no NESTS AND EGGS OF BIRDS. 



mens from Georgia were only .63 by .49. But in the eggs 

 from eastern Massachusetts there is a range of from .65 to .72 

 of an inch in length, and .49 to .56 in breadth, showing great 

 variation, both in size and shape. The eggs vary also in mark- 

 ings, but the ground-color appears always to be clear crystal- 

 white. The spots are reddish-brown, in some specimens aggre- 

 gated into an irregular wreath around the larger end, in others 

 sparsely sprinkled over the whole surface but more thickly at the 

 butt ; two eggs of a clutch found by Mr. J. Warren at Newton, 

 Mass., were spotless white. 



In an article upon the subject in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Or- 

 nithological Club (vol. I, p. 6), Mr. Warren describes the beha- 

 vior of a female whose nest he found under a skunk cabbage. 

 He savs : "Upon searching we found the nest concealed bv 

 the large leaves of the plant. It was raised about two inches 

 above the wet ground by dead oak and maple leaves which 

 were quite damp. The owner soon came back, and hopping 

 excitedly from branch to branch of an alder thicket a few yards 

 away, almost continually uttered a sharp chirp of alarm, be- 

 tokening her strong dislike to the intruders ; but, strange to say. 

 her mate did not make his appearance, although we could hear 

 him distinctly zee-zee-zeeing a few rods away." On another 

 occasion a sitting bird allowed the hand to be placed upon her 

 before attempting to escape. Concerning the nesting habits of 

 few of our rarer warblers have we such complete information 

 as has been presented above. (Pl. X. Fig. 63.) 



63bis. THE WHITE-THROATED WARBLER. 

 HELMIXTHPOIIAGA LEUCOBRONCHIALIS, Brezvster. 



'' Of this supposed good species, no specimen is known to be 

 now in existence. The unique type was accidentally destroyed 

 shortly after publication of the original description, but fortu- 

 nately not before Mr. Ridgway had made the drawings which 

 illustrate Mr. Brewster's second notice. At the time that the 

 specimen was kindly sent by the owner to the Smithsonian 



