110 



THE OOLOGIST ^S C^^ i ^^^^ 



MY FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH 

 THE CHESNUT SIDED WARBLER. 



I went out one pleasant morning 

 East-Northeast along the East bank 

 of our little river, the Crayfish, just 

 why this river is called the Crayfish, 

 I could never determine, for it was not 

 much of a harbor for these crusta- 

 ceans. The trees along the *iver 

 bank harbored but a few birds; a 

 few vireos, and a Kingbird, and now 

 and then a Blue Jay. I soon came to 

 a small woods and a side hill covered 

 with a hazelbrush when I found a few 

 skulking Brown Thrashers and Cat- 

 birds, and several Yellow Warblers, 

 and a Sparrow or two, most of them 

 breeding in the bushes around me. I 

 spent considerable time here looking 

 around and finally found a nest in a 

 low hazel bush entirely new to me, 

 it was evidently unfinished, not much 

 concealed, composed of a red root- 

 . like fibre, lined with finer grade of 

 same. 



I watched a while to see if the 

 owner would show herself and soon 

 she did, a shy, yet curious little body, 

 I at once noticed the chestnut and 

 wondered if I was beholding the long 

 coveted nest of the Chestnut-sided 

 Warbler. I noted as closely as I could 

 every thing about the bird and the 

 nest, and when I reached home looked 

 through all available literature and 

 am sure it was none other than the 

 Chestnut-sided Warbler. The bird 

 would show herself for a few seconds, 

 always working nearer to the nest, 

 then would hop back in the bushes 

 out of sight, only to return to the nest 

 again and again, but at no time flying 

 on to it; yet by her excited interest 

 in my every move, I was sure it was 

 her home. 



I visited the nest again a number of 

 days later but it was evidently desert- 

 ed, as nothing more had been added 



to it, so I took it and now have it 

 with my collection. I had never seen 

 this Warbler in this section-Columbia 

 County, in its junction with Dodge 

 County on the Southeast, near my 

 home then at Columbus, Wisconsin. 

 I had seen them in migration, but 

 never during the breeding season, and 

 as I look back over my boyhood col- 

 lecting days, I cannot remember hav- 

 ing ever seen it or its nest or eggs. 

 George W. H. VosBurgh. 



THE EDITOR'S SQUEAL, 



We cannot and will not publish ad- 

 vertisements for the sale of skins, 

 nests or eggs of North American 

 Birds. This we have repeatedly an- 

 nounced. Still some of our advertis- 

 ers insist on sending us advertise- 

 ments of this character. Wonder if 

 they want to get us in jail for violat- 

 ing the law? 



For The Future. 



We have just paid for $110 worth of 

 half tones, including some very unus- 

 ual illustrations, and many of very 

 high value, all to be served up to our 

 readers in due time. 



Abnormal Meadowlark Eggs. 



On June 2, 1905, while searching in 

 an abandoned cornfield for the nest of 

 a pair of Bobolinks (Dolichonyx orzyi- 

 vorus) at Wayne, New Jersey, I acci- 

 dentally came upon a well concealed 

 nest of the Meadowlark (Sturnella 

 magna) containing a clutch of six 

 eggs. In this set there were two eggs 

 which were nearly white without a 

 spot or speck on them. Otherwise 

 they resembled the other four which 

 were white and speckled with reddish- 

 brown and purple and averaged 1.10 

 X .82 in size. I visited the nest on the 

 sixth and found that all of the eggs 

 had hatched and in their stead were 

 six fledglings about two days old^ 



Louis S. Kohler. 



