58 



thp: oologist. 



when subjected to a test, the membrane does 

 not disunite at the inner surface of the shell 

 as readily as at the point of connection or 

 apparent continuation with the shell. In 

 1874, two or three eggs were taken in Onei- 

 da county with but half formed shells. Tl^^ 

 most interesting was one of a sett of seven 

 of the Golaptes attratus, which unhappily 

 was destroyed by jai'ring. The egg was 

 about half-covered with a very thin shell, 

 the other half with the elastic membrane, 

 and at the place of connection, the shell 

 gradually thinned and became soft, as if the 

 membrane was only the shell in the first 

 stages of its growth, and had not been con- 

 verted. After the egg was broken, an ex- 

 amination showed that the membrane was 

 not only a continuation of the lining of the 

 shell, but rigidly fastened to it at its edges. 



BIrii' I 



Species mentioned in this issue : — 

 Redstart, Scarlet Tanager, Warbling 

 Vireo, Bell's Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo. 

 217. Redstart. 

 This very lively little bird, called by soiiiv 

 the Orange-sided Flycatcher, is common in 

 the Eastern and Middle States. Its nest 

 and eggs are familiar to many naturalists, 

 but from their isolation, some have never 

 been able to find one. In the Eastern ancii 

 Middle States, they build, about the first of 

 June, a neat little nest in a small sapling, 

 a bush or upon the ground. It is compos- 

 ed of fine straws, rootlets, fibres of grape- 

 vine bai'k and various light and soft sub- 

 stances, and is rather deeply cup-shaped. 

 The sides of newly-wooded slopes, upland 

 brush swamps, and spots covered very thick- 

 ly with alder and beri'y bushes, are favorite 

 places for breeding. Usixally four eggs con- 

 stitute the set, but liv-e are sometimes tak- 

 en. These are delicately white, quite thick- 

 ly spotted — or rather dotted and sprinkled 

 ^all over with brownish ; sometimes a well 

 defined circle covers the bulge of the egg. 

 Average measurements, .62 by .48 inch. 



220. S c ARLET Tanager . 

 This elegant bird is found in most parts 

 of the United States, and is particularly 

 abundant from Texas to New York during 

 the summer. It is a very nomadic bird, 

 seldom remaining for any length of time in 

 one place. They breed usually in seques- 

 tered woods, and construct a nest, which 

 in appearance and make-up, much resem- 

 bles that of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 

 though somewhat deeper. The eggs are Avell 

 known, and more easily recognizable than 

 those of most other small birds. They are 

 pale green, quite grayish in many speci- 

 mens, and either spotted over the entire 

 surface, or circled at the large end with a 

 ring of confluent dots of lavender and brown. 

 Two specimens from the south measure .83 

 by .63, and .90 by 68^ of an inch. As a 

 rule, eggs of this bird do not vary much from 

 these figures. Breeding season commences 

 during the latter part of May. 



245. Warbling Vireo. 

 To the gardener this bird is a favorite^ 

 and is protected by him with a zealousness 

 not usually shown toward most other birds. 

 They appear to choose the more populous 

 districts in which to rear their young, the 

 tall, shade maples and elms affording excel- 

 lent places for their nests. The material 

 employed in the construction of the nest is 

 varied according to locality, etc., but they 

 always have the same appearance, whether 

 collected in Maine or Montana. Two nests 

 before me, collected in two different locali- 

 ties, are essentially the same in construc- 

 tion and material. Both show a large a- 

 mount of grape-vine shreds and dried grass- 

 es in their composition. One is almost en- 

 tirely covered on the outside with the paper- 

 like substance of hornets' nests and dried 

 leaves, and is edged with the glossy exuda- 

 tion of the milk-weed, and a dark, elastic, 

 cottony substance, which appears much like 

 the interior of the common puff-ball. The 

 second nest is composed entirely of grape- 

 vine bark, which is agglutinated with sali- 

 va. The nest is invariably pensile and at- 

 tached in the fork of a twig: at the extrem- 



