Jan. 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



13 



I have noticed this species only in one locality, 

 and that was bordering on low, swampy, soft, 

 wood lands, which seem to be its favorite haunts 

 during- the period that it remains ia this coun- 

 try. 



I first noted this bird and discovered its nest 

 in the early part of June, 1S82. The first nest 

 seen was on the 6th of that month, and. when 

 discovered, the female was engaged in con- 

 structing it; and when disturbed made so 

 much ado about it that her mate soon ap- 

 peared upon the scene and joined in the gen- 

 eral scolding. The site chosen was a cavity 

 in a low bank, on which grew a small hem- 

 lock, near :i pool of water on the margin of a 

 swamp. 



The same day I found another nest of the 

 same species, from which I afterwards took a 

 set of five eggs. This was placed in a corner of 

 a turned up root, the top of which hung over 

 sheltering it from the sun, rain and observation, 

 except upon close inspection ; and beneath it 

 was a pool of water. (The season before I 

 took from this root a set of the eggs of the 

 Black Snow bird (Junco hyemalis) and the next 

 summer saw in it a nest of the Winter Wren 

 {Anorthura troglodytes hyemalis) in which a 

 brood of young had evidently been raised). 

 On this nest the female sat until almost 

 touched by the hand, but her mate always 

 seemed to lie near, and his pleasing . but some- 

 what plaintive melody seemed, if I mistake not, 

 closely to resemble the songnotes of the White- 

 crowned Sparrow {Zonotrichia lencophrys) . 



I saw no more nests of this species until the 

 30th of May, 1886. On that date my son and 

 myself were hunting in a piece of woods in the 

 same locality, when a bird flushed from a small 

 space between where we passed and darted into 

 some thick underwood, where her mate and 

 those of her mates soon gave us to understand 

 that their nest was near. A short search re- 

 vealed the nest placed in the cavity of a small 

 bank, overhung b}' weeds and some underwood. 

 The nest itself was composed of a few dry 

 leaves ; small stalks of dry weeds ; rootlets and 

 fine hair. It contained five beautiful eggs, that 

 were but slightly incubated, and are now in my 

 collection, but the materials of the nest, how- 

 ever, were so loosely put together, that it soon 

 fell to pieces upon being removed. The eggs, 

 which measure .68 by .52, are of a clear white 

 hue, finely marked with dots and small blotch- 

 es, especially towards the large end, of brown, 

 purple and reddish, ranging in shades and 

 tints. 



Nesting of Bell's Vireo. 



BY EDWIN C. DAVIS, GAINESVILLE, TEX. 



This species ( Vireo belli) is the most common 

 of all the vireos inhabiting Northern Texas. It 

 arrives from its Southern Winter home early in 

 April, and its presence is always known by the 

 familiar warbling song which it utters. It is a 

 very familiar little bird, seeming to prefer the 

 whereabouts of men to the more uninhabited 

 regions ; in fact I have never taken a nest of 

 this species anywhere remote from man. Its 

 principal place of nest building is in the well 

 shaded orchards, or in some broad leaved-tree, 

 such as the osage-orange or persimmon. About 

 twenty days after arriving it begins to perform 

 the duties of nidification. 



Their little warbling song is very simple, and 

 is composed of only five or six sj-llables, but it 

 is very sweet to the ear, and very treacherous 

 to the bird itself. During the breeding season 

 the little singer maj' always be found at home, 

 and as it is continually warbling its little ditty, 

 one may at once locate the nest by the song. 



The nest is a very pretty piece of bird archi- 

 tecture, verj' much resembling that of the Yel- 

 low Warbler, Deudra'ca ceestiva, being composed 

 of about the same materials; only instead of 

 straddling the forks of a small limb, as of the 

 former, it is always pensile from a small hori- 

 zontal branch the upper edges of the nest being 

 securely bound to the small twigs of a fork. It 

 is not as rough in appearance as that of the 

 warbler, but is very compact and smooth. The 

 principal materials used in its construction are 

 the outer bark of weed stalks ; bark of the grape 

 vine, paper torn in small fragments, rags, dried 

 petals of flowers, etc., lined with soft feathers 

 and down ; and tlien an inter lining of fine root- 

 lets and black hair of the horse's tail. 



The usual number of eggs deposited are four, 

 of a pure white color, sparingly sprinkled with 

 points of dark umber brown, at the greater end. 

 Measurements of four eggs now before me are : 

 72x51 ; 71x51 ; 72x50 ; and 72x52. 



The nest of this species seems to be the favor- 

 ite receptacle for the eggs of the Cowbird, 3Iol- 

 othrus ater, and you rarel.v if ever find a nest 

 without one or more eggs of tliis bird. There 

 is one thing, however, which puzzles me, and 

 that is, I have never yet found a young Cow- 

 bird in a Vireo's nest. They must dispose of 

 the t^gg in some way. And I have frequently 

 found nests of the Vireo (containing both the 

 owner's eggs and those of the Cowbird) entire- 

 ly deserted. 



