pairs of this wholly beneficial species, all of whom succeeded in rear- 

 ing their young, thus increasing several fold. While a decade may 

 pass before the Bluebird, Si'alia si'ah's, becomes as abundant as it 

 was before the great blizzard of February, 1895, pairs and small flocks 

 may commonly be seen, where it was unusual to find a solitary indi- 

 vidual or pair, the previous year. The rapidity with which this species 

 is recovering from the almost annihilation occasioned by the great storm 

 at their winter home, is gratifying indeed. To the above list I would 

 add the Belted Kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon : Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata : 

 Baltimore Oriole, Ictei-us galbula : Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis; 

 and most of our breeding Warblers. All being bright plumaged birds, 

 I am almost persuaded to believe that cruel fashion has become less im- 

 portune in her demands upon Nature for adornment of this class. That 

 this relic of barbarism has not yet become obsolete I have recently had 

 ample proof, for sei'oi Hummingbirds were counted on the hat of a lady 

 examining my collection, the display fairly rivalling the case of mounted 

 birds she was viewing. Fr.\nk L. Burns, Ber'icy)i, Pa. 



The Breeding of Warbling and Yellow-throated Vireos. — War- 

 bling ViREO. — On the morning of May 31, 1893, I noticed a Warbling 

 Vireo taking cotton from a bunch which I am in the habit of keeping in 

 a tree by my window. The nest was soon found, about half finished, in an 

 apple tree, near the end of a lower limb and about ten feet from the 

 ground. The tree stood in a row by a little used drive-way, 100 yards 

 from the bird's "cotton mine." After watching the nest for some 

 time I found that the female took, on an average, one minute for the 

 round trip after cotton, and another to put it in the nest. The male did 

 not work, but kept near his mate and sang almost constantly. On June 

 3, in the afternoon, there were two eggs in the nest, so the first was 

 probably laid the day before — June 2. June 5, 7:15 a. m., there were 

 three eggs, and the bird was on, probably laying the fourth, as she left 

 the nest with great reluctance. June 10 and 17 sitting, but on the 25th 

 the four young were out and not less than four days old. The pin- 

 feathers on the spinal tract were 1-16 inch long. This would make the 

 period of incubation fifteen days if the bird began to sit immediately 

 after laying the last egg, and if my estimate of the age of the chicks w-as 

 correct. I had to be away for a week at this time, and on July 5, I took 

 the deserted nest. It was quite lousy. The materials used were few 



% 

 lined very thinly with a few dry grass stems. 



