TEE OOLOGIST 



19 



An egg shell with two or more shades of 

 color upon it will be found quite a curiosity 

 upon close examination. A good micro- 

 scope will reveal its construction, and also 

 show the nature of the markings. Com- 

 parison of the eggs of different species in 

 these and other respects will furnish mate- 

 rial for a good deal of study. It is our in- 

 intention ere long to publish some papers 

 on the structure of birds and their eggs, 

 contributed by well known authors, which 

 we are sure will be appreciated by the 

 more scientific portion of our readers, 



Theee is still time for extreme southern 

 collectors of birds' eggs to get specimens. 

 Many species nest during the fall and win- 

 ter in the Tr(jpics. 



A Queer Vireo's Nest. — A nest of some 

 species of Vireo, probably the Red-eyed, 

 was found during the latter part of July by 

 a Utica collector. The one addled egg it 

 contained was the only means of identifying 

 it at all, as the birds had flown, probably 

 some weeks before. The nest measured 

 4.5 inches long outside, 2.35 inside, and a 

 trifle less than one in depth, inside. Its 

 uuiin materials were birch bark and long 

 hairy lichens or moss, the latter in much 

 the larger quantity. It was not cup-shap- 

 ed, though suspended, but was thick and 

 rather bulky, like a Thrush's nest. In its 

 thinnest place it was all of an inch thick, 

 while in some parts it was nearly three 

 inches through. The lining was as soft as 

 lichens could make it. At least four or five 

 times as much material was used as we ev- 

 er observed in any Vireo's nest, and had 

 there been no egg in it we should have been 

 tempted to call it something else. 



In an unused saw-mill not far from this 

 city there are six nests of Saijornis fuscus 

 upon the beams and supports. As two 

 pairs of these birds have nested there for 

 several years, these nests probably belong 

 to their young. 



The Nest of Empidonax minimus, — 

 Concerning the nest of this bird, formerly 

 erroneously believed to belong to the Aca- 

 dian Flycatcher, we quote from Dr. Coues, 

 " The bird generally nests on a sapling or 

 a shrub, within ten or twelve feet from the 

 ground. It is always placed, so far as I 

 discovered, in an upright crotch of several 

 forks, preferably between twigs no thicker 

 than a finger. It is very deeply let down 

 into the crotch, and usually bears deep im- 

 pressions of the boughs. The nest is a neat 

 little structure ; if it were only stuccoed 

 with lichens it would be as elegciut as that 

 of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, which it scarce- 

 ly exceeds in size. The basis of the nest 

 is a substantial intertwining of fine fibrous 

 inner bark, and the decomposing outer sub- 

 stance of various weeds. With this is mat- 

 ted a great quantity of soft plant-down, 

 making a soft yet firm and warm fabric. 

 The interior is finished variously with a 

 special lining of plant down, confined with 

 a slight layer of horse-hair or the finest pos- 

 sible grass-tops. The brim of the nest is 

 firm and even, with a circular arrangement 

 of the fibers ; inside, the lining is simply 

 interlaced. In size, these elegant structures 

 vary a good deal ; the smallest one before 

 me is under two inches and a half 

 across outside, and less than two deep ; an- 

 other, which was let down very deeply in 

 a narrow crotch, is nearly three inches, 

 both in depth and width, and is quite un- 

 symmetrical. The cavity is quite large 

 for the outside dimensions, in some instances 

 the walls being barely coherent along the 

 track of the supporting twigs ; it is not, or 

 but little, contracted at the brim, and is a- 

 bout as deep as wide. 



^ ' The eggs are generally four in num- 

 ber, sometimes only three ; I did not find 

 five in any one of the six nests collected. 

 One contained a Cow Bird's egg. The 

 eggs are pure white, unmarked. They 

 vary much in size and shape. Out of twen- 

 ty examples, a large elongate one measiu-es 

 .G8 by .52 ; a small globular one, .59 by 

 .50 ; a normal one, .65 by ,50." 



