AVERY BIRD COLLECTION 109 



"The busy little architect was observed sometime at her 

 occupation. She did not always fly in the same direction 

 in search of material, nor did she always light directly 

 on the bunch of moss ; she frequently lighted on the top 

 of the sweet gum and descended to her nest. This nest 

 is suspended in the streaming moss, at least two feet un- 

 der the limb. The moss is woven together, and the nest 

 contains some spider web, as Asbury, who climbed to it, 

 has informed me. Much pleasure is anticipated in tak- 

 ing a full set of this bird's eggs, hitherto unknown to 

 me. 



"This little warbler returns from his winter home to- 

 wards the latter part of March and the first of April. A. 

 specimen was taken March 26, 1892 ; the label contains 

 this obser.vatio!n : 'Male in breeding plumages; testes 

 much enlarged.' This is my earliest record of the arrival 

 of Compsothlypis americana; my latest is September 

 19th, though the latter date is probably not that of the 

 latest occurrence of this bird in Hale County. Some in- 

 dividuals remain with us till the first of October. 



"April 10. Another parula was observed today gath- 

 ering material from a stump on the edge of a field. For- 

 tunately, though she flew at least a hundred and fifty 

 yards into the woods, with the assistance of Asbury her 

 nest was discovered. When she had collected from the 

 stump what she needed and had begun her flight to- 

 wards her nest, I announced the fact to Asbury who was 

 stationed at least a hundred yards within the woods on 

 the edge of an opening across which she had to fly. So 

 rapid was her flight and so thick the woods when she 

 passed beyond the opening that her destination could not 

 be exactly determined. A certain gum tree covered with 

 gray moss appeared to be the most likely place to find 

 her, but though we watched some time in the morning 

 our little warbler escaped our observation. In the after- 

 noon, however, about four, o'clock, we returned and 

 found that she was building in the gum tree. Her nest 

 could be seen through the Tillcmdsia just under a limb 

 about fifteen feet from the ground. 



"Another female parula which seemed to be building 

 was seen today but she could not be traced to her nest. 



