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Breeding of the Golden-crowned Kinglet in Norfolk County, 

 Massachusetts. — On June 16, 1908, I discovered in Stoughton, Massa- 

 cliusetts, a breeding pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets [Regulfus satrapa 

 satrapa) with their nest, apparently the first to be found in the east-central 

 part of the state since the nest with three eggs found by N. Vickary at Lynn 

 in May or June, 1889. My attention was first attracted by the familiar 

 call-notes of the birds coming from the edge of a rather close growth of 

 Red Cedar {Juniperus virginiana) and deciduous trees at the base of a low 

 hill close to a little-travelled wood-road. Pushing in among the trees, 

 I soon caught a glimpse of the female Kinglet being pursued by a Black- 

 and-white Warbler. The male soon came into view, and very soon the 

 female disappeared in the top of a red cedar about twenty feet high. After 

 a few minutes' wait I climbed a nearby tree and found her sitting on the 

 nest. This was placed 18 feet 10 inches above the ground on the upper side 

 of a small branch about a foot long, near the trunk and about a foot and a 

 half from the top of the tree, rather firmly fastened and requiring some 

 effort to dislodge. The nest is a firm ball of green moss (chiefly Thelia 

 hirlella, identified by Dr. W. G. Farlow) with some bark, lichens, and 

 feathers, measuring 11 cm. in length, 9 cm. in breadth, and 6.5 cm. in 

 height. The cavity, 4.5 cm. deep and 4 cm. in diameter at the top, is 

 slightly enlarged below and lined chiefly with fine bark strips and a few 

 feathers including some from the head of the female Kinglet. The eight 

 eggs in the nest contained smaU embryos. They are elliptical-ovate in 

 outline, with the smaller end rather blunt, dull white in gi-ound color, 

 finely speckled all over, but especially at the larger end where a more or 

 less distinct wreath is formed, with pale ashy-brown; on a single egg the 

 markings are very faint. They measure in inches .54 X .41, .54 X .42, 

 .55 X .41, .55 X .41, .55 X .41, .56 .X .41, .57 X .41, .57 X .41, averaging 

 .55 X .41. 



Although on June 16, 1908, when this nest was found and taken, only a 

 single pair of the birds was seen, I feel convinced that at least two pairs 

 of the birds must have been nesting there, for on 6 July 1 saw at the same 

 locality at least three Golden-crowned Kinglets, apparently young birds, as 

 no crown patch was visible. Brewster found that a pair whose nest was 

 nearly finished and being provided with lining on June 13 in Worcester 

 County, Massachusetts, required sixteen days to complete it and lay their 

 set of nine eggs, and that another nest nearly completed on June 16 did 

 not acquire its full set of nine eggs until the same date (June 29). It is 

 impossible to suppose that my pair, whose nest was taken on .June 16, could 

 have built another nest, laid eggs, and brought out nearly fuUgrown young 

 in twenty days, and there must certainly have been at least one other pair 

 in the vicinity. On August 4 I again saw three Kinglets at the same local- 

 ity, after which date they were not seen again. One at least of those seen 

 on this date had the crown-patch of the adult. 



The first weU identified nest of the Golden-crowned Kinglet seems to 

 have been that found by H. D. Minot (Land-birds and Game-birds of New 

 England, ed. 1. 56 (1877)) in the White Mountains of New Hampshire on 

 July 16, 1876. This nest, which contained young birds, was four feet from 

 the ground in a hemlock, pensile like the majority of recorded nests. Mr. 

 Vickery's Lynn nest (O. & O. xiv. 95, 111 (1889)), which contained only 

 three eggs, was in a spruce tree and likewise suspended from a limb. Both 

 the nests of the Golden-crown recorded by H. Austen (O. & O. xiv. 93-.94 

 (1889); XV. 106 (1890)) from the vicinity of Halifax, Nova Scotia, were 



" suspended on twigs fully three to eight inches underneath the 



main branch fastened by the side with moss to the small branches." 



One of two nests of the Ruby-crown, however, was built on a limb (1. c. xv. 

 106), while the other was suspended. Brewster's account (Auk, v. 337-344 

 (1888)), the fullest that has yet appeared of the nesting of the Golden- 

 crowned Kinglet, gives details of three nests found in Winchendon (Mass.), 

 or vicinity, aU of which were pensile. 



A brief record of the taking of the present nest has abeady appeared in 

 'The Taxidermist' (no. 4, p. 7 (Oct. 1908)).- S. F. Blake, Stoughton, 

 Massachusetts. ,xxx.HI ■ /9 f 6. ^,3^(>-^^7, 



