Jan. 1889.] 



AWD OOLOGIST. 



I soon withdrew, leaving them to settle their 

 little business, but intending to return in the 

 course of a week or so, which I did, and on my 

 approach, saw the bird seated on her nest, from 

 which she Hushed, and I found that it con- 

 tained four eggs. These, with the nest, I re- 

 moved, but on my way homeward threw the 

 latter away, not knowing the prize I had in 

 hand. These eggs have since remained 

 in my collection, and, until lately, were 

 labelled " Dusty Warbler." l!ef erring to some 

 notes, which I soon afterwards made, I 

 find the following regarding this species: Its 

 color is a dusty brown hue, with an olive tinge. 

 Its common notes are a simple "chip," pecul- 

 iar, too, and varying but little in the warblers. 

 Its habitat is the outskirts of soft-wood timber 

 lands, where there is low, thick underwood, 

 in some thicket of which, sometimes on the 

 branch of a small cedar or other evergreen, 

 the nest is placed. This complicated structure 

 is formed of dry stalks, fine strips of bark, and 

 other woody matter, lined with fine hair. Tlie 

 eggs (four to the set) are white, with a 

 sprinkling of reddish spots towards the large 

 end. 



Years passed away, and I saw no more of 

 this species, or its nest; but during the season 

 of 1887 some more links were added to the 

 chain of my knowledge regarding it, and 

 finally to its identity. On the ;^lst of May, of 

 that year, I noticed coming out from among 

 the willows, and other soft underwood, that 

 grew on some low land adjoining my farm, the 

 peculiar song notes of some small bird, which 

 I did not remember to have previously heard. 

 Desirous of becoming more acquainted with 

 the little stranger, I approached in order tt) 

 have a nearer interview. But the active little 

 fellow, suspicious of my intentions, rapidly 

 flitted from bush to bush, keeping liimself 

 well concealed among the leaves, near the tops 

 of the underwoods, all the while, however, 

 emitting his " Whit-a-dee, whit-a^dee, whit-a- 

 dee" song. At length I got a good view of his 

 plumage, and especially noticed his browm 

 coat, yellow vest, and black throat. 



I hunted in the vicinity for some time, but 

 failed to discover any others of the species, or 

 any appearance of a nest, except an old one 

 that had been occupied the previous year, and 

 may have belonged to this species. Some days 

 afterwards I again searched the vicinity where 

 my new found friend was still warbling his 

 ditty, but failed to discover any nest, and as 

 other work was pressing, I soon abandoned 

 nest-seeking for the season, but almost daily, 



when near that vicinity, I heard the little song- 

 ster until the hay-making was in jjrogress. 



On the 4th of October, of the same season, 

 when on my way to the Falls of Niagara, I 

 called on Mr. Thomas Mcllwraith, in the city 

 of Hamilton, and among other specimens of 

 mounted warblers in that gentleman's splendid 

 collection, I noticed one which he informed 

 me was the Mourning Warbler {Geothly pin Phil- 

 adelphia). Afterwards referring to my notes, 

 and reading the description of this species in 

 his work, The Blrdi< of Ontario, I became cer- 

 tain that the strange bird noted in the early 

 summer was the Mourning Warbler, and that 

 the nest above noted belonged to that species, 

 and this conclusion has been confirmed by my 

 observation of this species during the past sea- 

 son. 



Now, viewing the set of eggs in my collec- 

 tion, I note that the gi-ound color is a clearer 

 white, and that the dotting over the surface 

 and the coloration towards the larger end is 

 more of a brownish hue than the coloring of 

 the eggs of the more familiar Black and White 

 Warbler {Mnlotllta carta), but in size and form 

 there is scarcely any difference. 



Early in May, of the past year, some pairs of 

 this species made their appearance in some 

 low places on " Wildwood," and for some days 

 their pleasing songs, intermingled with those 

 of the Water Thrushes and other warblers, en- 

 livened the vicinity, but as June advanced 

 their shifting about from place to place showed 

 that they had not settled dow^l to nesting, 

 and towards the middle of the month they 

 disappeared altogether. 



jniUam L. Kella. 

 Listowel, Ontario. 



Occurrence of the Evening Grosbeak, 



Pine Crossbill, and Northern 



Waxwing in Illinois. 



Among the birds whose habits are shifting 

 and uncertain in any locality are, most notable, 

 the Evening Grosbeak(7/e.s/>m7J/(OHa veapertina), 

 Pine Crossbill {Loxla ciirvirostra americana), 

 and Northern Waxwing {Ampelift (jarruli(s), and 

 while there are other stragglers from the 

 north which are driven down by severe weather, 

 their occurrence is more or less regular. For 

 many years past the Crossbills have visited 

 this locality in greater or less numbers each 

 year. 



In 1886 they were excessively common, being 

 first noted in mid-winter, about the middle of 

 .January. They remained in large numbers as 



