190 Notes on Arrival and Nesting of Birds — Benner. 



nest, three eggs, fresh. Pond lillies were just in bloom. 



On the way home found a small nest by the roadside three- 

 feet from the ground, which I found on later investigation to be 

 another clay colored sparrow. The four eggs had been laid, but 

 when found the nest was on its side and the eggs on the ground. 

 I also found the nest of long thrush, one young, a week old. 



June 8th, I found nest and five fresh eggs of the black-throated 

 bunting in a small oak tree. The nest was placed four feet, six 

 inches from the ground. The female was shot for identification. 

 June 9, I discovered another nest of this same bird, but on the 

 13th the four eggs had been laid, three feet ten inches from the 

 ground. This was located the same as the former. Most observ- 

 ers of this bird say that it nests on the ground, and others that the 

 nests are not placed more than eight or ten inches above it in tall 

 grass, but here are two instances of nests forty-six inches from 

 the ground in oak trees which is quite unusual. 



This bird is very variable in its coming. Some years they are 

 very common, and again very few are seen. This was so in the 

 years 1879 and 1880. In 1879 there was the greatest abundance 

 of them, but the following year there were hardly any to be seen. 

 Last year they were very common indeed. 



June 10th, the two eggs of the cree bird found on the 5th, 

 were just hatched. I visited a marsh out on Portland avenue and 

 found a few fresh eggs of the yellow-headed blackbird. These had 

 evidently been robbed before, for although there were a great many 

 birds, there were very few nests with eggs. There were also some 

 coots' nests but no eggs. I shot a very pretty specimen of the 

 local bittern but could not find the nest. 



June 15th, I found a yellow warbler and four eggs; some cow 

 birds. This was evidently the second nest of the birds whose nest 

 I took on the fifth, as it was found only a short distance from where the 

 first one was taken. They built a new nest and layed four eggs in 

 ten days. I found a grass finch, nest building. My record closes 

 for this day by the finding of nest and nine eggs of Carolina rail ; 

 scarlet tanager nest and two eggs, and about twenty eggs of the 

 cliff swallow, taken from the flour mill at Minnetonka Mills. 



Let me mention here the finding of the Nyctale acadia in this 

 city on May 9, 1881. With the bird were four young and three 

 eggs; the female was shot. This nest was in an old decayed stub 

 about fifteen ihclies in diameter and located twelve feet from the 



