nlstothorus stellarls . 



Canton, Mass. 



1893. protruorance or portico which Is usually built out over the 

 July 10. entrancG to the Long-bill's nest, the entrance 'oeing merely 

 (H0.3). a sraall round hole in the sido. Some of the egss in both of 

 the occupied nests could be seen by merely looXint, into the 

 hole from above (I have never succeeded in seeing Long-bill's 

 eggs in this -.vay). The fresh eggs had a strongly marked ro- 

 seate tinge and the shells appeared rough. The incubated eggs 

 were plain with a mar Iced polish. The shells were much thinner 

 than those of the Long-bill's eggs and I'Ir. Bowles finds that it 

 is not safe to roll the Ghort-bill's eggs out o| the nest. 



The occupied and the false nests were similar and equally 

 well -furnished in every respect save that the former were 

 warmly and prettily lined with feathers, the latter with fine 

 dry grass only. In position I could not discover that the two 

 differed at all. Indeed the nest with 7 eggs was quite as 

 conspicuous as were any of the "cock" nests. All the nests 

 which I saw were built from 2 to 3 feet above the ground. Their 

 small size, globular shape, the fine, dense character of the 

 grass in which they were placed and the envelope of green 

 grass woven about them, rendered them much less conspicuous 

 than is the average nest of £. -oalustris but yet it was not 

 at all difficult to see them. Indeed the tangle of green 

 grasses bent down from every side and intertwined often caught 



