82 



THE OOLOGlfiT. 



with spots of two or three shades of 

 browu, some of which are confluent and 

 form an irregular ring about this end. 

 There are but a very few small dots on 

 the remainder of the egg. 



The dimensions of No. 2 are. 77 inch- 

 es by .56 inches. It is marked more 

 boldly than No. 1, with a number of 

 large spots of a chocolate brown, some 

 of which are confluent, forming a circle 

 around the large end. The rest of the 

 egg^ is nearly pure, except one large red- 

 dish-brown spot near the small end. 



No. 3 measures .75 inchesby .56 inch- 

 es. This egg is marked more evenly 

 than either of the preceeding, with con- 

 fluent spots of a chocolate and purplish 

 brown color, forming a ring about the 

 larger end, while there are numeroiis 

 small spots scattered over its surface. 



The nest was composed outwardly of 

 dry leaves, then fine fibres of bark, and 

 lined with bits of small rootlets and 

 horse hair. 



The pair of birds were seen, and the 

 female shot. 



On the day following, my friend 

 Wright secured a set of three fresh 

 eggs. These were about the size of the 

 last described, but in markings differed 

 much from any heretofore collected. 

 They were sprinkled over a greater part 

 of their surface with fine reddish spots, 

 and much resembled the eggs of the 

 white-bellied Nuthatch. Indeed, one 

 could hardly distinguish between them, 

 except those of the Nuthatch being a 

 trifle larger. 



The nest containing them was at a 

 height of 2^ feet, and much like the 

 others, except being partly lined with a 

 number of large soft feathers. This 

 was the last set taken during the sea- 

 son, and I suspect that both of the lat- 

 ter were second sets, although in one 

 case the first nest built might have been 

 destroyed. 



But near the nest found July 4th, was 

 a good nest of the same species, show- 

 ing traces of having been used. This 



was probably the first nest of this pair, 

 and the one containing eggs the sec(md. 

 Thus the hooded Warbler has probably 

 two broods, where we have found it nest- 

 ing. I hardly think that three sets of 

 the eggs of any birds of one kind will 

 be found that show greater variations 

 than these collected by us. 



One set resembles the true Warbler's ; 

 the next looks much like that of some 

 Fly-catcher ; while the third, that of the 

 Nuthatch. 



Perhaps during some future season 

 we may be fortunate enough to get a 

 number of sets of this Warbler, and 

 thus see after which pattern they gen- 

 erally follow. — S. F. Rathbun, Auburn, 

 New York. 



Allen, the Virginia Ornithologist. 



The small counties of Clarke and Jeff- 

 erson in the valley of the Shenandoah 

 have often been called the garden spot 

 of Virginia. The turnpike which con- 

 nects their county seats, passes through 

 one of the most fertile and beautiful 

 sections of the State. On each side are 

 large and well-cultivated farms, diversi- 

 fied with noble forest, and teeming with 

 the products of the husbandman's labor, 

 and many a hill is crowned with a fine 

 residence and its outhouses, remnants 

 of its feudal condition in days of yore. 

 Prominent among these is " Clifton" — 

 for several generations the residence of 

 the Allen family — a large white house, 

 with its lofty portico, standing on an 

 elevated point, and in strong relief 

 against the background of dark forest, 

 while in front a terraced slope leads 

 down to one of those large limestone 

 springs, common in the country, nnd 

 which in by-gone days spread into a lake 

 of some five acres of crystal water, 

 bordered by overhanging willows. Thir- 

 ty years ago the lake aboianded in fish 

 and numerous species of water-fowl, and 

 here the subject of our notice took his 

 first lessons in natural history. Like 



