78 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 6-No. 10. 



Worm-eating Warbler. 



The first Helminthotherus vermivorus ob- 

 served this spring was at Wheatland, In- 

 diana, April 24th. It was in company with 

 a Blue-winged Yellow, both deliberately 

 searching the bushes near the ground. 

 Being out for a stroll, without a gun, I 

 watched them quite a time. This species 

 is not gaudy, yet, like the Cedar-bird, the 

 delicacy and the blending of its colors 

 rank, it high as a beautiful warbler. During 

 the week I secured three, and saw no more 

 until I visited Mount Carmel, about a 

 moith later. I not unfrequently heard its 

 song while in heavily-wooded, rolling coun- 

 try. This is similar to that of a Chipping 

 Sparrow, but not so continued. They in- 

 variably became quiet before I could see 

 them, and I was unable to catch them in 

 the act. On account of their scarcity I al- 

 most despaired of finding a nest, but on 

 asking a friend to show me a nest he had 

 discovered the day before, said it was at the 

 top of a ravine; he didn't know exactly 

 where. I had walked but a few steps after 

 reaching the top when from beneath my feet 

 went the bird. I recognized it immediately 

 and watched it to the bushes, and then 

 looked to see what was in store for me. 

 The nest was nicely placed in a nook of 

 quite a steep bank, and made of old black- 

 ish, partly rotten leaves, apparently as poor 

 as the bird could find, and very sparingly 

 lined with grass and a few hairs. Consid- 

 ering the material the nest was not bulky, 

 though large for the bird inside. The two 

 eggs were slightly incubated and in appear- 

 ance about like minimum Golden-crowned 

 Thrush's, but marked with a darker shade 

 of brown, rather more profuse at the larger 

 end. — Fred. T. Jencks, Providence, R. I. 



Rough-winged Swallow. — In the 

 spring of 1879 I found a Rough-winged 

 Swallow's nest not far from here" which con- 

 tained eleven eggs, all of which had evi- 

 dently been lately laid. I have never 

 known this bird to lay over six eggs except 

 in this one instance. — Wm. R. Wharton. 



Native Birds in Confinement. 



I have during the last few years made 

 some experiments with our native birds, and 

 have caged and kept in captivity the follow- 

 ing; all have done well and some have be 

 come very tame and fearless. The snow 

 bird {Ju7ico hyemalis) lives and thrives even 

 through the long hot summer. My snow 

 bunting [Plectrophanes fiwalis) sickened 

 when the July heat came and soon died, 

 but he lived happily with me from Novem- 

 ber to July. 



Catbird, Robin, Bobolink, Common 

 Redpoll {Aegiothus linaria). Cedar-bird, 

 Snow-bird, Snow Bunting, Brown Thrash- 

 er, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bird, Purple 

 Finch, Crow Blackbird, Cow Blackbird, 

 Bluebird, Bait Oriole, Fox Sparrow, Swamp 

 Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, 

 White-throated Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, 

 Field Sparrow, Savanna Sparrow, Goldfinch 

 and Shore Lark. 



The l3st named bird has been in my 

 aviary but a few weeks. — Annie Trumbull 

 Slosson, Hartford, Conn. 



Red-headed Woodpeckers. 



In the November number of your valua- 

 ble journal is a notice from J. N. Clark, of 

 Saybrook, respecting the Red-headed 

 Woodpecker {Melanerpes erythrocephalus.) 

 Forty years ago they were about as common 

 as the Yellow hammer [Colaptes auratus) in 

 this part of the State. They entirely dis- 

 appeared in 1847, and I did not see another 

 specimen until i860. I was at that time 

 visiting a patient in an adjoining town, and 

 recognized the peculiar note of this bird. I 

 remarked that this was the first time in thir- 

 teen years that I had heard the Red-headed 

 Woodpecker. My patient informed me 

 that this bird had nested in a decayed tree 

 in his neighbor's door-yard for three years. 

 On my returning I discovered the bird and 

 the hole in the maple. I called at the house 

 and requested permission to secure the 

 eggs, but could not get consent. I knew it 

 was the habit of the bird to continue occu- 

 pying the same nest after a part or all of 



