THE BAY STATE OOLOGIST. 



7 



The Kentucky Warbler, 



BY"E. F. KOCH, COLLEGE HILL, OHIO. 



Although Opornisfofmosa has been a 

 well-known summer resident in this lo- 

 cality for some time, its nest and eggs 

 have seldom been found or described. 

 Being fully aware of this fact and 

 thinking a description of its nesting 

 habits would be of interest to a few 

 readers at least, I determined to give 

 an account of the few nests I have 

 found. 



The nest, which was placed at the 

 bottom of a sm ill elm sappiing, was 

 so surrounded with s^rass and weeds 

 as to be scarcely noticeable. It was a 

 large and not altogether elegant struct- 

 ure, although it was well made. 



The bottom was a nest-shaped bunch 

 of leaves, mostly beech, woven together 

 with weed stems. This formed what 

 might be called the foundation of the 

 nest. 



Upon this, the nest proper was built, 

 which was composed of roots, weed 

 stems, and a few leaves ; and this second 

 nest was heavily lined with horse hair. 



It contained three eggs, which were 

 so highly incubated that they could not 

 be blown by means of a large hole and 

 embryo hooks. They were of a creamy- 

 white ground color ; spotted and 

 specked with reddish-brown over the 

 entire surface and measured as follows : 

 .70X.52 ; .75X.53 and .74X.54. 



The most interesting part of the 

 history of this little bird is the way in 

 which it protects its nest. Upon near- 

 ing the nest of the little warbler, it 

 will fly away to the next hillside ; or if 

 that be too far away, about forty or fifty 

 feet and commence chirping and yelp- 

 ing so as to attract your attention. 



At this you immediately proceed to 

 where it is, and after searching about 

 an hour with it sitting on a log near by 



yelping as if its heart would break, you 

 go away sorrowing at your bad luck, 

 and when on the next day you come 

 again to look for the nest, find it 

 accidentally and see how you have been 

 deceived you feel like downing the lit- 

 tle creature with your gun. 



But the reader may think that if he 

 were in the same situation, he would 

 sit down and watch it, until it flew on 

 the nest ; but this is of no use, for when 

 you try this, it will get on an old fallen 

 tree, if one be near, fly around on it 

 awhile and then chirping as if contented 

 fly down on the ground and remain si- 

 lent. Not hearing any more of it, you 

 get up from your hiding place and 

 thinking it has gone on the nest, go and 

 look for it, when on nearing the nest it 

 flies triumphantly up on one of the 

 branches of the tree and you find to 

 your sorrow that it is just another one 

 of its tricks, and that it has been 

 scratching for food. I have spent 

 hours in this manner watching the little 

 fellow and then gone away much wiser 

 but no richer, only to come again the 

 next day ; perchance, I [might find the 

 nest containing the precious little eggs. 



But what makes you feel much worse 

 is after hunting two or three days to 

 find the nest, you find it to contain 

 young, or worse yet, highly incubated 

 eggs, which after you take home and 

 blow your insides out on, and work two 

 or three hours on, you find cannot be 

 blown and you have lost your treasure. 



I enumerate below all the nests of 

 this species found this year. 



June 2d, being the one I described. 



June 5th, four small young. 



June 10th, four large young. 



June 21st, three fresh eggs and one 

 Cowbird's egg. 



These, with two others found the 

 preceeding year, are the only ones that 

 have ever been found and recorded in 

 this vicinity. 



