Vol. XXII 

 1905 



Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 273 



UAra Rouge, ? D'Aibentox, PI. Enl. 12. — Brisson, Orn., IV, p. 1S3 

 (1760) (part). 



The Red and Blue Maccaiv (part) Edwards, Birds, IV, p. 15S (1751). — 

 Latham, Gen. Hist. Birds, II, p. 102 (1S22). 1 



NESTING HABITS OF BIRDS IN MISSISSIPPI. 



BY CHARLES R. STOCKARD. 



(Concluded from p. sjS.) 



The following observations complete a summary appearing 

 in this journal of the nesting habits of birds recorded by the 

 writer in Mississippi from 1895 to 1903 inclusive. As stated in 

 the introduction to the former article, no attempt is made to enter 

 into the details of nest building and such matters as are commonly 

 known. Only the important facts regarding nesting seasons, 

 places, and peculiarities are stated, these being of general interest 

 coming from a locality hitherto not specially observed. 



45. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay (concluded). — The outside of the 

 Jay's nest is composed of coarse sticks and above these is then daubed 

 and plastered a thick coat of mud ; here the work seems to stop for sev- 

 eral days, apparently to allow the mud to dry and harden more advan- 

 tageously than it would if immediately covered with the lining of fibrous 

 roots which is to be later added. In many cases cloth, paper, strings, 

 leaves, etc., enter into the composition of the nest. One was found with 

 no lining whatever, the eggs being deposited on the hard mud floor. 



The sets taken early in the season contained almost invariably five eggs 

 while those observed near the close of the laying time, about the last of 

 May, consisted of only four. Whether these late sets were second lay- 

 ings of the season or not I am unable to state, but in some instances such 

 was apparently not the case. The Blue Jay's earliest set was found March 

 29, 1899, and the latest June 5, 1897. 



46. Corvus americanus. American Crow. — The Crow is common 

 throughout the State and detested by most farmers as a corn consumer. 



1 The references to Latham's ' Index ' and ' Synopsis ' are given in this 

 book. 



