THE OOLOGTST. 



3 



fully appreciate the change. With the bet- 

 ter facilities for correct illustration, engrav- 

 ings of the specimens described will be in- 

 troduced as often as practicable. 



Solitary Vireo. 



Though not common, this bird probably 

 is next to the Red-eyed Vireo in abundance. 

 Throughout the Middle States it nests quite 

 commonly, selecting for the purpose the 

 thick groves of elm, beech, and maple sap- 

 lings, showing a preference for upland and 

 hillside. Sometimes it nidificates in open 

 places, but generally it retires to the deeper 

 and more secluded portions of the wood, 

 placing the nest in a fork at the extremity 

 of a limb, as a general thing not more than 

 eig-ht or ten feet from the ground. I have 

 found two nests at an elevation of about 

 eight feet, which I should judge was the 

 average height. Audubon says that it is 

 " fixed in a partially pensile manner be- 

 tween two twigs of a low bush." Mr. T. 

 G. Gentry says, "The nest is gracefully 

 disposed between the bifurcating branches 

 of a twig, and presents a neat and cosy ap- 

 pearance. The interior is comparatively 

 even, and strictly symmetrically cup-shap- 

 ed." Both nests that I took were for the 

 most part formed of material similar to the 

 nests of the Red-eyed and White-eyed Vir- 

 eos. One before me is composed externally 

 of strips of the barks of birch, grape-vine 

 and maple, pieces of skeletoned leaves, and 

 one or two other substances ; the grape-vine 

 bark forms the greatest part of its compo- 

 sition. It is lined with the dried hair-like 

 stems of several species of plants. The 

 whole is rather shallow, loose, and careless- 

 ly attached to the twigs. Its diameters 

 are : inside, 2 inches, outside, 2.75 inches. 

 Depth, 1 inch. This individual specimen 

 is entirely suspended. According to Mr. 

 Gentry, it requires three days to complete 

 the nest, four days for oviposition, and from 

 ten to eleven days for incubation. The 

 eggs are laid about the first of June. 



The eggs are rather longly oval, white, 

 and dotted on the large end with a few 

 specks of reddish-brown. In respect to the 



markings however, one cannot easily iden- 

 tify a Vireo's egg, as those of all the east- 

 ern species are often almost identical in ap- 

 pearance. The measurements average .80 

 of an inch in length by .55 of an inch in 

 width. They are not over brittle nor thin- 

 shelled, but when partly incubated are dif- 

 ficult to prepare without breakage. In the 

 Middle States they rear but one brood in 

 a season. Avis. 



A FRIEND in Minneapolis, Minn, sends 

 us an interesting letter, from which we make 

 a few extracts. " Are Blue Herons' eggs 

 worth anything ? There is an island (Crane 

 Is.) in Lake Miunetonka, a large lake a 

 few miles from here, that is literally cover- 

 ed with their nests, in trees, bushes, and on 

 the ground. The island contains about 200 

 acres, and there is not six square feet of 

 space but what is occupied by nests." 



In a letter from Gambler, Ohio, a cor- 

 respondent, after remarking his adverse ex- 

 perience in regard to the article on the Cow- 

 bird, published in the last issue, brings up 

 a new subject. He says : "I also have 

 found the first instance in my experience 

 of the Cuckoo's occupying the nest of an- 

 other bird. On May 28 I found a Red 

 Bird's nest containing one ^g^. On Satur- 

 day (June 2) I went to the nest again and 

 the Red Bird was sitting on one of its own 

 eggs and two of the Cuckoo's, the other 

 two Red Bird's eggs having been eaten, but 

 the shells were whole except for the little 

 hole in the side where the contents had been 

 sucked out ; evidently the Cuckoo had tak- 

 en possession on May 28 and 29, when the 

 Red Bird was absent, but the Red Bird af- 

 ter having laid her set, by staying on her 

 nest had been able to drive away the Cuck- 

 oo on the 30 or 31." Perhaps some of our 

 correspondents can add some information 

 on the subject of the Cuckoo in regard to 

 the habit above mentioned. 



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