4 JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



side, I saw, in the midst of a cluster of interrupted ferns, about 

 three feet from the ground, the nest of a small bird. It was built 

 on two branches of a meadow sweet bush — a fork of the main 

 stem — attached to the other upright branches by the encircling 

 grasses and spider's silk of which the nest was composed, and half 

 supported by an interrupted fern frond. The outside was woven 

 of coarse, soft, gray grasses, strengthened with spider's silk; the 

 lining consisted of fine yellow hay. The structure was not very 

 thick walled or compact. In places, I could see through it. The 

 sides were more or less grooved by the upright twigs and a few of 

 the most slender stems were imbedded in the nest. The small 

 habitation was put together with such ease and vigor as to make 

 an attractive domicile. 



Three small, creamy-white, spotted eggs, nestled cosily at the 

 bottom of the deep cup. On the thirteenth day or the twelfth day 

 of incubation the good fairy touched the eggs and in their place were 

 three chicks, very yellow, very active, decorated with a few patches 

 of dark brown down. Nine days later the nest was full of little 

 greenish-grey birds, with a tinge of yellow on the sides, buffy wing 

 bars, grayish white under parts, and tail feathers lined with yellow. 

 The afternoon of the twenty-sixth day, or the thirteenth birthday of 

 the little birds, they were standing on the edge of the nest, ready to 

 go out into the world. 



During the time, I scarcely caught a glimpse of the old bird. 

 Her movements were noiseless. Usually she slid from her nest into 

 the interior of the clumps of alders before I was near enough to 

 see her. Generally she remained in the undergrowth. In fact, I 

 was unable to identify the bird that season. 



The Flycatcher nest I found in July, 1907, was discovered by 

 accident also. The Northern Yellowthroat sang incessantly in the 

 fringe of meadow sweet that bordered the swamp around the water- 

 ing place. I had determined to look there for nests some day, when 

 my intention was precipitated by seeing a greenish-grey bird fly 

 out of the bushes. Entering the alders, I looked out through the 

 meadow sweet and directly at a deep, saucer-shaped nest, full of 



