56 THE LOOST. 



tempt to describe. On the 24th of May I was out on a nest- 

 hunting ramble in the same woods where I had found the nests 

 of this species above alluded to. The trees and underwood 

 were beginning to assume their summer foliage, and the pleas- 

 ing melodies of many species of our woodland birds — espe- 

 cially that of the Wood Thrush — were heard on every side. — 

 Close attention required to be paid in order to discover a nest 

 at a few yards distance, but I had not advanced far into this 

 particular wood when a somewhat bulky nest, placed in the 

 forks of a small hemlock, attracted my observation. At first, I 

 thought it was the nest of some warbler — new to me — but a 

 closer examination of the form and structure of the nest itself, 

 and the one egg it contained, led me to conclude that it 

 belonged to the Black-throated Blue Warbler, ("Dendraca 

 Caerulescens,") some of whom were singing in the brances over- 

 head. This nest was much more bulky than the others I 

 had seen. The foundation was composed of dry leaves, and on 

 this was placed a neat and firmly-felted structure, mostly 

 composed of fine strips of a certain kind of wood-bark with a 

 little rootlets and hair. Expecting that the full set of eggs 

 would be deposited by the 27th I returned on that date, and, as 

 I approached the nest, I saw the bird seated upon it, and this 

 she did not leave till I was very close and fully identified her. 

 I was, however, disappointed in not getting a good full set of 

 eggs, as there were but two of the bird's own eggs and a cow 

 bird's in the nest. These I took with the nest, and they are 

 now, with those of a number of other rare warblers, in my col- 

 lection. 



As on a former occasion, I noticed that this species, on leaving 

 the nest, did not fly straight out or upwards, but down toward 



