Feb. 1887.] 



AK^D OOLOGLST. 



23 



tho mud of tlic swamp a large mass of its roots 

 and adhering debris. This tangled mass of roots 

 and mud had been for several yeai'S the head- 

 quarters of a pair of Large-billed Water Thrush- 

 es (Siiinis motacilla) and from the nest deftly 

 hidden therein I had secured a nice set of these 

 eggs annually for four years. To this spot I 

 was carefully working my way, through the 

 thickets, when my attention was suddenly at- 

 tracted by a small bird quite near me, busily 

 skipping from one bush to another; and as 1 

 immediately observed, gathering the swamp spi- 

 ders' webs in its beak. I saw at once also that 

 it was the Black-throated <ireen Warblei-(Z>' h- 

 drwca virens) a female, and I was greatly inter- 

 ested, as a set of eggs of that species would be 

 new to my collection. 



8<'curing a good site for observation I dili- 

 gently watched her accumulate nesting materi- 

 al, and with great vigilance scanned every move- 

 ment. Another interested observer also put in 

 his appearance — the male warbler. Perched on 

 a spray near at hand he chanted blithely his 

 little song of encouragement to his laboring 

 wife, but I did not see him soil liis feathers by 

 the slightest assistance in gathering the nesting 

 material. Soon rising from the thicket, the fe- 

 male took flight for her nesting place, and here 

 a singular episode took place. The male bird 

 immediately left his perch in pursuit, and seiz- 

 ing the female by the tip of the tail, acconq)an- 

 ied her flight in that ordei- quite to the site of 

 the nest, when he left for an adjacent perch. It 

 was some ten rods away but this strange meth- 

 od of flight enabled me to observe tlieir course 

 and fix the location, to which I imme<liately 

 hastened. Concealed Ijehind an adjacent tree I 

 waited further revelations. After a few mo- 

 ments the female started again for the swamp, 

 followed immediately and attendeil by her 

 male, with his beak evidently clinging to the tip 

 of her tail again. I remained on the spot some 

 time watching them while they made several 

 trips to the swamp— the male invariably escort- 

 ing her back and forth in the same singular 

 manner. Tlie nesting site was in what is 

 called here Yellow Birch, a species affecting 

 gvvanq)y places. It was quite a tall tree with- 

 out a branch to the nest, which was about thir- 

 ty feet from the ground, in tlie crotch formed 

 at the bas<' of the first limb. Several twigs 

 started from the same spot and the foliage on 

 them completely concealed the nest from view 

 either above or l)elow. I never saw a n(»st so 

 perfectly concealed from sight as was this. 



I fixed upon June 2nd as about tlie right time 

 for a visit to the nest, and at that time climbed 



up to it. Numerous exereseiices on the various 

 sides of tiie tree natural with the species, com- 

 bined with the enthusiasm, made the ascent an 

 eas}' one — even if I did putt" and sweat a little 

 when I got there. The bird glided quietly away 

 long before I reached the nest, evidently trust- 

 ing entirely to its concealment for its safety, 

 nor did I see or liear one note from either bird 

 while I was at the nest. Very deftly Iiidden it 

 was. 



The neat little nest is now before me Its 

 outer materials are chiefly fine strips of bark, 

 sucli as might be gathered from the stems of 

 dry plants, a few of Cedar, and a few of the fine 

 outside bark of the VVhite Bircli; and a few 

 very fine black roots. It is neatly and abund- 

 antly lined with horse-hair and with some very 

 fine grape stems. I have been wondering 

 where the bird picked up all the horse-hair. 

 The (mtside diameter of the nest was about 

 three inches, inside about one and three-fourths 

 inches, with a depth of about one and a half in- 

 ches. Five eggs was the complement found 

 therein, and they admirably fill the place in my 

 cabinet so long vacant. The ground color of 

 these eggs is white, but without the glossy sur- 

 face usual in the Maryland Yellow-throats, and 

 in fact compared with this latter species there is 

 readily perceived a tint of grayish, though only 

 of the faintest shadow api)reciable. The mark- 

 ings, which are abundant, toward the larger end 

 form wreaths near the widest diameter; and are 

 chiefly of the lavender and purjde tints, with 

 few or none of the lighter leddish colors com- 

 mon with man}- of the Warblers. These mark- 

 ings are bold and sharj), forming at times coarse 

 zig-zag lines and heavy blotches. I notice one 

 at least an eighth inch across either way. Mix- 

 ed with these are some of less size down to the 

 most minute. The form of the eggs is as near 

 the regulation "ovoidal" in pattern as anything 

 that I can imagine, being neither excessively 

 elongated nor excessively blunted at either end 

 and the five specimens measure about as fol- 

 lows (in hundredths of an inch) viz., .(!4x4S; .(;;{ 

 x49; .COxSS; .,-)(;x47; .(54x48. 



Since writing the foregoing I have found an- 

 other nest of the spec;ies, and the site was so 

 ditterent from the former that I am constrained 

 to add an account of it. There were young in 

 the nest, and I found it by watching the old 

 bird returning to it with food. This site was in 

 a small lied Cedai- (Jiinipcrus vir(/i7iinanuf<) a- 

 bout seven or eight feet high, and the nest was 

 in the densest part about five feet uj). The ma- 

 terials and form were similar to the former nest 

 The tree was one of a gioup of half a dozen 

 growing in an open glade with large trees a few 

 I rods awa}-. 



