150 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-No. 10 



A Series of Eggs of the Maryland 

 Yellow-throat. 



Unless one has seen a series of eggs of the 

 Maryland Yellow-throat {Gfothli/pls trichas) 

 he can form no idea of the great variation of 

 their coloration. 



Set I. June 2, 1875. New London County, 

 Conn. Nest under side of tussock of grass in 

 boggy meadow. Four eggs, fresh. White, 

 faintly speckled at the larger ends only with 

 lilac-gray: .72x..'5:3; .Tix.52; .73x.54; 

 .70X..53. This set was collected by the cele- 

 brated oiilogist ".J. M. W." {Mr. C. L. Raw- 

 son) and contains the most lightly marked eggs 

 of this species that I have ever seen. 



Set II. May 1.3, 1889. Raleigh, N.C. Nest 

 six inches above the ground, in clover. Four 

 eggs, fresh. White, speckled at the larger 

 ends with purplish gray, and a few spots of 

 black: .66x.48; .68x.50; .71x..51; .69x..V:!. 



Set III. .June 12. Wilmington, Mass. Nest 

 in a tussock of rank grass. Four eggs, fresh. 

 White, speckled at the larger ends with 

 purplish gray and black: .G8x.51; .71x.53; 

 .70X.51; .69X.53. 



Set IV. May 2.i, 1890. Chester County, 

 Penn. Nest in tuft of grass, on edge of woods. 

 Made of leaves, dried grass stems, etc., lined 

 with fine, dried grass. Four eggs, fresh. 

 White, heavily speckled, principally at the 

 larger en<ls, with lilac, russet and a few specks 

 of black: .66x. 51; .07x.5O; .()8x.52; .67x.51. 

 Two of the eggs of this set have each a singu- 

 lar, straggling line of black, as if drawn with 

 a pen. This style of marking occurs quite 

 frequently on eggs of this bird. 



Set V. May 26, 1889. Chester County, 

 Penn. Nest in tuft of grass, six inches from 

 ground, near water. Made of leaves and 

 dried grass, lined with fine dried grass 

 and horse-hair. Five eggs, fre.sh. White, 

 delicately speckled in the form of indis- 

 tinct wreaths around the larger ends with 

 purplish gray and black: .64 x. 51; _ .6-1 x .51. 

 .64X.49; .64x.50; .63x.48. One of them has 

 one of the black "pen lines" referred to 

 above. 



Set VI. June 2, 18S8. Montgomery County, 

 Penn. Nest in meadow, on ground near 

 stream. Made of leaves, lined with grass and 

 horse-hail'. Four eggs, incubation slight. 

 White, speckled with hazel, purplish and 

 black near the larger ends: .fi9x.52; .69x.52; 

 .68X.51; .67x.5]. The markings form indis- 

 tinct wreaths. 



Set VII. June 3, 1881. Newton, Mass. 

 Nest under a clump of birch bushes, in a tus- 

 sock of grass. Four eggs, fresh. Light 

 creamy white, speckled and spotted with rus- 

 set, purplish and black: .72x.53; .73x.53; 

 .73X.53; .71x..53. 



Set VIII. May 24, 1890. Chester County, 

 Penn. Nest in swamp, under leaf of swamp 

 c:ibbage. Four eggs, incubation commenced. 

 White, sprinkled and speckled at the larger 

 ends only with purplish and russet: .O.'jx.oD; 

 .65X.51; .64X..50; .05x..50. 



Set IX. June 3, 1886. Chester County, 

 Penn. Nest in bunch of weeds, near grounil. 

 Made of leaves, etc. Four eggs, incubation 

 advanced. Wliife, sparingly spotted and 

 speckled, principally at the larger ends, with 

 russet and purplish gray: .71x.54; .Ii7x.54; 

 .68X.54; .65X..53. 



Set X. June 10, 1878. Taunton. Mass. 

 Nest in the middle of a thick bunch of weeds, 

 four inches from the ground. Made of leaves 

 and coarse grass, lined with fine grass. Five 

 eggs, fresh. W'hite, heavily spotted and 

 speckled (for this species) with russet, vinace- 

 ous and purplish gray. The markings are 

 much heavier at the lai'ger ends: .08x.54; 

 .65X.54; .67x..55; .65x.53; .67x.55. One of 

 the eggs has one of the " pen lines" on it, 

 such as are described in Set lY, etc. 



Set XI. May 24, 1889. Chester County, 

 Penn. Nest in tussock of grass, in a swampy 

 meadow, about six inches from the ground. 

 Made of dried grass, leaves, etc., lined with 

 fine dried grass and a tew horse hairs. Four 

 eggs, fresh. White, speckled and spotted, 

 principally at the larger ends, with russet 

 and lavender-gray: .64 x .49; .65 x .48; .65 x .49 

 .65X.47. One of the eggs has also a few 

 black specks at the larger end. 



Set XII. ,Iune5, 1881. Montgomery County, 

 Penn. Nest on the side of a stream, beneath 

 a bush. Four eggs, fresh. White, speckled 

 and spotted with purplish gray and russet. 

 The markings are heavier at the larger ends: 

 .66X.51; .66X.50; .66x.50; .60x.49. 



Set XIII. June 3. 1885. Montgomery 

 County, Penn. Nest in clump of grass, two 

 feet from the ground, near a stream. Made of 

 leaves, lined with fine roots. Four eggs, fresh; 

 White, spotted with puiplish gray, heliotrope- 

 purple, and russet. The markings are nearly 

 all grouped at the larger ends, where they 

 form wreaths. There are also a few spots of 

 black, and three of the eggs have " pen lines " 

 of the same color. One of these is as pro- 



