308 GcHcral Notes. [^^"l^ 



times. Her mate was H. chrysoptera in normal plumage. He flew to the 

 female occasionally and was quite tame. At this time, when swinging 

 in an apple-tree near by, the drawling note peculiar to this species was 

 so faint as to require close attention to hear it. My first idea was to 

 leave the eggs and have them hatch, then watch the young and so try to 

 settle the perplexing question about these birds, but the nest was so 

 close to a cattle-path in the swamp that it was liable to be destroyed by 

 the animals when passing to and fro after water, they having already 

 nearly stepped in it. I finally waited until the 23d of the month and 

 took the nest and eggs and secured both birds. After the female was 

 shot, and the male was unable to find her, his song changed and was as 

 loud and sharp as in earh' spring. The nest was on the ground among 

 thick alder bushes on the edge of a swampj- thicket. It was composed 

 externally of dry leaves and a few pieces of coarse grass, and lined with 

 delicate strips of grape-vine bark. The eggs ai-e Avhite, finely and sparsely 

 speckled with reddish brown, the dots being more conspicuous about the 

 larger end, forming in one &^^ a noticeable ring. This female leucobron- 

 chialis is nearly as bright in color as the males. The chin, breast and 

 abdomen are marked with yellow, the breast strongly so. Wing-bars 

 yellowish white. I have now found Brewster's Warbler here for nine 

 successive years, the specimen referred to above being the owXy female. 

 The large series in my collection shows many variations. — Jno. II. S.vge, 

 Portlatid, Conn. 



Nesting of Mimus polyglottos in Eastern Massachusetts. — On June 

 3, 1895, while walking along a narrow country road in Groton, Massa- 

 chusetts, my attention was suddenly attracted by the strange sight of 

 a Mockingbird flying across an adjoining field. It alighted on a fence 

 post near by, and, as I turned back to make sure that I had seen 

 aright, my surprise was increased by the appearance of a second 

 one. The two birds flew off" together Avith such an evident air of 

 being mates that I immediately began to look for a nest. The road 

 was bordered on each side by a broad stretch of grassy fields, divided 

 by rail fences: an eighth of a mile away it crossed a much travelled 

 highway, strung along which a dozen liouses could be seen; while at 

 about tlie same distance in the opposite direction was the beginning 

 of a large tract of deciduous woods. Besides these woods, there was 

 hardly a tree anywhere near, save a few small apple-trees by one of the 

 houses and one or two more — stunted, chance-sown seedlings — grow- 

 ing by the roadside. To one of the latter, a few steps away, I directed 

 my search. In a moment I discovered a clumsily built nest a dozen 

 feet from the ground, amid the thick foliage of a branch that overhung 

 the road. I climbed the tree and, though I found the nest emptj-, I was 

 rewarded by a scolding visit from the birds. When I came again on June 

 13 they gave me a still more unfriendly greeting though they were so wary 

 that I obtained only the male to accompany the nest and four half-incu- 

 bated eggs which I secured. 



