THE BLUE-WINGED YELLOW WARBLER. 107 



aring from .70 to .78 of an inch in length by .56 to ,60 in 

 breadth, and remind one of the eggs of the nuthatch. 



The young are fed on smooth caterpillars, grubs and spiders, 

 and the parents manifest intense anxiety when any danger 

 threatens, often feigning lameness "with intent to deceive." 



(PI. X. Fig. 60.) 



61. SWAINSON'S WARBLER. 



HELMINTHERUS SWAINSONI {And.) Bp. 



The home of this very rare swamp-warbler within our limits, 



so far as known, is the coasts of .S'o^//! Carolina., Georgia and 



Alabama. Its habits seem to resemble those of the prothono- 



tary, but nothing is known of its nidification. 



i^Pl. X. Fig. 61.) 



62. THE BLUE-WINGED YELLOW WARBLER. 

 HELMINTHOPHAGA PINUS (Z,/««.) Baird. 



Habitat, eastern United States, northward to Massachusetts 

 and Minnesota, westward to Iowa, Kansas and Texas, and 

 southward through eastern Mexico to Guatemala. 



The nests are rare in cabinets. Mr. Ridgway collected 

 several at Mt. Carmel, 111., one of which contained five eggs 

 on May 8. These examples are described as placed on the 

 o-iound among shrubbery, and built loosely of broad thin 

 strips of inner-bark of the basswood, etc., lined with inter- 

 laced fine grass stems. Mr. S. N. Rhoads reports a similar nest 

 at West Chester, Pa., taken June 10. " It was built in the 

 midst of a clump of tall swamp grass, on the outskirts of a forest 

 where there was a good deal of weedy undergrowth not over 

 two feet high. The nest rested slightly on the ground and 

 was quite bulky for the size of the bird ; the cavity was nearly 

 three inches deep by two inches in width. The structure was 

 composed externally of beech and oak leaves of the preceding 

 year, which seemed to have been carelessly strewn and stuck 



