Field Notes 39 



served sitting upon it for several days before she was picked up 

 dead by some children. The male had not been seen for several 

 days before the death of the female. 



Master Joyner has written some interesting facts about this 

 nest. He says: "The female is the worker, building the nest all by 

 herself, the male seeming to be the protector, flying with but just 

 a little way off from the female. . . . There were two eggs in the nest, 

 one of which had a hole in it and broke when it was touched. Due 

 to the weather the other egg was frozen, but it soon thawed out and 

 cracked. We saved the pieces." 



The crossbills had been noted for some time before their nest- 

 ing was observed, and on February 15, just after a heavy blizzard, 

 a dead male crossbill was found. Later another dead male bird 

 was found by some children, possibly the nesting male, and finally 

 the nesting female, on the day that the deserted nest and eggs were 

 collected. No injury was noticeable on the bodies of any of these 

 birds thus found dead. 



It is unfortunate that none of these dead crossbills were pre- 

 served, for it is yet an open question whether this record concerns 

 the Eastern Red Crossbill (Loxia ciirvirostra minor) or the Rocky 

 Mountain Red Crossbill (L. c. bendirci), which, by the way, is an 

 excellent subspecies and should be recognized as such by the A. 0. U. 

 Committee. The Rocky Mountain form abounds in the Pine Ridge 

 of northwestern Nebraska in winter, and may be found there in 

 some years in the summer also, but has not been found nesting. 

 During the winter it occurs more or less commonly over the en- 

 tire state. The Eastern Red Crossbill we have found only in the 

 late fall, winter and early spring in the eastern part of the state, 

 though in some seasons very commonly. 



The nest, along with the fragments of the egg which was 

 frozen and broke on thawing, was presented to the Nebraska Orni- 

 thologists' Union collection by Master Joyner, who is entitled to 

 credit for his valviable observations and willingness to place his 

 find where it will be permanently preserved. I am also indebted to 

 Mrs. Frances C. Morgan, a neighbor of Master Joyner, for having 

 first acquainted me with the fact of the nest and for corroborating 

 the above statements and the identification of the birds. 



Myron H. Swexk. 

 Lincoln, Nebraska. 



Some Nelson County, Kentucky, Notes, 1920. 

 Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vcnnivorns) . Several of 

 our ornithologists state that the song of the worm-eating war- 

 bler is somewhat similar to that of the chipping sparrow, and 

 many a time I have hunted out a singing chippie at the edge of some 

 thicket, or woods, half expecting to find this woodland warbler, but 



