THE OOOLGIST. 



209 



the Golden-winged Wai'bler's in every 

 particular. It contained four incubat- 

 ed eggs. They were white, spotted 

 with lavender and various shades of red 

 and a few streaks of dark brown on larg- 

 er end. 



My next is No. 683 (Icteria virens) 

 Yellow-breasted Chat. This bird is far 

 from common in this vicinity or in fact 

 any other place as far north. I did not 

 see a bird this year, and only two pairs 

 in '90 and in '91. 



On the 26th of May, 1890, I found a 

 nest of this bird in a thicket, close to 

 tho edge of quite a large wood, on the 

 banks of Black Creek, one-half mile 

 from here. My attention was first at- 

 tracted by the noisy female in her effort 

 to keep a Cowbird out of her nest; and I 

 watched her until I was satisfied that 

 she could do it too. 



The nest was placed in the crotch of 

 a small maple, about five feet from the 

 ground. It was made of weed stems 

 and grasses, lined Avith fine grasses and 

 strips of grape vine bark, and about the 

 size of a small Robin's nest, y 



It was a rather large nest for the bird. 

 It contained one fresh egg and when I 

 took it the bird was extremely noisy, ex- 

 hibiting every sign of auger. The egg 

 was about the same size as the average 

 Cowbird's egg, but the ground color 

 was clear white and the spots light red, 

 the whole effect being much lighter than 

 the Cowbird's. There were a few lav- 

 ender shell marks. 



This is the only nest of this species I 

 have found here and do not think many 

 breed here . 



N ext I have 687, American Redstart, 

 (Setophaga ruticilla). This bird is the 

 common warbler of our woods, espec- 

 ially common on Black Creek. Their 

 short trill can be heard continually in 

 the breeding season and, now and then, 

 the sharp loud notes of the male's song 

 will rise and you will wonder where 

 the bird gets his vocal powers from. 

 LI Except when the female is sitting, 



they are continually on the move, and 

 you see the flashes of red and yellow as 

 they flit from tree to tree, their tails 

 opening and closing with their peculiar 

 fan-like motion, their black eyes always 

 on the alert for food or foe. I hardly 

 know which is the handsomest, the male 

 with his black and orange-red, or the 

 female in green and yellow. 



The male always comes when the fe- 

 male calls and is quite pugnacious. 



The nests are situated, usually in the 

 crotch of some small straight tree, 

 sometimes in the upright crotch of 

 some limb. Always in or near woods of 

 some size and usually from 3 to 15 feet 

 from the ground, rarely higher. They 

 are composed of bark fibers and in two 

 instances, which I have observed, of 

 feathers. The lining is usually of fine 

 grasses, in three recorded instances a 

 few feathers being used, never hair. 

 They are small and neatly cupped, in 

 fact they are as compact as any of our 

 birds' nests. The eggs are invariablly 

 four if the Cowbird misses the nest 

 which sometimes happens. Many nests 

 contain from two to three of Redstart 

 and one or two of the Cowbird. They 

 are creamy, sonetimes bluish-white 

 {rare), spotted with reddish-brown and 

 lilac, sometimes evenly, sometimes in 

 scattered or compact wreaths. 



Now for what I think but do not 

 know. I think that the Cerulean War- 

 bler and Oven-bird do breed here al- 

 though lean offer no conclusive evidence 

 as yet. Also that the following may 

 possibly breed in more secluded por- 

 tions than I have access to: The Blue- 

 winged, Tenessee, Black and White, 

 Worm-eating, Prairie, Water-thrush, 

 Mourning and {rarely) the Kentucky 

 Warblers. If this article brings to light 

 any more information in regard to our 

 breeding Warblers, I shall feel amply 



rewarded. 



Ernest H. Short, 



Chili, Mon. Co., N. Y. 



