162 



6-50 inches in diameter by 3-54 inches in depth. The inner nest 

 measures 2-73 inches in diameter by 2-50 inches in depth, and is lined 

 with dry grasses, leaf-stems, and a few white hairs. The eggs were 

 four in number and perfectly fresh. They agree closely in shape with 

 those of the first set, and have an equally high polish, but are some- 

 what more heavily and handsomely marked. The color is creamy- 

 white with heavy blotches of umber-brown generally distributed, but 

 occurring most thickly at the greater ends ; fine dottings of lighter 

 brown, and a few spots of pale lavender, fill in the intermediate 

 spaces. They measure, respectively, -71 X -60, -71 X '60, -72 X -60, 

 72 X '61. In each of these two sets the eggs show unusually little 

 variation inter se." On May 12, a third nest was found by Mr. 

 Robert Ridgway, on the shore of an isolated little woodland pond, 

 which contained five young birds, well feathered and nearly able to 

 fly. The site, in this instance, was at the foot of a huge stump, the 

 nest being placed in a cavity in the rotten wood. Still another nest 

 was found by Mr. Brewster, April 29, under the bank of White River, 

 among the earth and roots, and well sheltered by the projection of 

 the bank above. The female was sitting upon the empty nest, and 

 was shot as she flew from it. 



In "The Oologist" (Vol. IV, No. 2, pp. 10, 11, April, 1878), Mr. 

 Adolphe B. Covert describes its nest and eggs as follows: "On the 

 7th of June I found the nest to contain five eggs, and shot the parent 

 bird, which proved to be the Large-billed species. The nest was 

 built on the ground, at the base of a large black ash, partially under 

 and against a large root, which formed an arch over half of the nest. 

 It was composed of a layer of dead leaves, moss, fine roots, and dried 

 grasses, compactly and rather smoothly finished, and lined with fine 

 grass and some cows' hair. The eggs were flveMn number, white (of 

 a roseate tinge before blown), thickly spotted with small reddish- 

 brown spots ; they measure about -78 by -59 inch." I am unable so 

 much as to guess where this nest was discovered, since the author 

 neglects to give any locality. 



As the above comprises all that is at present known concerning the 

 uidiflcation of this bird, 7 it will not seem out of place to give, in this 

 connection, the results of my own observations on the nestling of 

 this Accentor at Highland Falls, where, as stated at the commence- 

 ment, it is a common summer resident. I remember quite well the 

 first nest that I discovered a number of years ago. As I was return- 

 ing home through the woods one evening, I stopped to drink, hunter 

 fashion, from a cold spring that bursts from the side of a ravine, close 



7 Besides the above, I am informed that a notice of its breeding appeared in 

 Forest and Stream, sometime during the past year. 



