THE OOLOGIST. 



75 



in-,'. On the 3d there were two eggs, <me 

 of which I took, and for the ten succeeding 

 days an egg per day was taken. 



They stopped laying for two days and 

 then began again, laying an egg a day for 

 five days more. Then the next day the egg 

 laid was with but few speckles and rough 

 and chalky, not smooth and bright like the 

 preceding. The next three which were 

 laid, one every alternate day, were brown 

 and rough like the last, but with a yellowish 

 tinge, and averaged a little larger in size 

 than any of the others. They then stopped 

 laving again for three days and then started 

 off with average sized eggs for two days, 

 which differed from the rest by being nearly 

 pure white, with faint blotches of lilac, 

 most distinct at the larger end., and with 

 blotches, speckles and scraggly lines of 

 chocolate brown. The following day an 

 egg with the same markings as the last but 

 not smooth nor showing the markings 

 as distinctly a? the two before was taken. 



The last of the series of twenty-four eggs 

 was laid on the 5th of June, and the second 

 day from the previous one was very thin 

 and chalky,, ot a dark drab color, without 

 distinct markings, but considerably darker 

 at the larger end. 



The same pair remained around the box 

 for two weeks, and then began laying again 

 and successfully reared a brood of nine 

 young birds. C. G., 



Jackson, Mich. 



Nesting of a pair of Chimney Swifts. 



In the early part of June, 1887, the 

 writer discovered a pair of chimney swifts 

 just beginning a nest in a small unused 

 shed. Aside from being an unusual loca- 

 tion for the nest, it afforded superior op- 

 portunities for watching the birds of which 

 we were not slow to take advantage. The 

 nest was glued to the wall at the farther 

 end of the shed, about ten feet from the 

 floor and opposite a small window through 

 which the the birds entered. 



At first the birds seemed to to have some 

 difficulty in getting their nest started, and 

 several foundations were made before any 



would suit. But this was soon settled, and 

 then the work — in which both joined — went 

 on in earnest. The materials used, were 

 principally dead pine twigs which were 

 woven and glued together, gradually form- 

 ing a small semi-circular platform, with the 

 edges slightly raised. The greater pail of 

 the work on the nest was done in the cool 

 hours of the morning and evening, though 

 the birds were often found working in the 

 middle of the day. While one bird worked 

 on the nest, the other commonly clung to 

 the wall just below; in this position they 

 would sometimes remain for upwards of 

 an hour. Whether this aided in producing 

 the saliva used in constructing the nest, 

 was not ascertained. After more than a 

 week's work, the nest was completed, and 

 on June 20th, the first egg was laid; this 

 was followed by two more, which complet- 

 ed the set, and on June 25th, the nest and 

 eggs were taken. 



W. N. C, Bingham ton, N. Y. 



* ■» ♦ 



The Yellow Warbler. 



This well known and widely distributed 

 bird arrives about May 1st. On their com- 

 ing they keep to the top of tall trees, catch- 

 ing the insects to be found so abundantly 

 among the blossoms, though having no 

 song worthy of mention, they at times 

 warble forth a few very pretty notes. 



Two broods are raised in one season. My 

 earliest set of eggs was on the 27th day of 

 May, 1887. The nest is generally placed 

 in the crotch of a small sapling, or in a 

 bush, differing much in shape. I have 

 seen nests fully 9 in. in depth on the out- 

 side. 



The typical nest is cup shaped, 3 in. in 

 diameter, by 2\ in. in depth, composed of 

 grasses, hair, tow, inside bark of trees, 

 small weed stalks, closely interwoven with 

 that cotton-like substance of Cotton-ball 

 tree, lined with same and occasionally with 

 feathers, as in a nest I found. 



The eggs, 5 in number, color white with 

 a delicate shade of green, marked with dots 

 and blotches of brown and lilac, averaging 

 .68 by .50 in. 



