496 , NESTS AND EQGS OF 



■ New York and Southern New England; accidental north to Massachusetts and Maine. 

 Breeds throughout its United States range, and winters from South Atlantic and 

 Gulf States southv/ard. 



The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher is an abundant bird throughout most of the wooded 

 districts of the United States, breeding in suitable places, south of 42°. 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 in- 

 terior is deeply cupped, and the exterior is beautifully 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 en- 

 tirely deficient of the lichens which characterize the Ohio nests. The interior is com- 

 posed of soft downy materials — cotton-like substances 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 greenish or bluish-white, 

 speckled with chestnut, and in some the markings are of a darker brownish tinge. 

 Ten specimens measure, .55x.42, .56x.43, .57x.45, .58x.45, .57x.42, .56x.41, .58x.47, 

 .59X.44, .58X.44, .59x.45 inches. 



751a. WESTERN GNATCATCHER. PoUopUlaccerulea obseuraRiAg-w. Geog. 

 Dist. — Arizona, California, Lower California and Western Mexico. 



The general habits, nesting and eggs of this western form are identical with 

 those of P cwrulea. The nests of this variety, as will be seen in the description of the 

 eastern species, labk the abundance of artistically arranged lichsns on the outside. 



752. PLUMBEOUS GNATCATCHER. Polioptila plumbca Baird. Geog. 

 'Dist.^ — 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 mistletoe, at a height of about 

 eight feet from the ground, and contained one egg of its owner and one of the Dwarf 

 Cowbird. Mr. William Brewster says that although a delicate structure the nest will 

 not compare with that of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, entirely lacking the exterior 

 coating of lichens, but in its general appearance closely resembles the Redstart's, 

 being felted with soft bark-strips and hemp-like vegetable fibres. It was lined 

 with plant down, a few feathers and the hair of some small quadruped. Mr. Brewster 

 describes the eggs as pale greenish-blue, coarsely and very evenly spotted with red- 

 dish-brown; size .53X.42.* Mr. Stephens found two nests of the Black-capped Gnat- 

 catcher at Yuma, Arizona, in May, 1886, containing four eygs each; one of these 

 containing an egg of Molothrus ater olseurus.'i 



753. BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER. Polioptila calif ornica Brewst. Geog. 

 Dist.— Southern California and Pacific coast of Lower California. 



* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, VII, p. 77. 



tBuU. No. 2, Rldgway Ornithological Club; April, 1887, pp. 56-57. 



