ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 75 



their eggs. I find, for instance, in Icteria viridis var. longicaudata, that 

 in the vicinity of Fort Lapham, Idaho Territory, where the species breeds 

 abundantly, that they almost invariably lay four eggs ; while near Tucson, 

 Arizona, where I took at least eighty of their nests, they lay only three, 

 and the size of the eggs is so very much smaller, in some cases fully 

 one half, that they might easily be taken for eggs of an entirely different 

 species. I find that the farther south you go, the eggs of the same species 

 become smaller, and the number laid as a full nest complement is also 

 less, as a rule. Of course there are some exceptions." He says later, in 

 reply to further inquiries from me respecting this matter, that his atten- 

 tion was first drawn to this subject by the disparity in size and number of 

 the eggs of this species at northern and southern localities. " Of course," 

 he continues, "there is considerable variation in size even in the same 

 localities when a number of sets of the same species are compared, but the 

 assertion that in the North the eggs, as well as the birds, average larger 

 than in the South is perfectly correct. I have abundant material in my 

 own collection to prove this conclusively. Another illustration of the dif- 

 ference in size of eggs from points North and South is the following : Six 

 eggs of Molothrus pecoris from the New England States measure as follows : 

 (1) .99 X -65 ; (2) .97 X .67 ; (3) .88 X -67 ; (4) .90 X .68 ; (5) .85 X 

 .64 ; (6) .76 X -63. Ten specimens of M. pecoris var. obscurus, from Ari- 

 zona, measure as follows : (1) .82 X .60 ; (2) .81 X -59 ; (3) .73 X -65 ; 

 (4) .75 X -61 ; (5) .74 X -58 ; (6) .73 X -58 ; (7) .72 X -58 ; (8) .70 X 

 .58 ; (9) .70 X -56 ; (10) .67 X .51." This gives an average of .90 X .66 

 for the New England specimens, and .74 X -59 for those from Arizona. 



The greater part of Captain Bendire's collection being now stored in St. 

 Louis, while he is himself stationed in Oregon, prevents the presentation 

 by him of other comparative measurements with which to further sub- 

 stantiate the above-given generalization of the smaller size of the eggs of 

 birds of the same species at southern as compared with northern locali- 

 ties. His other statement of the smaller number of eggs laid at the south- 

 ward is also one of great importance, and touches a point respecting which 

 little has as yet been written. 



Mr. C. J. Maynard, in his " Birds of Florida " (p. 24), refers to the 

 " singular fact " that many species lay a smaller number of eggs at the 

 South than at the North, and informs me that he has also noticed the fact 

 of their smaller size at the southward. — J. A. Allen. 



The Nest and Eggs of Traill's Flycatcher, as observed in 

 Maine. — The structure of the nest, its situation, and the eggs of this 

 species (Emjndonax traillii), as found in the above-named State, are all 

 quite different from Mr. H. W. Henshaw's description of them, as given 

 in the first number of this " Bulletin." The nest is built between the 

 upright shoots of low bushes, from one to five feet from the ground, and 

 is loosely constructed of grasses throughout, including the lining. It is a 

 much less compact nest even than that of the Indigo Bird, though perhaps 



