98 Beewer on the Golden-Crowned Kinglet. 



soure superficial markings of a deep buff, giving to tlie ground the 

 effect of cream-color. This egg so closely resembles my set of the 

 eggs oiR. cristatus that, placed in the same tray, it is not readily 

 distmguishable from them. It differs in size, shape, and markin/s 

 from the eggs of R. calendula, which are more oval, are marked with 

 brown, and resemble, in description, the eggs of i?. {gnicapillns. It 

 w,n be seen that the greatest length of an egg of B. calendtda* is 

 .5b, that of the supposed satra.pa only .52 ; the least length of ca- 

 lendula .54, that of mtrapa .47. The variation in breadth is also as 

 .45 to .41. The average measurement of calendula is .56 X 45 

 that of satrapa .49 X -40. ' 



In " North American Birds " I ventured the remark, in reference 

 to this nest, - then unknown except, as given by Mr. Lord, as pensile 

 and suspended from the extreme end of pine branches, — that the 

 presumption is that it builds a pensile nest not nnlike its European 

 congener, and lays small eggs finely sprinkled with buff colored dots 

 on a white ground, in size nearly corresponding with those of onr 

 common Humming-Bird." Mr. Merrill's nest, if not pensile, is at 

 least m a pensile position, and is in all respects such a nest as was 

 to be anticipated from the uniform habits, so far as they are known 

 of the members of this genus. ' 

 ^ Both of the European species of this genus, E. cristatus and R 

 tgmcaprllus, and their Asiatic relative, R. himalayensis, are known to 

 build pensile nests, though, like very nearly all pensile builders, they 

 occasionally make nse of other positions. It was, therefore not 

 only natural, but even unavoidable, to anticipate that our own Reguli 

 so closely aUied to these in all respects, would be found to nest in 

 a similar manner, and accordingly in "North American Birds" I 

 ventured to say that we might " reasonably infer that its nest (that 

 of R. calendula) is pensile like that of its European kindred." Mr 

 Scott's timely discovery shows that my anticipations have been 

 realized. But even without this verification I should have felt fully 

 justified in still maintaining the reasonable probability that both 

 of our Reguh, when their history shall be more fully known, will be 

 found to be pensile in their architecture. Yet the author of " Birds 

 of the Colorado Valley " says : " Since Dr. Brewer thought he might 

 reasonably infer that the nest was pensile discova-y has been 

 made that U is not so [the italics are mine], showing that care must 

 be exercised m natural history inferences." Even without the light 



* See Mr. Scott's valuable paper, mited, p. 91. 



Brewster on the Blach-Capped Vireo. 



99 



of Mr. Scott's valuable discoveries I would still venture to maintain 

 that all due and proper " care " had been exercised by me when 

 I drew my inference, and that the wi-iter quoted was too hasty in 

 his own conclusions. There has been nothing to show that Mr. 

 Batty's nest was not of a semi-pensile character, and certainly 

 the time has gone by for any one to assume, on the score of a single 

 example, the unvarying character of the nest of any bird. I say 

 single example, for, except that of Mr. Batty, there was no other. 

 Mr. Henshaw's was wholly unidentified, and it is quite likely be- 

 longed to some other bird. Of course Mr. Scott's testimony now 

 settles beyond dispute the pensile character of its nest, but it does 

 not necessarily show either that Mr. Batty was mistaken in h'is 

 identification, or that Mr. Henshaw's supposed nest may not have 

 been rightly surmised. We know too little as yet of these nests to 

 lay down any arbitrary rules of generalization. 



Since the above was written. Dr. J. C. Merrill has called my at- 

 tention to the illustration of an egg of R. satrapa by Dr. Baldamus 

 in Cabanis's "Journal" for 1856 (p. 23, PI. I, No. 8). Although 

 somewhat rudely represented, the identification is probably correct. 

 In this egg there is more of the buff-colored markings, and much 

 less of the obscure purplish-slate than in my specimen. The 

 ground-color is less concealed, and is represented as a buffy-white. 



Note. — Since this paper was prepared, Mr. Allen has called ruy attention to 

 the description of the nest of R. satrapa, which I had oveilooked, in Minot's 

 "Land and Game Birds of New England" (p. 56). This nest, the writer 

 states, was found in the White Mountains, and "hung (our feet above the 

 ground, from a spreading hemlock bough, to the twigs of which it was firmly 

 fasteiwd ; it was globular, with an entrance in the upper part, and was com- 

 posed of moss, ornamented with bits of dead leaves, and lined chiefly with 

 feathers." The italics are my own, to emphasize the pensile character of this 

 nest, the account corresponding so closely to descriptions of the nests of R. 

 crtoteof Europe. N.0.0. 4, April. 1870. p.PO - f f . 



