Oct. 1890.] 



a:n^d oologist. 



147 



Catbird. Standard set, four. Variation, 

 three to four. 



Brown Thrasher. Variation, three to four. 

 I used to think three was the standard, but 

 now I incline to four. 



Carolina Wren. Standard set, five. Vari;v 

 tion, four to five. Per cent of variation small. 



Brown-headed Nuthatch. Standard set, six. 

 Variation, four to six. Per cent of variation, 

 25 to 50. 



Tufted Tit. Variation, five to seven. I 

 think six is the standard, but haven't sufiticient 

 data to determine. 



Carolina Chickadee. Standard set, five. 

 Variation, four to seven. Per cent of variation 

 about 30, perhaps considernbly more. 



Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Set, four or five. 

 I don't know which is the standard, but will 

 find out next year. 



Wood Thrush. Standard set, four. Varia- 

 tion, four to five. Per cent of variation about 

 80. 



Bluebird. Set, four or rive. 



Up to date this is the best information I can 



give as to the size of the sets our poor little 



birds lay down here. By "standard" set I 



mean the set which predominates in number 



on the first laying; on the second laying a 



smaller number is often more common. 



C. S. Brimley. 

 Raleigh, X. C. 



[Four eggs of the Cardinal are as frequently 

 found as three. A very large series of their 

 eggs (from all localities) now before me con- 

 firms this. — T. P. N.] 



A Series of 



Eggs of 

 Titmouse. 



the Tufted 



The eggs of the Tufted Titmouse {Pdriis 

 hicolnr) vary in number from five to nine, al- 

 though five or six is the number that is usu- 

 ally found. 



The nest is loosely constructed, and is made 

 of leaves, strips of bark, moss, hair, feathers, 

 and sometimes snake skins. It is built in an 

 old hole of a Woodpecker, or in a natural 

 cavity, and is generally at a consider;ible 

 height from the ground, although sometimes 

 low down. Of the twenty-two sets of eggs 

 now before me one nest was two feet fi-om tlie 

 ground; another, three feet; a third, five feet; 

 three others, seven, eight, and eleven feet re- 

 spectively; three were at fifteen feet; another, 

 twenty; another, twenty-tive; still another, 

 twenty-eight feet; two were forty feet; another 



forty-eight feet: while two were fifty feet; 

 and two others sixty feet from the ground. 



The eggs vary in shape from ovate to elon- 

 gate ovate. The gionnd color varies from 

 white to creamy. 



Set I. May 5,1888. Buncombe County, N. 

 C. Six eggs, fresh. Light creamy white, 

 speckled all over the surface with hazel: 

 .80X..58; .77X.55; .79x..5(i; .81x..57; .79x.54-, 

 .80X.55. 



Set II. May 15, 1888. Buncombe County, 

 N. C. Seven eggs, incubation begun. White, 

 speckled all ovei- the surface with hazel: 

 .7-tx.55, .74X.55, .72x.55, .09 x .53; .78 x. 53; 

 .71 X.54; .68X.50. 



Set in. April 13, 1889. Leighton, Ala- 

 bama. Six eggs, incubation begun. White, 

 speckled with hazel. One of the eggs has 

 bolder markings than the others, and in all of 

 them the specks are closer together near the 

 ends: .74x.5(); .73x.55; .75x.55; .73x.55; 

 .72X..56; .72x.56. 



Set IV. May 5, 188.'). Buncombe County, 

 N. C. Four eggs, fresh. White, speckled and 

 spotted all over the surface with vinaceous- 

 rufous : .73 x . 54 ; .73 x .55 ; .75 x .55 ; .76 x .55. 



Set V. April 20, 1886. Lee County, Texas. 

 Four eggs, incubation commenced. Light 

 creamy, speckled, more heavily at the larger 

 ends, with hazel: .72x.52; .72x.55; .77x.50; 

 .78X..54. 



Set VI. May 8, 1887. Edgecombe County, 

 N. C. Five eggs, fresh. Light creamy white, 

 speckled and sjiotted with hazel. The mark- 

 ings are scattered all over the surface, but are 

 heaviest near the larger ends on all the eggs 

 except one, where they are thicker near the 

 smaller end: .80x.55; .75x.55; .79x.55; 

 .73 X..53; .74 x .54. 



Set VII. April 28, 1888. Wake County, N. 

 C. Six eggs, fresh. White, speckled, more 

 heavily at the larger ends, with hazel: .70x.56, 

 .71X.57; .72 x.54; .69x.56; .69x..56; .70x..55. 



Set VIII. May 2, 1888. Buncombe County, 

 N. C. Seven eggs, incubation begun. AVhite, 

 speckled and spotted, more heavily at the 

 larger ends, with vinaceous-rufous. There 

 are also a few spots of lilac-gray: .74x.56; 

 .75X.56; .75x.55; .74x..55; .72x.55; .74x..50; 

 .70X.56. 



Set IX. April 26, 1887. Iredell County, N. 

 C. Six eggs, fresh. Light creamy white, 

 speckled all over the the surface with vinace- 

 ous-rufous. Near the larger ends the markings 

 are heavier: .74x.58: .74x.57; .75x.57; 

 .73x.58; .73x.58; .72x.55. 



Set. X. May 3, 1SS9. Buncombe County, 



