THE OOLOGIST. 



35 



window. He went outupou an apple tree 

 three times per day, eating bnds indus- 

 triously, once he was within ten feet of 

 me, as I stood upon the walk. Last 

 spring he left as usual, and this fall in 

 October he returned. Last Sunday he 

 alighted upon the window sill within 

 two feet of where I sat reading. He 

 was not after me, but after the wood- 

 bine berries. 



I have Kodaked him three times at 20, 

 12 and 12 feet. Pictures not yet devel- 

 oped. He spends considerable time 

 under the front sitting-room window. 

 After young clover, grasses, woodbine 

 berries and gravel. If anyone comes 

 by he leisurely walks down under the 

 arbor vitae hedge, ten feet away. 



But soon he returned. He has a good 

 many families who know him well and 

 would not haA'e him hurt for the world. 



My setter dog "Tom Dollar" has 

 pointed him sevei'al times. When with 

 me I have called him off. But how 

 many times he has stalled him in his 

 morning runs, I know not. 



F. Hodge, 

 Hudson, O. 



Yellow Warbler. 



There is a swampy stretch of land 

 Within easy access from my house which 

 is a favorite breeding place of the Yel- 

 low Warbler. 



The bird is about five inches long. 

 The principle color is yellow with some 

 variation. The breast and back are 

 streaked with orange brown (often in- 

 distinctly). There are no blotches on 

 the tail-feathers as in all other Den- 

 clrvecce 



Their flight is never long. If you 

 were to approach this meadow about 

 the middle of May, you would see them 

 flying about from twig to twig either 

 obtaining food or gathering material 

 for their nests. 



The nest of the Golden Warbler, as it 

 is sometimes called, is one of the neat- 



est and most well built specimens of 

 bird artchitecture I ever saw. It is 

 usually placed in a bush not far from 

 the ground. Yetsometimes it is fasten- 

 ed close to the trunk of a small tree 

 quite high ap. Minot describes the nest 

 as being composed outwardly of very 

 fine grasses, interwoven with wooly or 

 cotton materials which form a substan- 

 tail wall. "This, "he says" often cov- 

 ered with caterpillar's siik and is lined 

 with wool, down from plants (particu- 

 larly a dun-colored kind, ) horse hairs 

 rarely feathers." 



The eggs are characteristic of the 

 birds themselves. They vary to some 

 extent. I have two before me which I 

 will desribe: — 1. White with yellowish- 

 brown markings, chiefly about the 

 crown. 2. White Avith obscured lilac- 

 markings. 



As soon as you come in the immedi- 

 ate vicinity of their nests they wil 

 leave them, and hover very near, al 

 the time uttering in a beseeching tone 

 a melancholy chirp which becomes 

 more intense as you advance nearer the 

 nest. In this way I have often found 

 nests, where, otherwise I would not 

 have noticed them. 



Its notes are quite variable. You 

 may often hear its soft chirp while they 

 are at work among the bushes. 



They are rather shy at the approach 

 of man, except when their nests are 

 disturbed. They are of great benefit in 

 destroying insects, caterpillars' and 

 canker worms which they like exceed- 

 ingly. 



A. B. Dunning, 

 Jamaica Plains, Mass. 



Black-throated Bunting- 



A cheerier, happier feathered vocalist 

 can scarcely be found, than the Black- 

 throated Bunting or Dickcissel as he is 

 locally called, and sometimes termed 

 the Lady Lark, (Spiza americana) is 

 about four inches in length, and wing 



