IS The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42. 



indication of scrambling over if I dared approach nearer 

 than the base of the branch from which the heavy laden 

 basket was swinging. 



My knowledge, thus far, seemed to show that these birds 

 choose for a nesting-site, trees along the border of a wood 

 on high ground; and accordingly, when their notes were 

 heard issuing from the forest, I examined the outspreading 

 branches of the trees nearest the open, but usually without 

 success. Failure to find occupied nests, and the presence 

 of the birds in moderate numbers during the breeding sea- 

 son, assured me that I erred in the belief that they always 

 nested on the border of a wood; so 1 determined to make a 

 more thorough investigotion. 



It was on the 9th of May, 1897, that, while searching for 

 a nest of the Louisiana Water-Thrush in a wooded ravine, a 

 little Yellow-throated Vireo darted past me and alighted on 

 the trunk of a tree only a few feet away. Thinking food, in 

 the form of mosquitos, ants or like insects, was its errand, I 

 watched its movement; but almost before I could realize it, 

 the little creature had snatched up a flake of lichen and was 

 away like the flash which marked its arrival. Returning 

 from the same direction it flew to some ferns and nettles. I 

 moved down the ravine and stationed myself where I could 

 see out of the deep recess into the little valley through which 

 a brook gurgled. Soon my little friend came flashing down 

 the ravine, and passing overhead went direct, with an 

 upward bending of flight, to the upper part of a large white 

 oak on the side of the little valley and directly opposite the 

 ravine from which she had just flown. My glass soon dis- 

 covered the nest, far up among the branches, and both old 

 birds working upon it. The nest seemed to be about com- 

 pleted, as they were putting on the finishing touches — lichen 

 and bits of cocoon-silk on the outside, and fine shreds of 

 bark on the inside. 



On the 1 8th, the growing leaves had completely hidden 

 the nest, and the only way it could be located was to ascend 

 the tree and search for it. It was finally discovered sus- 



