THE NIDIOLOGIST 



141 



the old bird. The site of the nest was in a 

 small growth of trees and bushes and near the 

 edge of a recent cutting. 



The Yeltow Palm Warbler is a common bird 

 here during migration, ranking with the Myrtle 

 and Chestnut-sided Warblers in numbers. It 

 arrives here anywhere from the middle of April 

 to the 15th of May along with those Warblers, 

 and departs during the month of September; 

 but few stay to breed, I myself having seen 

 only one other nest of this species. 



This nest was found by a friend of mine on 

 June 25, 1893. It was built on the ground and 

 under a low bush, contained four somewhat in- 

 cubated eggs, and was similar in construction 

 to the one found by me. 



The eggs of the Yellow Palm Warbler are 

 described by Davie in his Nests and £g!^''S of 

 North American Birds 'Olvm'S,: " The eggs, usual- 

 ly four in number, are yellowish or buffywhite, 

 with a roseate tinge, speckled with brown and 

 lilac." In addition to the above description, I 

 would add that the eggs found by myself have 

 a denser coloration around the larger end form- 

 ing a wreath. H. H. Johnson. 



Pittsfield, Me. 



Nesting of the King Rail. 



ONE of the very characteristic sounds of 

 bird voices to be heard on the borders 

 and nearby ponds of the large swamps 

 in Henry County, 111., is the ''''c/uuk-chuc/i" of 

 the King Rail, or " Stage Driver," as he is 

 called by the natives, from the almost exact 

 imitation of the " chuck " of the plowboy to 

 his plodding team. 



My acquaintance with this bird began in 

 1892, during a collecting trip to these swamps, 

 when Keenes and I had just pulled our boat in 

 from a long trip across the marsh with a load 

 of Coot's, Gallinule's, Grebe's, Tern's, and 

 Black-crowned Night Heron's eggs. 



" Ike " had come down to meet us and told 

 me he knew of a " Stage Driver's " nest, so I 

 tramped for a long way through mud and water 

 only to find some cow had "put her foot in 

 it," and only left a few small pieces of shell for 

 me. 



That evening the five boys, with the help of 

 two dogs, drove one up froni a clump of grass, 

 and I had my first King Rail a few minutes 

 later. Next day I was more fortunate, for on 

 crossing a patch of dry ground I saw a bird's 

 head in a clump of grass, and I was soon gaz- 

 ing on my first set of Rails — twelve in number. 

 At this date (June 6) incubation was nearly 

 complete, but I managed to blow the eggs, as 

 it was the only set I found that trip, though I 



saAv several birds, one of which swam a broad 

 ditch with a swift current as easily as a Duck. 



In 1893 the swamps were not as full of water 

 by perhaps two feet, and the King Rail was 

 out in all his glory. So on the 2 2d of May 

 I was out for a day after the Rails with 

 John and Ike, and we got them too. Around 

 the edge of the marsh are a number of large 

 ponds, and on the side of these where the water 

 was not over a foot or so deep, or any place in 

 a shallow pond and even in the fields, we found 

 the nests. The sets ranged from six to fifteen, 

 with eight, nine, six, eleven as the most com- 

 mon number of eggs in each, incubation usually 

 slight. 



The nests in the ponds were placed in clumps 

 of coarse rushes or cat-tails, and from three to 

 eight inches above the water. Some of the 

 dead rushes were bent down to form a slight 

 platform in the middle of the clump, and on 

 this the nest material of rushes and grass was 

 laid to a thickness of from two to four inches, 

 hollowed just enough to hold the eggs. 



The nests found on the ground were placed 

 in slight hollows scratched by the birds in a 

 thick clump of grass and lined with dead grass, 

 forming a close mat from one to three inches 

 thick. In all cases where the set was complete 

 the rushes were very neatly interwoven to form 

 a canopy that very often led to the detection of 

 the nest. 



On the 14th of June I again visited the 

 swamps and got some of the sets which 

 were incomplete or missed on my first visit. 

 Incubation had begun in all sets found on this 

 date. This season of 1894 was very dry, and 

 where I had used a boat in 1892 and found a 

 foot of water in 1893 was dry enough to plow. 

 Perhaps for this reason the birds began to lay 

 very early, sets being taken on April 29 in 

 which incubation had begun, showing that they 

 must have commenced to lay by the 15th of 

 April at least, and by the nth of May sets were 

 taken in which incubation was far advanced. 



The nests were all on the ground and some 

 of them in comparatively open places, as cattle 

 could feed anywhere. In only one of the ponds 

 was any water to be found, and from this small 

 pond some boys took over ninety eggs the 

 Sunday before my visit, leaving me out, as 1 

 could not find a complete set in it. In the 

 other ponds, or where they had been, we were 

 more fortunate, getting sets of from seven to 

 fourteen. 



The sets average about nine eggs each, run- 

 ning from six to fifteen, but I have taken five 

 sets of eleven, which is more than of any other 

 number. I think the grass canopy is usually 

 the sign of a full set, as it is not often found 

 over a small number of fresh eggs. 



