NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 429 



ish-brown spots encircling the larger end. In some places these spots 

 appear to be laid over a pale lavender washing, and in one specimen, 

 these fine, almost indistinct dots extend sparingly over the entire sur- 

 face. They, measure in millimeters, 14 x ii and 15 x 11. f 



751 Polioptila caerulea (Linn.) [27.] 



Blne-Eray Gnatoatcheri 



Hab. United States chiefly south of latitude 42^^. Winters in the Gulf States, Cuba and Bahamas, 

 occasionally Mexico and Northern Central America. Rare north toward the Great Lakes, Southern New 

 York, Southern New England. 



The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is an abundant bird throughout most 

 of the wooded districts of the United States, breeding in suitable 

 places, south of 43°. As a work of beauty and ingenious architectural 

 design the nest of this bird has few equals in this country. On the whole 

 it is a rather frail structure, usually built in the small upright twigs or 

 saddled on the horizontal limbs of trees at heights ranging from ten. to 

 fifty feet, but generally at an elevation of about fifteen or twenty feet. 

 The typical nest has high, compact walls, contracted at the brim and 

 gracefully turned ; the interior is deeply cupped, and the exterior is beau- 

 tifully ornamented with lichens. The nest shown in our illustration 

 is selected from eight specimens which I took on a little island in the 

 Scioto river, Franklin county, Ohio, May 27, 1885. Ten nests of this 

 species collected by Mr. R. B. Herron in San Gorgonia Pass, California, 

 are entirely deficient of the lichens which characterize the Ohio nests. 

 The interior is composed of soft downy materials — cotton-like sub- 

 stances of withered blossoms and the silky down of the milkweed 

 — fine wiry grasses, stems of old leaves, horse hair and an occasional 

 feather from the breast of the bird is intermingled. The cavity meas- 

 ures from one to one and a half inches deep, and about the same in 

 diameter. At a short distance the nest often looks like a round knot 

 protruding from the limb. 



The eggs are four or five in number ; their ground-color is green- 

 ish or bluish-white, speckled with chestnut, and in some the markings 

 are of a darker brownish tinge. Ten specimens measure, .55 x .42, .56 

 X .43, .57 X .45, .58 X .45, .57 X .42, .56 X .41, .58 X .47, ,59 X .44, .58 x .44, 



.59 X .45. 



752. Polioptila plumbea Baird. [ z8.] 



Fli^nbeous Gnatcatoheri 



Hab. Southwestern border of the United States — Southern Texas to Lower Rio Grande Valley ; 

 Northern Mexico and Lower California to Cape St. Lucas. 



A nest of the Plumbeous Gnatcatcher was taken at Yuma, Arizona, 

 by Mr. F. Stephens, July 15, 1881. It was placed in a bunch of mistle- 

 toe, at a height of about eight feet from the ground, and'contained one 



Y^x .43, .59 X .43. 



