May, 1883.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



37 



no rule, I cannot give tlie measui'ements.) 

 They are more py reform and the ground 

 color is lighter, are marked and blotched 

 with purplish red and a neutral tint. The 

 markings look as though dashed on with a 

 water color brush, more at the larger end. 

 The nest was composed of twigs, dung, 

 and grass, lined with horse hair and bird 

 feathers. I fovmd them common around 

 Stockton and Kings River. They allow no 

 other bird to share their tree ; will drive 

 the Woodpecker out of his hole and take 

 it for their own. This I know to be a fact 

 as a brother collector told me he had found 

 a nest on the eggs of a Gairdner's Wood- 

 pecker. — W. O. Emerson^ Ilaywards, Cal. 

 ^ 



The Blue-winged Yellow Warbler, 



I found a nest of the little Hehninthop- 

 haga phms last Summer and could scarcely 

 credit my sight, as I recognized beyond 

 question the little rare bird starting al- 

 most from under my feet from the coarse 

 swamp grass — a new situation entirely to 

 me for a nesting place of this species. It 

 was a moist, spongy place, far back in the 

 woods : the old Maples had been cleared off 

 about two years before and coarse swamp 

 grasses and weeds had sprung up among 

 the sprouting stumps. The little bird flut- 

 tered off about ten feet and perched on a 

 low spray quietly, not even a "chip," and 

 my first thought was a Maryland Yellow 

 Throat, for it was in such a situation as I 

 often find their nests; but no, the bird 

 commences a series of the most grotesque 

 gyrations imaginable in such a little crea 

 ture — the tail drawn down and spread to 

 its fullest extent, displaying to the utmost 

 all the six white feathers therein, and thiis 

 indicating the species unmistakably — with 

 low bowed head and drooping wings she 

 stood and siiently watched me as I exult- 

 antty clutched the tempting prize — the 

 nest with its complement of five little spot- 

 ted eggs. 



The nest was built directly on the moist 

 ground and its base was damp from the 



contact. It was not unlike a Maryland 

 Yellow-throat's nest except in being much 

 more bulky, the base being chiefly leaves 

 of Chestnut and Beach placed endwise in 

 stead of circularly, as with most birds, and 

 grapevine bark, being neatly lined with 

 fine grasses. The eggs were quite fresh and 

 rosy, showing that incubation had barely 

 commenced at this time, June 16th, 1882. 



It would be very difiicult to tell what is 

 the usual nest complement of this species, 

 from my experience, for this is the fourth 

 nest I have foiind containing respectively 

 two, three, four, and five, when the birds 

 ceased laying, though I thought in the 

 case of the two that it was l)roken up by a 

 violent storm that filled the nest with wa- 

 ter and caused the birds to desert it. 



One nest was built in the grass about 

 four inches from the ground, another in a 

 little clump of bushes about twelve inches 

 up, another in a Avild Rose 1)ush about two 

 feet from the ground, and this last one di- 

 rectly on the damjD ground of a swamp ; so 

 it is equally difficult to declare what is 

 their usual nesting place. 



None of the others were in a swamp, 

 and one was on a hillside at quite an ele- 

 vation, the one with the set of two, which, 

 as already stated, the birds deserted at this 

 stage. One of the eggs is before me and 

 measures .61X-49 in., being very sj)arsely 

 marked with a few minute dots scattered 

 promiscuously over the whole shell, and 

 a few larger spots, some quite dark and 

 some very light near the large end. 



I found a nest in a little thicket of wild 

 Rose, June 15, 1871. The female was on 

 the nest, where she sat very close till I al- 

 most touched "her with my hand, when she 

 fluttered slowly away as if disabled. I 

 found mcubation had commenced at that 

 time, but had not progressed so far as to 

 injure the eggs for the cabinet, and I have 

 been measuring them and find the ex- 

 tremes to be about .62X-J:8 in. No. 1, and 

 .59X.50 in. No. 2. In markings No. lis 

 thinly spotted with minute dots, with no 



