VOL. IX. 



The Oologist. 



ALBION, N. Y., SEPT., 1892. 



NO. 9 



The Breeding "Warblers of "Western New York. 



I do not wish my readers to think 

 that I am going to say all there is to he 

 said on such a wide subject as this, for 

 I am only going to tell what I have 

 found and what I think, which will 

 probably prove tiresome enough to you. 

 However I hope that some parts of it 

 will be of interest to you. 



First I will tell what I have found. 



According to the A. O. U. Classifica- 

 tion, the first species I found breeding is 

 ■642, Golden- winged Warbler, (Hel- 

 minthopila chrysoptera) 



It was on the evening of the second 

 of June last, I had finished my day's 

 work and at 7 o'clock had reached one 

 of my favorite haunts, two miles from 

 home, on the banks of Black Creek, 

 which flows into the Genesee River a 

 few miles south of Rochester. 



On the south side of a fair sized wood is 

 a clearing of some ten acres, which has 

 grown up to underbrush of every kind 

 except in a few spots where it is too wet 

 for anything but a few Avillows, weeds 

 and grasses. This is a paradise for many 

 birds. 



As I entered this clearing, I came to 

 a spot where the brush was thin and 

 small, and weeds grew plentifully un- 

 derneath. I was looking high for nests 

 of the Redstart, when I heard a flutter 

 under my feet, and looking down saw a 

 nest placed between the stalks of some 

 weeds growing in a clump. Seeing that 

 it contained eggs, I went away for a few 

 minutes and on coming back, crept 

 carefully up to the nest. 



What was my delight to find myself 

 within 18 inches of a Golden-wing sit- 

 ting on the nest. She was easily iden- 

 tified by the yellow crown, combined 

 with black throat and yellow wing bar. 

 After watching me a minute she left the 



nest and went into the brush, calling 

 for her mate, who by the way, did not 

 show up. 



The nest contained three eggs and 

 one of cowbird. On blowing I found 

 the eggs partly incubated, indicating a 

 full set. 



The nest was made of dead leaves 

 placed crosswise one on the other to the 

 height of four inches, when the nest 

 proper was constructed on this founda- 

 tion; of fine grasses, inside and out. 

 The eggs were creamy white, spotted 

 sparsely, but generally distributed with 

 light red dots. 



My next Species is No. 645, Nashville 

 Warbler, ( Helminthophila ruficapilla.) 



I was walking through a small wood 

 near here on the morning of the 8th of 

 June of this year, (1892) and as I was 

 stepping through a partly decayed brush 

 heap, situated near a ditch, and neaxdy 

 buried with weeds, I saw a small bird 

 flit from under my feet and alight in a 

 bush near by. I thought there must be 

 a nest near by, so before looking for it, 

 I, as is my custom turned my attention 

 to the bird which I was glad to find was 

 the Nashville Warbler. 



After watching her until her waiting 

 note brought the mate, I then hunted 

 out the nest, which was placed in the 

 brush, concealed by the weeds, and was 

 similar in construction to the Golden- 

 wing's except that the lining was of 

 dead rootlets instead of grasses. It con- 

 tained five eggs about the size of the 

 common Phoebe's. They were light 

 cream color, spotted liberally with light 

 red, They were very beautiful and 

 made a welcome addition to my collect- 

 ion. On blowing, I found them slight- 

 ly incubated, probably three clays. 



The Nashville Warbler may be known 

 by the uniform greenish color above 

 with chestnut spot on the crown and 



