SYLYICOLID.E — THE WARBLERS. 247 



not yet been detected in the West Indies. M. Boucard obtained specimens 

 at Playa Vicente, in the hot countiy of Oaxaca, Mexico. 



In the neighborhood of Calais, Mr. Boardman informs me that this War- 

 bler is common, and that its habits resemble those of the Black-poll Warbler 

 more than those of any other of the genus. It always nests in bushes or in 

 low trees, and in the vicinity of swamps. 



Among the memoranda furnished to the late Mr. Kennicott by Mr. Eoss 

 is one to the effect that the Chestnut— sided Warbler was observed at Lake 

 of the A¥oods, May 29. How common it is at this point is not stated. 



Mr. C. S. Paine regards the Chestinit-sided Warbler as one of the sweetest 

 singers that visit Vermont. He describes it as very confiding and gentle in 

 its habits. It is chiefly found inhabiting low bushes, in the neighborliood 

 of taller trees, and it always builds its nest in the fork of a low bush, not more 

 than from three to five feet from the ground. He has seen many of their 

 nests, and they have all been in similar situations. They will permit a very 

 near approach without leaving their nests. These are constructed about the 

 last of May. Their song continues until about the last of June. After this 

 they are seldom heard. 



J. Elliot Cabot, Esq., had the good fortune to be the first of our natural- 

 ists to discover in June, 1839, the nest and eggs of this Warbler. It was 

 fixed on the horizontal forked branch of an oak sapling, in Brookline, Mass. 

 The female remained sitting on her nest until so closely approached as to be 

 distinctly seen. The nest was of strips of red-cedar bark, and well lined 

 with coarse hair, and was compact, elastic, and shallow. It contained four 

 eggs, the ground-color of which was white, over which were distributed 

 numerous distinct spots of umber-brown. These were of different sizes, 

 more numerous towards the larger end. 



In regard to their breeding in Pennsylvania, Mr. Nuttall mentions in the 

 second edition of his work that he met them among the AUeghanies at Ear- 

 ranville in full song, and had no doubt that they were nesting there at the 

 time. 



The Chestnut-sided Warbler usually constructs its nest in localities apart 

 from cultivated grounds, on the edges of low and swampy woods, but in places 

 more or less open. Quite a number of their nests have been met with by Mr. 

 George 0. Welch, of Lynn, Mass. Their more common situation has been 

 barberry-bushes. The nests vary from about two and a half to three and a 

 half inches in external height, and have a diameter of from tliree to four 

 inches. The cavity is about two inches deep. They are usually composed 

 externally of loosely intertwined strips of the bark of the smaller vegetables, 

 strengthened by a few stems and bits of dry grasses, and lined with woolly 

 vegetable fibres and a few soft hairs of the smaller animals. They are usually 

 very firmly bound to the smaller branches by silky fibres from the cocoons 

 of various insects. These nests were all found in open places, in low, wild 

 marshy localities, but none far from a cultivated neighborhood, and the 



