THE OOLOGIST. 



4y 



The American Sparrow Hawk is also 

 found in the valley. 



Harris's Gairdner's and White-headed 

 Woodpeckers, and Williamsons Sap- 

 sucker, are met with in the dense tir 

 groves, and dead and fallen timber. 



The Oregon Junco is seen at this sea- 

 son in large Hocks, and is one of our 

 most interesting birds. 



The diminutive Pygm.y Nuthatch is 

 found in the dense llr woods but being 

 so small often escapes notice, and maybe 

 found in company with the Chestnut- 

 backed Chickadee. 



It will thus be seen that some fifty- 

 one species are round and about us dur- 

 ing the season, when active collecting 

 is not resorted to. 



Some species no doubt have escaped 

 my notice, and some I have as yet not 

 identified. 



In looking over this list I count 38 

 species which are constant residents, 

 and which brted in this county, to 

 which we must also add the Killdeer, as 

 a common bird. 



As, will be seen, when east of the Cas- 

 cade range to the Atlantic coast is cov- 

 ered with snow, and with but few birds, 

 we on thePacilic Slope are well supj^lied, 

 and if due advantage is taken of ones 

 opportunities, a vast amount of useful 

 infoi-mation can be Ijrought together in 

 this line. 



A.G.Pkill, M.D. 



The Vireos Found Nesting near Berwyn. 

 Chester Co., Penn. 



Red-eyed Vireo, Vireoolivaccus. Pos- 

 sibly some of the readers of the OoLOcHST 

 may think I owe them an apology for 

 bringing this exceedingly common 

 species to their notice, but it has occur 

 ed to me that there are many traits and 

 peculiarities,, especially m reference to 

 the niditication of this bird, that have 

 never received the attention they de- 

 serve; also like almost all of our birds 



of wide distriljution their habits vary 

 according to location. 



This Vireo arrives regularl3' about 

 the last of April or first of IMay, seem- 

 ingly tilling the woods on all sides with 

 their music. They are the most tii'eless 

 of birds, moving amid the branches and 

 leaves in the middle of the hottest Sum- 

 mer day. There can be no question 

 but that they are of inestimatable value 

 to forestr3^ Numberless and contin- 

 ually active though they be, they are 

 absolutely unknown to nine-tenths of 

 the people at large. 



Niditicatiou commences the last week 

 in May or more commonly the first week 

 in June. I have found incubated sets 

 as early as June 7th and as late as August 

 5th, June 16th being the average date 

 for fresh and complete sets. Young 

 oak, dogwood, beech, maple and chest- 

 nut trees appear prominently amongst 

 the favorites from which to suspend the 

 cradle of the prospective brood. The 

 nest ranging from three to ten,- usually 

 four or five feet above the ground. 



A cursory examination would lead 

 one to believe that there is little or no 

 variation in the composition, but a more 

 careful comparison of a series of nests 

 proves otherwise. Bark fiber of silver}- 

 grey, light buff, brown, or their inter- 

 mediate tints form the body, with a 

 scanty or pl%ntiful mingling of skeleton 

 leaves, bleached and rotten bits of wood, 

 fragments of paper from hornet's nests, 

 or a chance piece of printed paper glued 

 or bound to the forks with the silk 

 frqm the web of the Geometrical Spider 

 Speira diadcma, (with which our woods 

 abound) or that from the nest of the 

 tent caterpillar, Clisocampa umcricana, 

 or less commonly with a light ochreous 

 colbred silk, popularly supposed to be 

 a plant down, but which I believe has 

 been gathered from a peculiar cocoon, 

 often noticed attached to the underside 

 of forest leaves. 



The exterior may be without orna- 

 mentation 3ho\}'ing one tint of bark 



