140 



THE OOLOGIST. 



times, but rarely ever, it builds in 

 bushes, one was found in an upright 

 fork of a plum bush about live or six 

 feet high. Three nests have been found 

 on drooping limbs with a hoinzontal 

 one about five inches above the first. 



The number of eggs deposited are 

 four or five. Their ground color is 

 greenish or bluish-white speckled with 

 chestnut, and in some the markings 

 are of a dark brown tinge. The nest is 

 a rather frail structure with high com- 

 pact walls, narrow at the brim and 

 gracefully turned. The interior is 

 made of soft downy materials, withered 

 blossoms, down of the milkweed, fine 

 wiry grasses, stems of old leaves, horse- 

 hair and sometimes, but rarely ever, 

 chicken feathei's. The exterior is 

 beautifully ornamented with lichens, 

 held in place by webs and to the limb 

 by the same. Concerning the beauty of 

 the nest will quote Mr. Davie: "As a 

 work of beauty and ingenious archi- 

 tectural design the nest of this bird has 

 few equals in this country." At a dis- 

 tance it looks like a round knot pro- 

 trouding from the limb, and this makes 

 it hax'd to find. The best way to find 

 the nest is to jwatch the birds cai'rv 

 building material to it. 



The earliest date 1 have for begin- 

 ning of nest building is May 1st. On 

 the morning of that day while rambling 

 in some pines I saw a Gnatcatcher fly 

 to a pine limb with something in its 

 mouth. After sitting there for a short 

 time it flew away. Soon it came back 

 with its mate, both with material for 

 the nest in their mouths. Several days 

 after I passed the place again and 

 found both birds busy, the nest being 

 nearly completed. A week later I came 

 to the nest, seeing that it was finished 

 began climbing the tree, when about 

 half way up the bird flew off. The 

 height was 35 feet and ten feet from 

 the trunk of tree. The limb was too 

 small to bear my weight so I took a 

 pole, nailed a box filled with cotton to 



one end, and cut another one but small- 

 er. The eggs were secured as follows: 

 Held the box under nest and turned it 

 and eggs into box with the smaller 

 pole. On examining the box found it 

 to contain four fresh eggs. 



The nest was saddled on the limb 

 and one side was fastened to an up- 

 right twig. It was made of fine wiry 

 grasses, soft downy materials and. 

 stems of old leaves, beautifully adorn- 

 ed with lichens. In diameter it meas- 

 ured one and one half inches and two 

 inches in height. 



Set II. While looking for nests I 

 came acx'oss a pair of Gnatcatchers. 

 After looking for their nest a short 

 while I found it in an oak on a dead 

 limb just above it was another one not 

 two inches from top of nest. It was 15 

 feet high and 10 feet from trunk of the 

 tree. The nest with its five incubated 

 eggs was easily secured. The birds nev- 

 er came near, as is not generally the 

 case. This nest was larger than any I 

 have ever found. It was made of fine 

 wiry grass, soft downy material, seeds 

 of grass, and like the other, beautifully 

 adorned with lichens. As the limb was 

 slanting the nest was higher on one 

 si^e than the other being 3J and 2i 

 inches in heighth and 2 inches in diam- 

 eter. Date, May 12. 



Set III. On May 15, while getting a 

 Warbler's nest I heard a Gnatcatcher. 

 I thought it had a nest near, so began 

 searching for it. After looking a short 

 time I savv a nest in a sycamore tree, 

 and could see the tip end of her tail 

 over the edges of the nest. I had 

 climbed within a few feet of it before she 

 left the nest and her five incubated eggs. 

 All the time I was getting it she flew at 

 me. The nest was well fastened to the 

 limb, at the bottom and to an upright 

 branch at one side. It was a rather 

 small one compared to the nest of Set 

 II, measuring only If inches in height, 

 and H inches in diameter. Made of 



