138 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



NESTING OF A GOLDEN/CROWNED KINGLET IN 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



^^ J^^k. ^^URING May 1903, 1 had heard several times on pass- 



l. ^^ M i ing a certain gronp of spruce and hemlock trees, in 



VI Mm Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, the song of a 



^ ß^^^ Pk Golden-crowned Kinglet, a thin twittering warble with 



'^ ^^ ^' arising inflection, I was at a loss to account for his 



staying around so late in the spring, but on reading 



them up I found that they had been known, once be- 



fore, to breed in this State, so I decided to find the 



nest if possible. 



Accordingly on May 31st I betook myself to the 

 hemlock grove and watched, but with no result, as 

 the birds being aware of my presence hopped about 

 the branches lisping and acting as if they had noth- 

 ing in the world to do except enjoy themselves- I 

 did notice however that they usually stayed in a cer- 

 tain spruce, a little separated from the others and 

 overhanging a stone wall which divides the pasture 

 in which the grove is situated from an open meadow, across which 

 meanders a large stream. 



Two days later I again visited the spot and was gratified to see that 

 the Kinglets were carrying things in their bills and depositing them 

 somewhere in the upper part of the tree. Taking a chance when both 

 birds were absent, I climbed the tree to a spot near where they usually 

 entered, and concealed myself. I had not long to wait before the male 

 came flying back with something in his bill, what, I couldnotmake out, 

 and passed within a few feet of me, beginning just above my head to 

 make a spiral ascent of the tree, hopping from twig to twig and every 

 now and then repeating his little song. I watched him closely but soon 

 lost sight of him, as he went out to the tips of the branches. A minute 

 later I heard his song in another tree, and knowing that he must have 

 deposited his burdens somewhere above me in the hanging boughs, I 

 again climbed upwards and took my stand where I had last seen him. 

 I had hardly settled myself before I noticed the female, cautiously 

 threading her way along the same route taken by the male. She passed 

 very close to me, fiew straight to the tip of a brauch about 30 feet from 

 the ground and after remaining there an instant, in a thick Cluster of 

 twigs, she flew off with empty bill. I immediately started to climb to 



