240 



KENTUCKY WARBLER 



Nest. — A nest from Englewood, N. J., is very bulky. An outer 

 wrapping of several layers of dead leaves encases a wall of weed 

 stalks while the heavy lining consists of black rootlets. A nest from 

 Wheatland, Indiana, essentially agrees with this New Jersey speci- 

 men. 



"A rather bulky and loosely constructed nest, outwardly of some- 

 what ragged dead leaves of the chestnut, beech, cherry, maple, white, 

 black, and chestnut oak, a few weed or grass stems, an occasional 

 strip of wild grapevine bark, and, once, many green leaves of the 

 dogwood, and, in another example, several oak blossoms; usually fol- 

 lowed by an inner layer of bright, clean dead leaves of the beech, 

 lined with black rootlets and in fully half of the nests examined, a few 

 long black horse-hairs. In one instance the lining was of light-colored 

 rootlets. Another nest, so well hidden in a patch of woodplants that 

 I accidentally trod upon it while actually searching for it, was a most 

 frail affair built exclusively of grasses, lined with black rootlets, how- 

 ever. 



"During the nest building period the birds are so extremely 

 jealous and watchful, deserting the site rather than be spied upon, that 

 I have been unable so far to follow this interesting period to a finish. 

 The male unquestionably aids his mate." {Burns, MS.) 



Eggs. — 4 or 5, in about even proportions. Ground color white, 

 in some cases very glossy, spotted and specked, rarely blotched, with 

 burnt umber, cinnamon-rufous and lilac-gray, seldom if ever showing 

 under shell markings; in most cases the markings are heavier 

 at the large end, sometimes in a mass, sometimes well wreathed, 

 and in other types evenly distributed over entire egg. Size; average, 

 .74X.58; extremes, .79X.60, .69X.57, .73X.54. (Figs. 100,101.) 



Nesting Dates. — Buncombe Co., N. C, May 23 (C. W. C.) ; West 

 Chester, Pa., May 27 (Jackson) ; Chester Co., Pa., June 25 (/. P. N.) ; 

 Waynesburg, Pa., May i8-June 10 (Jacobs) ; New York City, June i- 

 June 12 (F M. C); Dunklin Co., Mo., May 1$ (C.W. C). 



Biographical References 



(i) Wm. Brewster, Observations on the Birds of Ritchie County, West 

 Virginia, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., XI, 1875, 137. (2) F. T. Jenks, Kentucky 

 Warbler, its Nesting Habits, [in Ind.], Orn. and 061., VI, 1881, 49. (3) D. E. 

 L[antz], The Kentucky Warbler, [in Kansas], Orn. and 061., X, 1885, 19. (4) 

 T. A. Jackson, Nesting of the Kentucky Warbler [in S. E. Pa.], Orn. and 061., 

 XII, 1887, 43. (s) J. P. Norris, Jr., Nesting of the Kentucky Warbler in Ches- 

 ter County, Penn., Orn. and 061., XIV, 1889, 104. (6) Ibid., XV, 1890, 145. 

 (7) Ibid., Nidologist, I, 1894, 165. (8) J. P. N [orris], A Series of Eggs of the 

 Kentucky Warbler, Orn. and 061., XVII, 1892, i. 



