i888.] COUES, Nesting of the Prairie Warbler. 4^7 



Nest No. 3 was placed in a very young pine, about one and a 

 half feet from the ground. It is built against the upright main 

 trunk (which is about as thick as one's finger), and is supported 

 by two small diverging twigs, one of which is nearly under the 

 nest, the other rising on one side of it. The body of this nest is 

 of cotton-wool — probably some dropped by ourselves in an ear- 

 lier visit; and with this as a basis are woven fine, white, silken 

 fibres of some unidentified plant. Some of the green pine 

 needles also grow out through the substance of the nest and 

 others again are turned back and woven into the cotton, the 

 whole effect being very pretty. Close to the brim a few fine 

 straws are wreathed about, and the lining consists of extremely 

 fine fibres. The inside dimensions are one and a half inches in 

 depth and width. This nest contained four incubated eggs ; they 

 closely resemble a set of Field Sparrow's eggs in my collection. 

 The birds were quite shy in this case, and it was only by close 

 watching that they were identified. 



Nest No. 4 is situated also in what seems to be the usual posi- 

 tion, against the side of the upright stem of a little hickory bush, 

 firmly supported by three small twigs coming ofi' irregularly 

 from the main stem, about half an inch apart, at diflerent angles. 

 It is made less neatly than usual, of a quantity of plant-fibres, a 

 little cedar bark in fine strips, one dried leaf, and several pro- 

 jecting white feathers. This nest is lined with fine straws, a 

 little hair, and a few small feathers. The inside measurements 

 are the same as those of No. 3. There is a considerable gap in 

 the brim where it rests against the upright support, and the 

 whole structure is less cleanly cupped than in other cases. The 

 nest contained four fresh eggs. I almost touched the mother bird 

 before she would fly. She left without a sound, and did not 

 return during the few moments I was there. Perhaps she went 

 with the news in search of her mate, who may have been 

 amusing himself in the shady woods at some distance. 



Nest No. 5. This specimen is at once the most compactly 

 woven and most irregularly shaped of the five. The situation 

 also is unusual ; it is placed in a mass of grapevine twigs, about 

 three feet from the ground. It is composed of the usual silky 

 plant fibres (perhaps of a species oi Asclcpias)., thin shreds of 

 inner cedar bark, and fine grass straws, and is lined with still 

 finer straws and a little horsehair. Besides being the most 



