ORNITHOLOGIST 



— A^^D — 



OOLOGIST. 



$1.00 per 

 Annum. 



Published for the BRISTOL, ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



Established, March, 1875. 



Single Copy 

 10 Cents. 



VOL. XII. 



BOSTON, MASS., NOVEMBER, 1887. 



No. II. 



A Series of Eggs of Dendroeca 

 Maculosa. 



BY J. P. N. 



The eggs of the beautiful Black and Yellow 

 or Magnolia Warbler, (Dendrceca maculosa) pre- 

 sent a far greater variation when seen in a large 

 series than would be supposed. In size, ground 

 color and markings they show great differences. 

 The number, however, would appear to be al- 

 ways four. Many of the eggs are very beauti- 

 ful, and the markings are often much heavier 

 than those of most species of warblers. 



In the following paper an attempt is made to 

 describe a series of twenty-four sets, all of 

 which are of undoubted authenticity. The 

 whole series were collected at Grand Manan, 

 N. B., by a veteran collector, who has prob- 

 ably taken more sets of warbler's eggs than 

 any man living. 



The measurements are all in hundreths of 

 inches. 



Set I. June 16, 1885. Four eggs. Very faint 

 grayish white ground color. One of the eggs 

 almost unmarked save for a very few lilac dots 

 and streaks. A second has only a few reddish 

 brown specks. The third has the spottings 

 more distinct ; while the fourth has a few lar- 

 ger spots, but the effect of the whole set is of a 

 more unmarked appearance than any others of 

 the series : .63 x .52 ; .62 x .51 ; .63 x .51 ; .63 x .53. 



Set II. June 15, 1886. Four eggs. White, 

 marked with lilac and light reddish brown 

 spots and streaks: .64x.47; .65x48; .G6x.49; 

 .64X.49. 



Set III. June 8, 1885. Four eggs. Light 

 creamy white, delicately marked with strag- 

 gling lines and spots of reddish brown, some- 

 what after the manner of eggs of the genus 

 Icterus. This style of markings seems to be 

 rather unusual for Dendrceca maculosa : .66 x 

 .49; .67X.50; .67x.49; .77x.50. The last des- 

 cribed egg of this set is very curious, as apart 



from the fact of its measuring a tenth of an 

 inch longer than usual, it is very pointed and is 

 shaped like some specimens of Hirundo erythro- 

 gastra. To add to its peculiarity nearly all the 

 markings are clustered around the smaller end. 



Set IV. June 24, 1885. Four eggs. Creamy 

 white, and much moi-e glossy than usual for 

 this species. Marked with small reddish brown 

 and lilac specks and spots, mostly at the larger 

 ends : .60 x .49 ; .60 x .49 ; .58 x .49 ; .60 x .49. 



Set V. June 13, 1885. Four eggs. Creamy 

 white speckled with lilac and brownish red, 

 chief! 3^ at the greater ends : .56 x48 ; .59 x .48 ; 

 .59X.45; .56x.47. 



Set VI. June 18, 1887. Four eggs. Faint 

 grayish white, marked with lilac and reddish 

 brown spots more heavily at the greater ends. 

 In one of the eggs the lilac is entirely wanting, 

 the spots are much heavier, and they are all of 

 a reddish brown: .60x.50; .63x.49; .65x.48; 

 .62X.49. 



Set VII. June 9, 1885. Four eggs. Dull 

 white, speckled with lilac and reddish brown, 

 more closely near the larger ends : .67 x .47 ; .66 

 X .47 ; .67 x .45 ; .67 x .47. This set very closely 

 resembles an undoubted set of Dendroeca dis- 

 color collected near Savannah, Georgia, by Mr. 

 T. D. Ferry. 



Set Vlll. June 18, 1887. Four eggs. White, 

 speckled and spotted (mainly near the larger 

 ends) with reddish brown and lilac. The mark- 

 ings form wreaths: .67x.49; .65x.50; .66 x 

 .49; .65X.49. 



Set IX. June 15, 1885. Four eggs. Pure 

 white, spotted at the greater ends with reddish 

 brown and lilac: .63x.52; .62x.51; .61 x .48 ; 

 .62X.51. 



Set X. June 17, 1885. Four eggs. Light 

 creamy white, spotted with two shades of red- 

 dish brown, (one of them darker than the 

 other) and also with a few lilac dots. The 

 markings form an indistinct circle near the 

 greater ends: .70x.49; .68x.47; .70x.49; .68 

 X.49. 



Copyright, 1887, by F. H. Carpenter and F. B. Webster. 



