6 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 50 . 



south you go the thicker will be the growth of the "Beard- 

 Moss," hence the Parulas are more abundant. 



Parula Warblers breed in colonies, owing to the "Beard- 

 Moss" occurring in separate and distinct patches, where condi- 

 tions are most favorable to its growth. Some of the ponds 

 where I once found many of their nests, are now almost de- 

 serted, simply because the mill-dams have broken, or the wa- 

 ter has been drained off, causing the "Beard-Moss" to dry up 

 and die. and the Parulas have taken up quarters in some other 



neighboring locality where Usnea barbata thrives more luxu- 

 riantly. 



Parula Warblers arrive from the South in the lower por- 

 tion of the state about the first of May., apparently already 

 paired, and within about ten days or two weeks nest building 

 has begun. Full sets of fresh eggs are usualy deposited in 

 Cape May county by May 20th, while further north, at Brown's 

 Mills, Burlington county, the date would be about June 1st. 



Almost all of the many nests I have examined contained 

 four eggs. I have never found over four, but occasionally 

 some nests contain but three. Tt will therefore be seen that 

 four eggs constitute a full set under normal conditio. is. 



On several occasions T have spent from seven to ten* days 

 at a time right among these Warblers on their breeding ground, 

 from early morning until dusk, and by not distrubing their 

 nests, they have become so accustomed to my presence as to 

 take little notice of me. I have moved along slowly and quiet- 

 ly in my boat, passing in and around the bushes and trees 

 containing their nests, often within three or four feet of the 

 sitting birds. The feeding birds were likewise just as un- 

 concerned as those which were incubating their eggs. 



Xests can be found from the border to the middle of the 

 mill-ponds and open swamps, and may be looked for any- 

 where from under the tip of an outstretched or drooping 

 branch, to against the tree trunk, or in the smaller bushes ; and 

 from one foot above the water to twenty feet high. Gener- 

 ally, however, on account of the "Beard-Moss" growing more 

 abundantly on the lower branches of the trees and on the bush- 

 es, five feet may be considered the average height. 



The females alone attended to the construction, of the nest. 

 while the males were leisurelv feeding: in and around the tan- 



