Oct. 1886.] 
AND OOLOGIST. 
157 



the nest. The male also appeared on the scene 
at the first chirp of alarm, and both birds re- 
mained near by until I left. The nest contained 
five eggs—two of which showed considerable 
sign of incubation, although all of them had been 
laid within seven days. The ground color of this 
set is a dull white, thickly spotted at the greater 
end, and more sparingly over the body of the 
egg, with varying shades of rich brown, ap- 
proaching in one egg a delicate shade of lilac, 
sprinkled in fine spots. The measurements of 
the set are as follows: .52x.68; .54x.68 ; .52x.65; 
.01x67; .52x.65. 
Nest number two at this time contained but three 
eggs, and the parent birds did not appear in the 
vicinity, so I did not disturb them, but again vis- 
ited the nest on June 2d, and found the set of five 
completed with the female sitting. This set was 
perfectly fresh, both parents were around and 
showed the same signs of alarm as those at the 
first nest. Set No. 2 differ from No. 1 conspicu- 
ously in having a bright glossy surface and being 
much heavier in appearance. The spotting is 
similar, though more on the lilac shade. They 
measure .55x.65; .56x.65; .54x.68; .56x.68; .53x 
64, 
My third nest was found in a somewhat differ- 
ent situation from the last two. A road running 
through the edge of a wood, had from disuse be- 
come overgrown with small trees. The timber 
adjacent had been cut away, but a fringe of sap- 
lings had been left on the bank sloping up ten 
feet from the road. Deeply imbedded in this 
bank, under an overhanging Dogwood tree, the 
nest had a sheltered location. A few yards below 
a dense thicket of briar and alder overhung a 
clear stream of spring water, and from its dark 
recesses the notes of the White-eyed Vireo and 
Cardinal were constantly heard from their almost 
unpenetrable refuge. This nest also contained 
five eggs—slightly incubated. The markings on 
this set were lighter, and more generally diffused 
our the entire surface in fine points, and dots of a 
uniform light chestnut or brown. This set meas- 
ures .57x.68; .57x.67; .57x.67; .56x.70; .55x.68. 
Set No. 4 was taken June 1st, in the adjacent 
county of Delaware. At this date they were al- 
most ready to hatch. This set of eggs was 
much plainer than any of the others—incubation 
probably dimming the colors somewhat. The 
nest was located on a steep hillside near the sum- 
mit, covered with a heavy forest growth. The 
fifth and last nest of the season was found on a 
steep east lying hillside, and contained a single 
young bird a few days old, on the 6th of June. 
Two other sets of eggs of four and five re- 
spectively were taken in this county the present 
season by Mr. 8. B. Ladd, of West Chester, and 
are now in his cabinet. The set of four has a 
clear, white glossy ground thickly spotted with a 
rich reddish brown, so protusely laid on as to al- 
most obscure the white. They are very large, 
and of peculiar shape, being nearly of the same 
size at both ends. They measure .58x.72; .59x 
.69; .58x.70: .60x.71. The set of five are con- 
siderably smaller—giving the following dimen- 
sions: .51x.66; .55x.67; .52x.68 ; .52x.67; .53x.67. 
They are exquisitely marked—the greater end 
being so thickly covered with a rich brown as to 
form a wreath, and the coloring also extends to 
the smaller end with some fainter marks of a lilac 
shade. They exceed in beauty the eggs of any 
Warblers I ever saw. Both nests were taken on 
steep, rugged hillsides, and the nests correspond 
with those heretofore described. 
From the foregoing instances of the nesting of 
this bird, together with others that have come 
under my notice, we may fix a few of the char- 
acteristic habits of this interesting Warbler. 
1. It always nests on the ground, generally on 
a steep hillside, in the woods. 
2. A stream of water, or an adjacent swamp, 
seems to be a desirable condition. 
3. The nest is invariably lined with the red 
flower stalks of the Hair Moss, (Polytrichium), 
and 
4. Theusual nest complement is four eggs. 

Occurrence of the Turkey Buzzard 
in Massachusstts. 

A Turkey Buzzard (Cathartes aura), was shot 
by a boy at Annisquam, Mass., on September 
14th. and brought into the Seaside Labratory of 
the Boston Society of Natural History, situated 
at that place. The bird was fully identified by 
Mr. T. H. Morgan, of Lexington, Ky., who is in- 
terested in the study of ornithology, and per- 
fectly familiar with the buzzards in all plumages. 
On account of the lack of time and not being 
aware of the rarity of the bird in Massachusetts, 
the specimen was not preserved, but Mr. Morgan 
considered the specimen to be in young plumage. 
I will also record the Indigo Bunting as being 
found in the same locality, as, on several ‘occa- 
sions I saw a pair which occupied a thicket near 
the roadside during June and July.—H. G. 
White. 
—_<>—__—_ 
Prof. Dunsmore desires to return thanks for 
nests forwarded for purpose of study in produc- 
tion of his article, “Botany of Nests.” 
