76 THE CITY OF THE BIRDS. 



put up. She is not such a good chinser as her 

 near relation, the yellow warbler. Beside the 

 trusses and girders, there is a lining of hair and 

 fine roots, so spa.ringly laid on the inner side of 

 the south-western walls, that one can easily 

 see through them. It would seem, however, that 

 this side of the nest was left unfinished for a pur- 

 pose, and not through any lack of faithfulness of 

 the builder. In the few nests of this bird 

 observed by me, a thin spot in walls has always 

 been noticed. Evidently the peculiar physical 

 condition of the young of the chestnut-sides 

 demands a good ventilation while they are being 

 hovered. 



In the nest are five tiny white eggs, somewhat 

 abruptly tapered and marked with dark purple 

 spots and blotches around the larger end. How 

 curious are the hieroglyphic characters that have 

 been traced on the eggs of the warblers ! They 

 are speckled, scrawled, brindled and clouded with 

 the various shades of browns and reds. Strangely 

 enough, in the majority of cases, the crowns of the 

 eggs are more thickly blotched and spotted ! In 

 reading the descriptions of the different eggs of 

 this family of birds, I came upon the following 

 phrases : " With reddish spots or blotches around 

 the larger end." "Marked around the larger end 

 with a wreath." "Grouped in a ring about the 

 crown." " Clouded delicately at the larger end 



