44 



THE NIDIOLOGIST. 



COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



(A PATKR ON 



THK PILKOLATED 

 WARBLERS.) 



AND YELLOW 



The regular monthly meeting was held 

 at College Park, October 7. After roll-call 

 and reading of the minutes the programme 

 was carried out. The study of the Warb- 

 lers of California was begun, Mr. Barlow 

 leading with a paper entitled "The Pileo- 

 lated and Yellow Warblers." It was as 

 follows : 



"In taking up the family of Warblers, or 

 rather those which have been found breed- 

 ing in this State, we begin the study of a 

 very interesting family of birds. In fact 

 we know comparatively little regarding 

 their habits. We readily notice the Bit- 

 tern in its home on the marshes, or the 

 Hawk or any of the birds which make 

 themselves conspicuous b}- their size, but 

 as we wander through the woods and along 

 the beautiful creeks v.'e barely see the 

 Warbler.s — those bits of bright yellow — as 

 they dart about through the foliage. 



"The Yellow V^^ 9.rh\er ( Dendroica aestiva) 

 is a common breeder in Santa Clara county; 

 the most plentiful of its family, and inhab- 

 its the creek bottoms usually, though nests 

 are frequently built in trees surrounding 

 houses. Doubtless they prefer the creeks 

 because of the alnmdance of foliage, which 

 means a plentitude of insect life, upon 

 which they feed. The Guadalupe creek, 

 near San Jose; affords an excellent nesting 

 ^ place for the Yellow Warbler. Dense 

 growths of maple saplings, mixed with 

 willow and elderberr\ bushes, form an ideal 

 home for these birds. The Vellow Warbler 

 was abundant this year and I secured a 

 number of sets. Two of these are now 

 before me. One nest is completely made, 

 while the other is more loosely constructed. 

 I have noticed that the same material in 

 general is used in constructing the nest. 

 The outside i.s usually thistledown, a fine 

 gray bark and plant libtr, giving the whole 

 ;i light-gray color. The lining is wool, 

 mixed with feathers when they are at hand. 

 Set No. I Wcis taken April 5, 1H93, the nest 

 being ])laced 12 feet from the ground on a 

 horizontal branch ot an elder bush. Set 

 No. 2 was collected May 18 from a crotch 

 of a maple sapling 6 feet up. Four eggs 

 constitute each .set and both were fresh. 

 The average height at which a nest is placed 

 is about 6 feet. Both of the sets present a 



decidedly greenish tinge, with varying 

 shades of purple and brown spots wreathed 

 about the larger end. The variations in 

 marking are wide. The outside dimen- 

 sions of nests of this Warbler will average 

 3 inches across by 2y-2, in depth. 



"H. M. Hall of Riverside reports the 

 Yellow Warbler as a rather rare resident 

 there. One nest was found by him March 

 16, 1S92, containing four eggs, incubation 

 begun . 



"Ralph Arnold of Pasadena states it is 

 fairly common. A set taken May 24, 1890, 

 20 feet up in a crotch of a sycamore, was 

 advanced in incubation, while another col- 

 lected May 20, 1893, 6 feet up in a grape- 

 vine, was begun. The nests were both 

 comi act, and constructed of the usual ma- 

 terial. Hence it will be seen that the nest- 

 ing season ranges from April i to the latter 

 part of May. The plumage of this Warb- 

 ler is a bright yellow in general, varying in 

 intensity at different seasons of the year. 



"The Pileolated Warbler {Sylvania pii- 

 silla pilcolata) , though seen in considerable 

 numbers, is regarded by our ornithologists 

 as a rather rare bird. This is perhaps due 

 to the nest being difficult to find. I have 

 met the Pileolated Warbler frequently while 

 collecting along creeks, first being made 

 aware of its presence by a sharp chirp. I 

 have searched diligently for its nest many 

 times, but onl\ once did I secure a set of 

 eggs. April 20 of this year I was pushing 

 my way through a growth of brush along 

 a creek when I came upon a nest aliout 3^^ 

 feet from the ground, placed upon a mass 

 of drift material in the crotch of a dead 

 limb. It was unfinished, and from its 

 crudeness I took it to be a Spurred Tow- 

 hee'.s, or a Song Sparrow's nest, but soon 

 a Warbler appeared in the tree above me 

 and I was satisfied it was the owner. A 

 few days after I again paid it a visit, but 

 could perceive no progress. On Mar 11 I 

 went again, and the bird glided silently 

 from the nest, but soon appeared again with 

 a chirp. The nest contained four eggs, 

 badly incubated. They are of a creamy 

 tinge, with a heavy wreath of fine reddish 

 dots about the large end. The eggs aver- 

 age .69X.47 inches. The nest is made of 

 gra.sses, fine leaves and material gathered 

 from debris in the creek, while the lining 

 is of fine white rootlets or grass which re- 

 .sembles horsehair. I was obliged to shoot 

 the female bird. In color it is as follows: 

 breast, bright yellow; back, dark greenish- 

 gray with a trace of yellow; rump, yellow; 



