1S90.] General Notes. 4^3 



where a dense growth of tall spruce pines i_o\ci> the hillsides. These 

 pines are all more or less covered with bunches of moss and lichens. I 

 was resting on a rock in the cool shade beneath one of these trees when 

 I was suddenly attracted by the noise of a Hummer's wings close to my 

 head. Looking up, I saw a female Rivoli making perpendicular dives at 

 me. After repeating this until I had moved off a sufficient distance, she 

 alighted upon a small dead twig and there sat watching me for some 

 moments. As all remained quiet, she now flew about the tree slowly, 

 and when about fifty feet up made a rapid dart to the crotch of a mossy 

 limb about ten feet from the trunk, where the nest was built, nearly hid- 

 den from the ground. I now came up, and by throwing things at her 

 flushed her off the nest, but she at once returned to it. After much 

 trouble the nest and the two eggs it contained were secured in safety. 



The nest was firmly attached to the limb just beyond a crotch, the 

 limb at the nest being about an inch in diameter. It is of a uniform oval 

 shape, its diameter outside being from 2.03 to 2.62 inches; inside from 

 1.20 to 1.45. The depth outside is 1.55 inches: inside it is .62. It is 

 composed outwardly of bits of fine moss and lichens, and is indistinguish- 

 able from the limbs about it. It is well lined on the inside with manv 

 star-shaped downy seeds of a delicate cream color, similar to those of the 

 common thistle of the East, but smaller and softer. The two eggs are 

 pure white, shaped alike at both ends, and measure .53 X • 37 and .52 X . 37 

 inch. — Otho C. Poling, Ft. Huac/inca, Arizona. 



The Philadelphia Vireo in Vermont. — Although the distribution of the 

 Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelfliicus) leads one to expect its regular 

 occurrence in Vermont, I find no record of its capture in that State. It 

 may therefore be of interest to mention that on September 11, 1889, I 

 took a female of this species at Pittsford, Rutland County, Vermont. 

 I found the bird among some low alders which overhung a meadow 

 brook. — Frank H. Hitchcock, Somervillc, A/ass. 



Spotted Eggs of Swainson's Warbler. — On May 13 of this year I found 

 a nest of Swainson's Warbler in Coosawhatchie Swamp, — which is a very 

 large river-swamp about five miles from Yemassee. Upon looking into 

 the nest I found a single egg, and was very much surprised to see that it 

 was distinctly marked over the whole of the egg. I left the nest with the 

 egg to get the full set, and returned on the 15th and found the bird sit- 

 ting. The nest contained three eggs which were all spotted. As these 

 are the first eggs of Swainson's Warbler which are distinctly spotted, a 

 description will doubtless be of interest. 



I sent these eggs with the nest to Capt. Bendire, and at my request Mr. 

 Ridgway has kindly described the eggs and I herewith give his description. 



"The two eggs measure, respectively, as follows : — .S3 X .59, .S5 X .60 

 inch. One of them, being broken, cannot be measured. The ground 

 color of the eggs is yellowish or huffy white; one of them is very faintly 

 and rather sparsely flecked, chiefly on and near the larger end, with pale 



