THE OOLOGIST 



Four Interesting- Warblers. 



Black AND White Waebler. Mn- 



iotilta varia: — 1 know of but two in- 

 stances of this Warbler breeding in 

 Livermore, both nests being found by 

 the writer, one nest contained five eggs 

 the other four. The first nest was sit- 

 uated at the edge of a woods in the 

 dirt and roots of an uprooted tree, the 

 other was in the deep woods, built in a 

 rotten hemlock stump. The nests were 

 composed of dead leaves and bark 

 strips and lined with hair and hair-like 

 roots. Eggs white, wreathed around 

 the large end with chestnut and hazel. 

 This bird is mentioned as a common 

 breeder in this locality and is seen 

 quite abundantly here, but I have been 

 unable to find but two nests and have 

 searched for them for years, so have 

 came to the 3onclusion that it does not 

 breed nearly so abundantly as 



Myrtle Warbler. Dendroica coro- 

 nata: — This Warbler has been found 

 breeding quite abundantly la Liver- 

 more, by the writer and others in the 

 month of May and June and first half of 

 July. Its nest being built in a thick 

 growth of small pines. I have never 

 found them built in any other conifer- 

 ous growth. The height from the 

 ground ranges from five to fifteen feet. 

 The nests were all built in upright 

 branches, running out from the main 

 body of the tree and were composed of 

 fine hemlock twigs and dead grasses 

 and lined with tine grass and a few 

 hairs, have found several nests warmly 

 lined with feathers of the Ruffed Grouse. 

 The eggs in all of the nests that I have 

 examined were four in number, never 

 more or less, and in color were creamy 

 white, spotted and speckled with brown 

 and lilac and a few dots of black, thick- 

 est near the large end in the form of a 

 wrealh. This species although more 

 common than the Black and White 

 Warbler in this locality, is not nearly 

 so abundant a breeder as 



Magnolia • Warbler. Dendroica 

 maculosa: —T\n9> species has been found 

 breeding abundantly in the coniferous 

 growths of Livermore, nesting in 

 spruce, fir and hemlock, at a height of 

 from three to eight feet from the ground. 

 In nearly all the nests I have examined 

 the number of eggs were four, have 

 found only one set of five, but in a few 

 instances there was but three of the 

 Warbler and one of that pest, the Cow- 

 bird. I sometimes think that the Cow- 

 bird throws out one of the Warbler's 

 eggs, to make room for her own. The 

 nest of this Warbler is composed of 

 twigs of the hemlock, dead grass and 

 weeds, and lined with black hair-like 

 roots. The nest is loosely made. The 

 eggs are white spotted and speckled 

 with lilac, lavender and brownish black, 

 thickest around the large end. The 

 Magnolia Warbler, although a more 

 abundant breeder than the Black and 

 White or Myrtle, does not breed so 

 abundantly in this locality as 



Chestnut- SIDED Warbler. Den- 

 droica pensylvanica: — This littlo War- 

 bler is a very common breeder iu Liver- 

 more, nearly every bushy pasture con- 

 tains nests of this species, built in low 

 hazels and other bushes, from two to 

 five feet above the ground, nests most 

 abundantly in June, many nests are 

 found that contain eggs of the Cowbird. 

 The nest of this Warbler is composed of 

 bark strips, dead grasses and plant- 

 down and lined with fine dead grasses 

 and horse hair. All nests I have ex- 

 amined were very loosely constructed, 

 nearly all the nests contained four eggs 

 never more, a few only three, color 

 white, speckled and spotted with 

 chestnut brownish and Jilac. which 

 forms a wreath around the large end 

 the rest of the egg is sparingly dotted. 



In concluding this paper will say 

 if it is accepted by the Editor and 

 readers of the Oologist, that in some 

 future issue I will write my experience 

 with four more interesting birds of this 

 family: The Black-throated Green 

 Warbler, Oven Bird, Maryland Yellow- 

 throat and American Redstart. 



Guy H. Briggs, 

 Livermore, Maine. 



