J32 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 



208. POLIOPTILA C^ERULEA (LERULEA (Linnaeus). 

 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER. 



"Abundant. Summer resident. Breeds." (1891c). 



The gnatcatcher was first recorded under date of June 

 3, 1876, when an adult male was taken at Greensboro. 

 Part of the entry follows : "This bird is found in warm 

 weather. The nest, like that of the hummingbird, is 

 beautifully constructed, woven around and to the sides of 

 the branches so as to appear like an excrescence." 



The following interesting record of the Doctor's early 

 struggle with ornithology is taken from his "Oological 

 Register" under date of May 14, 1876: "This nest (gnat- 

 catcher) is that of the smallest bird in this country ex- 

 cept the hummingbird. When I was a boy there was a 

 smaller bird than the builder of nest No. 3. It has dis- 

 appeared. It exists in this region, at least, no more. 

 It was so small that the smallest sparrow compared to it 

 was large. My recollection of it is that it had a small 

 yellow spot upon the occiput and was of a leaden color on 

 the belly, while the back was of a greenish tinge. It has 

 been many years since I saw it, perhaps twenty-five. It 

 hopped about upon the trees and especially upon the 

 small pines, examining minutely every leaf for its food. 

 It was so gentle that I remember once when a boy that 

 for want of another missile that I took my cap from my 

 head and struck one dead from a bush." 



It is quite patent that the gentle bird was a golden- 

 crowned kinglet, but it is surprising that one whose ob- 

 servational powers were so keen as to fix a fairly accur- 

 ate description in his mind for twenty-five 'years should 

 so long overlook a common winter visitant. 



May 4, 1888, a set of five eggs was collected eight 

 miles south of Greensboro. The nest was in a sweet 

 gum, fifteen feet from the ground. Three of the eggs 

 were broken; the remaining two measured: .56 by .49 

 and .58 by .48. 



April 4, 1893, while making observations on the nest- 

 ing of the yellow-throated warbler Dr. Avery discovered 

 another nest of the gnatcatcher. He writes : "The wheezy, 



