July, 1892.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



99 



circumference by 3 inches in depth; 

 inside depth is ]^incl)es by 2J^ inclies across 

 the top on the inside and 3 inches across tlie 

 top on tlie outside. Nest is cup hke and 

 pensile, and was up about ten feet from the 

 ground attached by the rim to a dry, forked 

 spruce branch, while bottom of nest rested 

 and was also attached to a dry limb that ran 

 out underneath. I saw the $ on tlie nest and 

 shook branch hard once or twice before she 

 would vacate the nest. She was quite tame, 

 coming right close up to me and uttering a 

 quivering kind of harsh, quick, jerky sounds 

 like quee, quee, quee. The bird was more 

 stoutly built than the common Red-eyed Vireo 

 and had a white line around the eye; belly was 

 whitish and quite yellow or sulphur colored on 

 the sides. I did not have my gun or should 

 have gathered her in; eggs were slightly 

 incubated. 



I also found nest in an old stump; entrance 

 was by a small hole in the side about eight 

 inches from ground. I tore away the opening 

 and about six inches down was the nest; it held 

 five eggs, but as I could see no bird about that 

 would lit the nest, except a Black and White 

 Creeper $ , I hid and watched for nearly two 

 hours and no bird showing I fixed up stump 

 and left for home. I went back again after tea 

 and watched until dark, and with no better 

 success, so left it for the night. 



June 19. To woods most all day. I made 

 for nest in the stump and on the way found 

 and took a Bay-breasted Warbler's nest with 

 five eggs. This was out on end of branch on 

 big, black spruce, about twenty feet up. 9 

 was on nest ; watched her for a while and 

 then took it. Nest is composed of dry hay, 

 small twigs of the fir tree and roots, and is 

 lined with hair and pine needles ; eggs slightly 

 incubated ; they have a blue shade, spotted 

 and blotched with reddish-brown, principally 

 at large end and here and there are streaked 

 and dotted with black. I examined the other 

 Bay-breast found on the IGth, which held one 

 egg on 17th and there were three eggs in it 

 to-day. I left it for birds to complete the set. 

 When I got to the stump, no bird was there 

 and eggs appeared to be damp and cold, so I 

 took them and the nest and herewith give 

 description so you can help me out. Eggs 

 have white background and dotted pretty near 

 all over with very fine reddish dots, being 

 more thickly placed at larger end. The eggs 

 are small, being IJ/, inches in circumference at 

 largest part and % of an inch in length and are 

 sharply pointed at smallest end. The nest 



outside is composed of fine green moss ; inside 

 is a thick wool like felt ; it has no grass, 

 feathers or hair in its makeup and I am 

 inclined to think it is a Hudsonian, as I 

 noticed the birds about there on the 9th, inst. 

 Eggs five in number ; incubation begun. 

 Nest, depth outside, 2% inches; depth inside, 

 IJ^ inches ; circumference outside, 9 inches ; 

 across top outside, 3 inches ; across top inside, 

 V/2 inches. 



I also found close by, a Magnolia Warbler's 

 nest with four eggs ; 9 on the nest. This 

 was on a low spruce tree ; eggs slightly 

 incubated. I had another hunt for the Ruby 

 Kinglet that I looked for all day on 7th and 

 8th and found it. Strange to say, it was 

 on a black spruce that I had gone up and 

 looked over time and again. Nest was out on 

 end of a beastly thick branch that hung down 

 at tlie end and hid the nest. The nest was right 

 in the thickest part and was fastened by the 

 sides to the little twigs and was suspended. 

 I could not see eggs as the nest was hard to 

 get at and the opening of nest was covered 

 over completely with feathers and lined with 

 feathers all the way down on inside and 

 bottom and the eggs were hid irom view. 

 First I have ever seen like that ; but I could 

 feel the eggs with my finger, so I took nest 

 and on arrival home found it contained six 

 eggs all of which were incub.ited, but I 

 succeeded in blowing them finely. Am glad I 

 found this as I had worked hard for it. This 

 was a good day for Yours very truly, 



Dartmouth, N. S. H. Austen. 



Nesting of the Louisiana Water 

 Thrush. 



The Louisiana Water Thrush arrives at 

 Raleigh from the twenty-fifth of March to the 

 first of April according to the forward- 

 ness of the season. While it cannot be called 

 common yet it is of regular distribution, being 

 found wherever suitable breeding grounds 

 occur, but as a general rule only one pair will 

 be found inhabiting each small stream suitable 

 for their nesting site. 



The nest is built in the steep bank of a small 

 woodland stream usually on the outside of a 

 curve and is usually directly above running 

 water, being placed among tree roots in the 

 side of the bank or among drift trash at a 

 height of from six inches to four feet above the 

 water. A foundation of wet, dead leaves is 

 first placed on a root or in a depression in the 



