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186 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIBNCE 
The cavity selected is most times one made by the downy 
woodpecker or chickadee, but sometimes cavities in live trees 
are used, mortices and knot holes in bridge piling and railroad 
trestles are used. The highest nest I have ever observed in 
many years observation, was one about twelve feet up in a little 
pecan tree, but rarely are they over six feet above water. The 
hole selected in the tree is packed full of the moss to within five | 
or six inches of the opening, and then a cup-like depression is 
hollowed out to hold the eggs. The usual set of eggs is six, 
though sometimes only five. In my time I have seen three nests 
containing seven eggs. 
The eggs are the most beautiful of all the bird families, 
almost round, smooth and glassy, creamy white, thickly spotted 
all over with reddish brown spots. They are hardly colony 
nesters as are the red-winged blackbirds and some others, but 
are restricted in their habitat and around Thompson, Mud- 
Grass, and the other lakes of this region, a pair will be found 
nesting every hundred yards or so if suitable conditions can 
be found. 
On account of their frequenting old willows, dead snags, 
thunder-brush, etc., they are peculiarly the prey of the bird lov- 
ing snakes, such as the Bull, King, Black Racer and Ring 
snakes, all of whom love a dinner of bird eggs or young birds. 
The writer has often while pushing his boat around under 
the low growing willows and old snags and rapping on their 
hollow trunks had these reptiles come rushing out of a hole, 
fall into the boat and go scampering over feet and legs into 
the water. An investigation would usually result in finding a 
Prothonotaries nest with contents destroyed except sometimes 
a lone egg or young bird. Occasionally they do not vacate so 
readily, especially the bull snake, who will hang stubbornly to 
his possession and fight to the last, or till the stub is torn to 
pieces when he will reluctantly take to the water. 
North of the latitude of Chicago these beautiful warblers be- 
come scarce, though to the south they breed sparingly clear to 
the gulf and winter in Central America. 
Their food habits are entirely insectivious and worm eating, 
and doing no harm but much good. 
