Vo Js^ VI ] Barlow, Nesting of the Hermit Warbler. 157 



In 1897, June 7 to 15 was spent in the same region, the War- 

 blers seeming present in usual numbers, with the Black-throated 

 Gray and Macgillivray's noticeably more common than the others. 

 The Macgillivray's Warbler was commonly noted with families of 

 young in the thick deer brush of the burnt districts, and on 

 June 15 I found a nest of the Black-throated Gray Warbler, 

 cosily hidden away in the center of a manzanita bush on a hill- 

 side, containing four eggs advanced in incubation. The nest was 

 seven feet from the ground and the grayish materials of which it 

 was composed harmonized perfectly with the light greenish gray 

 leaves of the manzanita bush. 



A nest of the Hermit Warbler was discovered June 11, 1897, by 

 Mr. F. M. Nutting, just after he had shot the female as she flew 

 to the tree, and contained four young about four days old. The 

 nest was in a small cedar tree, about two and one-half feet from 

 the top of the tree and twelve feet from the ground. It was built 

 on a small horizontal limb of the cedar next the trunk, and was 

 perfectly concealed amid the foliage. The tree grew within a 

 few feet of a wood road, and on the following day the male was. 

 observed feeding the young, apparently not seeming to notice 

 the absence of its mate. On the 14th of June a heavy rain and 

 thunder-storm prevailed, resulting in the death of the young birds. 

 The location of this nest seems an exception, the typical nesting 

 seeming to be in the tall conifers. 



This year (1898) it was my ambition to seek out the nesting 

 site of the Hermit Warbler, and daily when strolling down the 

 canon-side or along the paths in the woods, I would see little 

 D. occidentalis flitting about a fir tree here or a deer bush a little 

 farther on, nowhere evincing a particular interest and finally fading 

 from view. Once again while sitting in a pine grove quietly 

 waiting to see which of our feathered friends would first discover 

 me, a Hermit Warbler alighted on a low limb of a pine, perhaps 

 fifteen feet away, and deliberately hopped from limb to limb, 

 working toward the top where it was lost to view. To satisfy my 

 curiosity I climbed the tree, which was about 35 feet in height, 

 but there was no evidence of a nest. The Hermit Warbler did 

 not appear to be as active as some of the others, notably the 

 Black-throated Gray, which was very lively both in action and 



