Aug. 



1890.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



117 



Nesting of the Blue-Winged Yellow 



Warbler in Delaware Co., Pa., 



in 1890. 



On the 27tli of May, 1890, I started out with 

 the hope of findinj:; some Warhlers' eggs. It 

 had been raining very hard all the afternoon 

 and evening of the previous day, and tramping 

 through tlie wet woods was by no means a 

 pleasant task. Every few minutes I would 

 strike my head on a branch and a shower of 

 rain drops would run down my neck. 



For hours I tramped over hillsides in several 

 woods without finding anything, — not a single 

 nest save an old one of the Worm-eating 

 Warbler. After I had been looking for four 

 or five hours I heard a pair of Blue-winged 

 Yellow Warblers acting as if they had a nest. 

 I looked all over the Jiillsides where I heard 

 them, and also at the top of tlie hill for at 

 least twenty minutes without success. Then 

 I thouglit possibly if I laid down for a time 

 the female mighr, return to her nest. It was 

 tiresome work waiting, however, for the birds 

 were very wary and disposed to regard me as 

 an unwelcome intruder in their neighborhood. 

 At last, however, all was quiet, and I resumed 

 my search, this time entirely at the top of the 

 hill (for I had about made up my mind that 

 the nest was somewhere at the top of the hill) 

 but still without success. This was rather 

 discouraging as I had ap])arently looked thor- 

 oughly over every available spot where the 

 nest might be. 



There still remained a small piece of woods, 

 howi'ver, divided by a fence from where I had 

 been looking and on the edge of a large field. 

 As a sort of forlorn hope I crossed this fence 

 and had taken but four or live steps when I 

 Hushed the female, and, looking down, right at 

 my feet was the nest, which contained five 

 eggs. 



It was placed at the foot of a small sapling, 

 and the bottom of the nest rested on the 

 ground, though not embedded in it. It was 

 not more that fifteen yards from the field I 

 mentioned before, and was a beautiful structure 

 composed externally of leaves and grape-vine 

 bark, lined with fine dried grass, and a little 

 horse-hair. It was a trifie smaller than the one 

 found by me last year (which also contained 

 five eggs, whicli seems to be the usual number) 

 although made of exactly the same materials. 

 The eggs were quite heavily marked for spec- 

 imens of this species, and were about five days 

 incubated. As the set I found on the 29th of 



May, 1889, was about seven days incubated 

 it shows how very regular the birds are about 

 laying. It seems to make little difference 

 whether it is a backward spring or not the 

 birds lay just the same and are apparently 

 not in the least influenced by the weather. 



A curious thing I have noticed about the 

 Warblers' nests I have found, is their apparent 

 preference for the edge of a woods rather than 

 in the centre. 



While I was packing up the eggs the birds 

 made quite a noise, the female in particular 

 coming to within five yards of me and uttering 

 plaintive cries. 



Although I was very wet and tired I felt 

 well satisfied with the result of my day's 

 tramp, for they are very rare birds in this 

 locality. J. P. Norris, Jr. 



Philadelphia. 



The White-Bellied Nuthatch 

 Friend of the Farmer. 



At this time of the year when the cocoons 

 of Mie tent caterpillar are to be seen on every 

 farm the Wliite-bellied Nuthatch is i^articu- 

 larly useful, destroying as it does large num- 

 bers of these cocoons. Tearing them from 

 their fastenings they drag them along the 

 rough bark of the tree until they catch, then 

 pulling at them, and in this way tear off all the 

 outer covering of the chrysalis, which they 

 devour with apparent relish. These together 

 with the numerous other insects which go to 

 make up their daily food jiarticularly recom- 

 mend them for protection on the farm. 



S. R. Ingersoll. 

 Ballston Spa, N. Y. 



Two Broods Raised in the Same Nest 

 by Pewee. 



On May 4th I discovered a nest of the Pewee 

 upon the top of one of the blinds of our house, 

 and upon investigating found it contained two 

 eggs, later on it contained four. These were 

 hatched, and in due time the young birds left 

 the nest. On July 4th I noticed the bird again 

 on tlie nest and upon examining found one egg 

 and a young bird just hatched. 



Is it usual for the Pewee to rear two broods 

 in the same nest without repairing the same? 



S. R. Ingersoll. 



Ballston Spa, N. Y. 



