490 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



plumage : brownish rather than yellow below ; yellowish on back, otherwise 

 above in general brownish olive green; otherwise similar. Wing 2.93; 

 tail 2.10. 



Geog. Dist. — Eastern North America, breeding from Florida to Virginia 

 and western Delaware, and from northeastern Texas to southern Michigan, 

 Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin and Minnesota; casual in Maryland, 

 Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and 

 Maine ; wintering in Mexico, Central and northern South America. 



County Records. — Washington ; Mr. Boardman took one at Calais, October 

 30, 1862, (B. N. 0. C. 3, p. 153). 



We have only one record for the species in Maine, it being 

 a straggler only, and even in southern New England the records 

 are few. I know nothing regarding the habits of this species 

 save what is taken at second hand, but will do the best possible 

 in compiling such data as is available from the notes of others. 

 The species is said to frequent the borders of ponds, streams 

 and willow swamps in the west. 



The nests are placed in deserted holes made by other birds 

 or in natural cavities in stubs and trees, at elevations from 

 two to fifteen feet from the ground, often the stub being 

 standing in or over the water. Four to seven usually five or 

 six eggs are laid. These are quite nearly oval, glossy, creamy 

 white or buff, coarsely blotched, and both sharply and obscurely 

 marked with cinnamon brown, chestnut, and purplish gray. 

 A set with nest in my collection was collected for me near 

 East Dubuque, Illinois, June 6, 1897. The nest was placed 

 in a cavity in a birch stub, six feet from the ground in a swamp 

 near the Missouri River. The diameter of the cavity was four 

 inches and the depth six. The nest proper was composed of 

 decayed matted leaves and moss lined with fine grass culms. 

 The height of the nest outside was two and a half and inside 

 one inch, while the diameter externally was three and internally 

 two inches. The eggs measure 0.69 x 0.59, 0.72 x 0.60, 0.74 

 x 0.59, 0.70 x 0.60, 0.72 x 0.59, and there was also a Cowbird's 

 egg measuring 0.86 x 0.67 in the nest, which shows the ex- 

 treme to which a Cowbird will go to find a nest to deposit its 

 eggs in. 



