THE OOLOGIST. 



35 



window. He went outiipon an apple tree 

 three times per da}', eating bnds indus- 

 triously, once he was Avithin ten feet of 

 nie, as I stood upon the walk. Last 

 spring he left as usual, and this fall in 

 October he returned. Last Sunday he 

 alighted upon the Avindow sill within 

 two feet of where I sat reading. He 

 was not after me, but after the wood- 

 bine berries. 



I have Kodaked him three times at 20, 

 12 and 12 feet. Pictures not yet devel- 

 oped. He spends considerable time 

 under the front sitting-room window. 

 After young clover, grasses, woodbine 

 berries and gravel. If an^'one comes 

 by lie leisurely walks down under the 

 arbor vitae hedge, ten feet awa^'. 



But soon he returned. He has a good 

 manj- families who know him well and 

 would not have him hurt for ihe world. 



My setter dog "Tom Dollar'' has 

 pointed him several times. When with 

 me I have called him otf . But how 

 manj' times he has stalled him in his 

 morning runs. I know not. 



. F. Hodge, 

 Hudson, O. 



Yellow Warbler. 



There is a swampy stretch of lantl 

 within easy access from my house which 

 is a favorite breeding place of the Yel- 

 low Warl>ler. 



The bird is about live inches long. 

 The principle color is yellow with some 

 variation. The breast and back are 

 streaked with orange brown (often in- 

 distinctly). There are no blotches on 

 the tail-feathers as in all other J)e7i- 

 dnrrrr 



Their llight is never long. If you 

 were to approach this meadow about 

 the middle of Maj', you would see them 

 flying al)out from twig to twig either 

 obtaining food or gathering material 

 for their ne.sts. 



The nest of the Golden VVarl)ler, as it 

 is sometimes called, is one of the neat- 



est and most well built specimens of 

 bird artchitecture I ever saw. It is 

 usually placed in a bush not far from 

 the ground. Yet sometimes it is fasten- 

 ed clo.se to the trunk of a small tree 

 quite high np. Minot describes the nest 

 as being composed outwardly of very 

 tine grasses, interwoven with Avooly or 

 cotton materials which foim a substan- 

 tail wall. "This, "he says" often cov- 

 ered Avith caterpillar's silk and is lined 

 with Avool, doAvn fi-om plants (particu- 

 larly a dun-colored kind,) horse hairs 

 rarely feathers." 



The eggs are characteristic of the 

 birds themselves. They vary to some 

 extent. I have two before me Avhich I 

 Avill desribe: — 1. White Avith yellowish- 

 brown markings, chiefly about the 

 croAvn. 2. White Avitli obscured lilac 

 markings. 



As soon as you come in the immedi- 

 ate vicinity of their nests they wil 

 leave them, and hover A'ery near, al 

 the time uttering in a beseeching tone 

 a melancholj' chirp which becomes 

 more intense as you advance nearer the 

 nest. In this Avay I have often found 

 nests, Avhere, otlierAvise I would not 

 have noticed them. 



Its notes are quite A^ariable. You 

 may often hear its soft chirp Avhile they 

 are at work among the bushes. 



They are rather shy at the approach 

 of man, except Avhen their nests are 

 disturbed. Thej' are of great benefit in 

 destroying insects, caterpillars' and 

 canker Avorms Avhich thej'^ like exceed- 



A. B. Dunning, 

 Jamaica Plains, Mass. 



Black-throated Bunting- 



A cheerier, happier feathered vocalist 

 can scarcely be found, than the Black- 

 throated Bunting or Dickcissel as he is 

 local Ij' called, and sometimes termed 

 the Lady Lark, {Spiza americann) is 

 about four inches in length, and Aviug 



