THE SEMI-ANNUAL. 39 



note attracted my attention and looking aronnd, I saw a Vireo 

 darting about a short distance from me. Focusing my opera 

 glass upon it, I noted that it was of the Solitary species. This 

 being the first time the bird had come under my notice, T stopped 

 to take a view of its actions. After watching it a few moments 

 as it flew from tree to tree, I saw it catch a small moth and for a 

 while it held the insect in its mouth, hopping about uneasily, 

 seeming to regard me with suspicion. Finally it flew oft' a 

 short distance. I followed it, carefully examining the trees near 

 it, for I was now convinced that it had a nest near by, either 

 with a brooding mate or hungry young. I discovered the nest 

 before the bird appoached it. It was in a hickory tree, sus- 

 pended from a branch as usual, not more than a foot from the 

 trunk and about seven feet from the ground. The branch was a 

 slender one and grew at an upward angle from the trunk. 



Upon examining the nest, I found that it held three or four 

 well-fledged young, that filled the little structure to its utmost 

 capacity. The old bird in the meantime was showing great con- 

 cern, uttei'ing its notes of alarm and boldly approaching to with- 

 in four or five feet of my face, as I was looking into the nest. 

 Judging from the age of the young birds that appeared to be ten 

 or twelve days, the full set of eggs had been deposited in this 

 nest b}^ the eighth or tenth of June. 



I stopped but a few hours at the Water Gap and the only other 

 occupied nest I noticed, was that of a Wood Pevvee. It was on 

 a horizontal branch of a young oak tree, about twenty feet from 

 the ground. I was passing by the tree, keeping a sharp lookout 

 for nests, when I discovered the bird on this nest. Upon climb- 

 ing up I could see the two eggs in the nest and I wished to take 

 them as a memento of my visit. The branch was too slender to 

 allow my going out to the nest, but by dividing my weiglit be- 

 tween it and another branch abo\e, to which I held on h\ one 

 hand, I was enabled to get within two feet of the nest, but could 

 not get an inch nearer. As it was, the branch was bent down, 

 so that the eggs were in danger of being throv\ n out of the 

 .shallow nest. A long stick was cut, one end sharpened and I at- 

 tempted to push it through the nest and lift it from its position. 

 Tlie nest was too frail ; the materials parted and the eggs di'op- 



