BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER 



139 



Brewster states that in northern New England the nest is usually 

 built in a yew ( Taxus canadensis) . 



Nest. — The nest of this species may readily be distinguished 

 from that of other Warblers by its bulkiness, rough exterior covered 

 with pieces of pithy wood, inner bark fibers or birch bark. Jones,^ 

 nests were made outwardly of "what appears to be the dry bark of 

 the grapevine, with a few twigs and roots. This is covered in many 

 places with a reddish wooly substance, appare«tly the outer covering 

 of some species of cocoon. The inside is composed of small black 

 roots and hair." 



Bagg's Utica nests are described by him as follows: "The riests 

 are beautiful structures, rather loosely put together on the outside but 

 neatly lined and finished within. All those I have seen had one 

 peculiarity, there entered into the outside construction considerable 

 rotten wood nearly white in color, so that the nest looked quite light 

 colored. One nest contained a few 'birch curls' giving it the same 

 white appearance. A typical nest, before me is composed largely of 

 the rotten wood held together with strips of inner bark of deciduous 

 trees and fibers of weed stalks and grasses. It is neatly lined with 

 fine black roots, entirely, and this lining seems to be almost universal, 

 though one nest had some of the finer quills of our common porcu- 

 pine (even large enough for their barbs to be visible to the naked 

 eye). This sort of lining might be satisfactory to the old bird, pro- 

 tected by her coat of feathers, but would seem to be somewhat dan- 

 gerous to her naked fledglings. 



"The measurements of this nest are, diameter, outside, 3J4 inches, 

 inside, 25^ inches; height, outside, 5 inches; depth, inside, ij^inches." 

 {Bagg, MS.) 



The nests found by Burtch (MS.) are described by him as com- 

 posed of strips of partially decayed bark, and white birch or grape- 

 vine bark lined with fine black rootlets and vegetable fibers. 



Eggs. — 3 or 4, usually 4. Ground color, buffy white to light 

 greenish white spotted and blotched with light and dark reddish 

 brown and lavender, in some specimens forming a wreath around 

 large end in others quite evenly marked over entire egg. Size ; aver- 

 age of three sets, .66X.51. (Figs. 45-47.) 



Nesting Dates. — Litchfield, Conn., June 8 {Bishop) ; Branchport, 

 N. Y., June 11 {Burtch); Lancaster, N. H., June 19 {Spaulding) ; 

 Bangor, Me., June 10 {Knight) ; Listowel, Ont., May 27- June 9 

 {Kelts); Kalamazoo Co., Mich., May 29, Westnedge, {Barrows). 



