Nesting Under Difficulties. XV. | 



On May I7th, 1886, I discoveird a pair oi 

 Blue-gray Gnateatehers buildiag a uest, on a 

 horizontal limb of an oak tree, about tliirty feet 

 up. On May 28 I again visiteil tlie tree and 

 found the birds had taken their departure, but 

 as the nest appeared to be a very large one I 

 ascended the tree to obtain it, and on examin- 

 ing it I found that a Cowbird liad deposited an 

 egg before being occupied bj' tlie owners, and 

 that they had put in more lijiiug and covered it 

 entirely over, and had tlien built up the sides of 

 the nest about three-fourths of an inch higher, 

 but had fiDally concluded to abandon it, and 

 were found building another nest a few rods 

 from there, which goes to show that tiiey do 

 not -willingly submit to the intrusion of the 

 Cowbird. 



Samuel Si^icke. 



Goodrich, Mich. 



O &0. XII. M>r 188'7 .p 53^ 



Nest of the Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher.* 



May 18, 1885, I found a uest of tliis little bird 

 on a limb twelve feet up, on a dead walnut tree, 

 situated on the bank of a small creek. The tree 

 was lealloss, tlic water having waslied tlic earth 

 from its roots so that it almost fell with my 

 weiglit when I ascended to the nesi, wliicli was 

 placed in the fork of the branch so tliat one limb 

 formed a roof to slielter it. The nest was com- 

 posed of a coarse moss found on the trees near 

 by, and spider webs, this latter material being 

 wound around llic Avhole nest, togetiier with afew 

 pieces of wool. It wa.s lined with tlie down 

 found on liickory buds, and a few feathers, to- 

 gether witli some very fine dry grass. 



Tliere was one egg in the nest when found, 

 which I let remain until May 32d, when I re- 

 turned and took the nest and five fresh eggs. 

 Tills time I saw tlie female on the nest. She was 

 sitting parallel with the limb, as I think slie al- 

 ways would, for on the side from the tree there 

 was a low place where she rested her chin which 

 enabled her to sit with more ease, as it would 

 otlierwise compel her to keep her head straight up. 



Tlie next day 1 was in the woods at an early 

 hour and saw a pair of these little birds flying 

 from tree to tree, gathering mateila! for their 

 nest. I watched them for some lime, and at last 

 saw them fly into the top of an elm. It took some 

 length of time before I could discover them, as 

 they had evidently just began house building. I 

 at last saw it on a limb about twenty feet from 

 the ground. I did not trouble them until the Sd 

 of June, wlicn I returned and took the nest with 

 five fresh eggs. Tiie work and material used 

 were precisely like the first, except the nest was 

 smaller, as also were the eggs. Nest number one 

 was two and thrce-ctuarters inches in height out- 

 side, two inches deep on the upper side, one and 

 one-half inches on the lower ; circumference eiglit 

 and one-quarter inches. Number two measures 

 two and one-quarter inches in height, one and 

 three-quarter inches in depth on the upper, and 

 one and one quarter inches deep on the lower 

 aide; circumference seven and throe-quarters 

 inches. O.&O, XI.F«b.l886.p, 2.Y. 



181 



icop No. a^diaphragms are a 

 in the Wis next to the shut- 

 douhjE holders for plates, 

 foui^ounds complete. Has 

 to iake out in case of indoor 

 front hoard lets down on 

 fii^gets out of order it can 

 I. rshave wandered often 

 hut ho^^ it may have been 

 ! reader, >Mid may be the 

 others out give their ex- 

 new field of^'-l^unting with 

 a noisy gun. '\ 



W. Otto imersnn. 

 Us, Cat., Oct., 1SS9. 



Nesting of the Blue-gray Gnat-catcher 

 at Raleigh, N. C. 



The Blue-gray Gnat-catcher (PoUoptlla r.oeni- 

 lea) is quite a common summer visitor about 

 iiere, frequenting the woodlands and orchards, 

 but most abundant in the willows and other 

 growth along streams. This year, as usual, 

 tlie first specimens appeared the last week in 

 March, and by the 5th of Aprihthe species was 

 present in summer numbers. 



Tliey did not let the grass gi-ow under their 

 feet when they got here, but after laying out 

 their summer plans and looking up the fash- 

 ionable localities, they went to work in good 

 earnest. The first nest observed was one just 

 started, on April 12th, and by the 20tli the bulk 

 of the species were engaged on their nests. A 

 cold spell lasting five or six days from the 18th 

 to the 18th, set back some of them in tlieir 

 operations, but others kept bravely on with 

 their work in spite of tlie biting winds. Both 

 sexes helped in the building, the female doing 

 most of the work, however. 



Green moss, fine grass, fibres, and other fine 

 material, firmly bound together with cobwebs 

 and ornamented with an exterior coat of gray 

 lichen, are the usual materials employed in 

 making tlie nest. The actions of the bird 

 wlien binding cobwelis in a suitable fork to 

 form the foundation are most amusing. Tlie 

 bird sticks her head under the fork, and 

 winds and twists tlie cobwebs about any pro- 

 jections there may be present, until it looks as 

 if she would twist her head otf. 



The nest is usually placed in the fork 

 of a moderately slender lateral limb of some 

 tree, and there is also a disposition on the part 

 of the birds to choose a fork near the end of a 

 limb, so that when a good sized tree is chosen 



Bay State 9gl. ^ggg_ ^6-47.-Nest!ng habits. 



By ]. W. Jacobs, fbid.. No. 6, Auk.VIl. Jan. ■ 



