168 



THE OOLOQIST 



Interesting Nests and Eggs. 



By Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, 



Washington, D. C. 



(Four photographs by the author.) 



Upon numerous occasions, during 

 tlie past fifteen years, I have liad op- 

 portunity to mention the exceptionally 

 fine oological collection of Mr. Edward 

 J. Court, of Washington, D. C. He 

 has brought together not only a won- 

 derful series of the eggs of North 

 American birds, but his enthusiasm is 

 responsible for what we find added to 

 these in the way of eggs of the birds 

 of the Philippines, South America, and 

 especially Australia, of which last he 

 probably owns the finest collection of 

 any private individual residing at the 

 National Capital. Of recent years he 

 has paid no little attention to collect- 

 ing the nests of many North American 

 species, and these now number sev- 

 eral hundred varieties. 



Very recently Mr. Court afforded me 

 the opportunity to examine many of 

 these nests, together with the clutches 

 of eggs that had been taken with not 

 a few of them; indeed I believe, in 

 most instances where he has the nest 

 of some species not commonly found 

 in nidological collections, he also has 

 to show the set of eggs that were col- 

 lected with it. 



While going over many of these 

 treasures the other evening, it occur- 

 red to me that descriptions of a few 

 of the rarer specimens of nests— and 

 incidentally the eggs — of Mr. Court's 

 cabinets might be quite worth the 

 while. With this in view, and accept- 

 ing his usual kind offer, I borrowed 

 a number of specimens for study and 

 description. Among these I find the 

 following: First, an unusually beauti- 

 ful nest and set of eggs of Cassin's 

 Vireo (Lanivireo s. cassini). This is 

 an elegant structure, even for a Vireo, 

 — birds that build handsomely in any 

 event. Its walls has an average thick- 



ness of about a centimeter and a half, 

 being somewhat thicker below and in 

 front than elsewhere. (Fig. 1). In 

 form it is hemispherical. Its nearly 

 circular entrance or opening is in the 

 horizontal plane, with the margins 

 cleverly woven round the forked twigs 

 of a branch of a black oak tree, — the 

 fork having an angle of about fifty 

 degrees, — while in front a small twig 

 is incorporated into the weave, which 

 greatly adds to the support of the en- 

 tire nest. There is but very slight 

 contriction to the entrance, which has 

 an average diameter of five and a half 

 centimeters, the central depth being 

 three and a half centimeters. This 

 nest is heavily lined with a very fine 

 wiry root of some kind or other, of a 

 light tan color. As a lining, this pre- 

 sents many advantages, for it is cool, 

 strong, and not capable of retaining 

 moisture for any length of time; so 

 that, were it wet from a rain, it would 

 quickly dry again. Externally, the 

 builder first used rather longish pie- 

 ces of what appears to be the bark of 

 some reed or other; they are pale in 

 color, vary in length, and woven in 

 the most intricate manner possible. 

 As it is not easy to say just what kind 

 of plant furnished any part of the 

 nest, I am compelled to describe it and 

 place it as near as I can, so that, be- 

 tween the figure and the description, 

 a fair idea may be gained of the struc- 

 ture as a whole. 



Not satisfied with this compact and 

 commodious home, this vireo must 

 needs undertake to decorate the outer 

 surface of her nest, which, in this in- 

 stance, has been done with tiny bits 

 of some vegetable substance that re- 

 semble the white sheaths to the buds 

 of a sage-brush or artemesia. These 

 dot the structure at irregular inter- 

 vals all over, at average distances of 

 half an inch or less apart. There Is 

 also present a thin, almost impereep- 



