this date I returned every day 

 until the eggs began to hatch to observe 

 these beautiful little songsters. 



After having seen the fight put up by 

 this pair of the double nest against the 

 intruding Cowbii'd, I thought 1 would 

 try some of the other nests with Cow- 

 birds' eggs. 



So I placed an egg in two (2) other 

 nests which were just completed and in 

 both cases the Warblers left the nest 

 and built another. 



But in six (6) nests which contained 

 one or more Warblers' eggs they did 

 not seem to notice the egg. in the least. 



I spent many hours this summer 

 watching D. (estiva, for which I feel 

 well repaid. 



Paul Morris, 

 Alliance, Ohio. 



Purple Finches in Mississippi. 



On February 14, 15 and 16, 1899, while 

 the thermometer ranged from 5 degrees 

 above to 2 below z^ro, a flock of thir- 

 teen Purple Finches, six males and 

 seven fem^Ies were seen here by my- 

 self. 



During the cold w ather the birds 

 stayed in an evergreen tree and gorged 

 themselves with the frozen berries. 



The birds were quite tame and would 

 let anyone come within five or six feet 

 of them. 



This is the first time I have ever heard 

 of the birds being seen in the state. 

 Albert F. Lanier, 

 Vicksburg, Miss. 



