Plate XXXII. 



HELM/l\ITHOPHAGA PINUS-Blue-winged Yellow Warbler. 



The Blue-wingecl Yellow Warbler arrives the last of April or the first of May, and remains until the 

 second or third week in September. The nest is usually built early in May, and the young are hatched 

 by the last of this month or early in June. I believe but one brood is raised by each pair during the season. 



LOCALITY: 



Borders of woods, with heavy undergrowth of young trees, bushes, weeds, and grass, either on higli 

 or low land, are the most frequented localities for nesting. Weedy banks of sniall streams, and grassy 

 fence-rows about culti\ated helds, are sometimes resorted to. 



POSITIOE" : 



The nest is generally placed at the root of a bush, weed, or young tree, and is supported by several up- 

 right stems, the proper distance apart to accommodate the bird. It is neither upon or off the ground, strictly, 

 as its base rests lightly upon the dead leaves, or such other rubbish as generally surrounds such places, [ffests 

 have been reported which were built in grass-tussocks, and others which rested directly upon the ground. 



MATERIALS : 



The foundation of the nest consists of dead leaves, often unbroken, and a few strips of grape-vine bark. 

 The superstructure is composed almost entirely of grape-vine bcirk, in strips, varying from three to six 

 inches in length, and from one to four-tenths in width, with these are mixed a few pieces of dead leaves. 

 The lining is also made of grape-vine bark, but it is here split into very fine shreds. Strips of the inner 

 bark of dead trees and split blades of grass sometimes supply the place of grape-vine bark. The lining 

 is quite thick at the bottom, but it only extends up the wall of the cavity an inch or two, and becomes 

 thinner as the rim is approached. 



The external diameter of the nest varies from three and one-half to six inches, according to the dis- 

 tance apart of the upright stems between which it is placed. It is rarely regular, measuring often in 

 one diameter two or three inches more than in another. The external depth varies from three and one- 

 half to five inches. It is always difficult to say where the rim really begins and where the bottom ends, 

 as the one is ragged and the other rests upon dead leaves. The shape of the cavity varies with the ex- 

 terior. It seldom measures in diameter less than two or more than three inches. The depth of cavity 

 is usually between two and one-half and three inches. The structure is unsymnietrical and difficult to 

 measure, as there are no Avell defined boundary lines. It is indeed wonderful that such tiny birds can 

 manage such rough and crude materials as well as they do. 



EGGS: 



The complement of eggs is pretty uniformly five. They are pure white, sparingly dotted and speckled 



115 



