133 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 17-N0. 9 



cities, nesting about dwelling houses, and 

 also the fact that both these beautiful birds 

 are very fond of the Colorado potato 

 beetle. 



This species is certainly rapidly increas- 

 ing in numbers here, and has put away 

 much of its former shyness. Except for 

 one tiling I would much admire it. That 

 one objectionable feature is its very sharp 

 and disagreeable cheep. No one not fa- 

 miliar with this species would believe that 

 the female belonged to the same species 

 as the male, as the sexes are wonderfully 

 different in color. 



Qiiery : Does this bird prefer to enter 

 Michigan from the southeast, keeping on 

 the eastern side of the morraine, or does 

 it prefer the hills and vales, forests and 

 fields, lakes, rivers and streams of Oak- 

 land County to any other portion of the 

 state ? 



Should think this bird ought to be com- 

 mon at Ann Arbor, for it is also on the 

 eastern slope of the morraine. 



Is this the only locality in the state 

 where this bird is abuncjant? What is its 

 geographical range.'' Will some of the 

 readers of the Ornithologist and Ool- 

 OGIST give us more facts regarding the 

 geographical distribution of this species.'' 

 Wilfred A. Brothcrto)i. 



Rochester, Mich. 



Nest of the Maryland Yellow-throat, 



On the 8th of June, 1892, I collected 

 for the first time a set of the eggs of this 

 species. It is only in comparatively re- 

 cent years that this bird has made its 

 advent in this locality, and only in one 

 vicinity have I as yet observed it, or heard 

 its song ; and not until this season was I 

 certain of its identity, though I knew it, at 

 least the male, as a distinct species for 

 several years past; and, having read that 

 it was a bush building bird, had searched 

 in vain for its nest. 



On the day previous to taking this set 

 of its eggs, I was crossing the burnt 

 swamp on the back part of " Wild Wood " 

 when a small bird flushed out of a patch 

 of dry swamp grass a few feet ahead of 

 my path. Her actions indicated that she 

 had left a nest, and after a little search on 

 my part this was discovered, containing 

 three beautiful fresh eggs. I saw at a 

 glance that this nest and eggs were new 

 to me, but for a time I devoted my atten- 

 tion to the bird and her actions, in order 

 to identify her, as her appearance was 

 much like that of the female Mourning 

 and Yellow Warbler, but I thought from 

 the site of the nest that she was not that 

 species. In a few moments, however, 

 her chip-like notes brought her mate, 

 who had been warbling his ivJiitidy-\\Ve. 

 song among some bushes near by, into 

 full view and only a few yards off, and 

 then by his deep black face and other 

 markings, I identified the species as the 

 Maryland Yellow-throat. The nest itself 

 was deeply hid among a patch of dry 

 syvarnp grass and so well concealed that 

 if the bird had not flew out it would have 

 been passed by undiscovered. Its founda- 

 tion was rather suspended among the 

 grass than placed on the ground, though 

 it was several inches deep by about two 

 inches across in the inside, and was com- 

 posed wholly of fine dry grasses. The 

 eggs were of a clear white color, with a 

 ring or wreath of reddish-brown spots 

 towardi the larger end and a few dots of 

 the same hue on other parts of tlie surface. 

 Next day, when another egg had been de- 

 posited, I took tlie set. 



On the 34th of the same month I found 

 another nest of the same species not far 

 from this, and placed in a tuft of dry 

 grass about a foot from the ground, com- 

 posed also of fine dry grass and contain- 

 ing two eggs of similar size, color, and 

 marking. After four days, as no more 

 eggs were added and no birds were seen, 



