116 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 



"It seems to be from three weeks to a month later at 

 nidification than the pine warbler, a resident. 



"April 10, 1893. No. 3. Late this afternoon, as the 

 sun was setting, quite a number of yellow-throated war- 

 blers were seen in some pines near a 'branch' on the 

 edge of a field. I have never before seen so many indi- 

 viduals of this species together. They were watched 

 closely and one of them was seen flying to a bunch of 

 moss on a sweet gum tree (Liquidambar) . She soon dart- 

 ed out from the moss, and swift as an arrow, glided along 

 the ground into the field. Returning to the same limb on 

 the gum tree, she could be seen on her almost completed 

 nest, partially concealed by the moss but much more eas- 

 ily detected than Nos. 1 and 2 of the same species, already 

 recorded. The nest lay on the limb, the moss forming 

 a canopy above it, but not hiding it from the eye as the 

 bird turned herself around in her cup-shaped fabric, 

 spending several minutes in giving the final touches to 

 her work — for she seemed to be lining it. 



"April 18. This morning in attempting to take the 

 nest of D. dominica about fifty feet from the ground, 

 recorded above as No. 1, Asbury broke the eggs. About 

 twelve days had elapsed from the completion of the nest 

 when the attempt was made to take it. The broken shells 

 disclosed small embryos. 



"The nest was built on a limb in the moss and was al- 

 most completely concealed. The outside material of the 

 nest is strips of bark and a light colored or grayish sub- 

 stance resembling spider webs. Inside of this are fine 

 straws interwoven, the whole lined with cow hair and a 

 few horse hairs, and feathers of the robin {Merida mi- 

 (jratoria). 



"External width of nest 2.70 inches ; internal width 

 1.50 inches; external depth 3.00 inches; internal depth 

 1.50 inches. The nest appears large for the size of the 

 bird. 



"No. 2. The nest of Asbury's finding in the water oak 

 was cut down today and though it was probably complet- 

 ed by the 9th, not an egg was yet laid. Supposing it was 

 completed on or before the 9th at least ten or eleven days 



