Large-sized Eggs of Mniotilta varia. 

 BY .1. p. N. 



Ou Api-il 20, 1887, Mr. R. B. McLaughlin 

 found a reiuark;i.ble sot of eggs of the Black 

 and White Warbler (MuioliUa uaria) in Iredell 

 County, Xorth Carolina. Their peculiarity 

 consists in their size, wliich is ti'uly extraordi- 

 nary for this species. There can be no question 

 as to their identity, as the bird was ou the nest, 

 and Mr. McLaughlin has collected many sets, 

 and is tlioroughly familiar with them. The 

 nest was on the ground at the foot of a small 

 bush, and is characteristic of the species. 

 The eggs are of a creamy white, beautifully 



speckled with bright reddish brown and lilac. 

 The markings are much closer togethei- at the 

 larger ends, where they form indistinct w reatlis. 

 They measure .7Gx. 56; .78 x .57 ; .70 x.50; .70 

 x.57; .75 x.57. 



Another set, collected by Mr. McLaughlin, 

 on April 20, 1887, in the sanje locality, are, 

 creamy white speckled with dai-k reddish 

 brown and lilac. In four of the eggs the mark- 

 ings form indistinct wreaths around the larger 

 ends, but the tttth egg has the markings almost 

 all at the smaller end. They measure .69 x .51 ; 

 .e8x.51; .69X.51; .66 x.50; .69 x.50. 



A third set collected by C. O. Tracy, near 

 Hartland, Vermont, on June 20, 1883, are 

 creamy wliite, heavily speckled with reddish 

 brown and lilac, chiefly at the larger ends, 

 where they form wreaths : .71 x .55 ; .71 x54 ; 

 .70X.52: .70X..54; .09x.54. 



BY .1. P. N. 



The eggs of the Black and White Warbler, 

 {MniotiUa varia), while exhibiting considerable 

 variation in size and markings, yet have an in- 

 dividuality of their own which enables one to 

 select them from those of any other Warbler. 



In describing the following series of their 

 eggs now before me, they are arranged in the 

 order o( the degree of heaviness of their mark- 

 ings. Thus Set I has the smallest and liglitest 

 markings, and Set X the largest and darkest. 



Set I. April 18, 1888. Iredell County, N. C. 

 Kest at foot of huckleberry bush. Bird on 

 nest. Five eggs, incubation begun. White, 

 thickly speckled all over with hazel. Near the 

 larger end the spots are larger and closer to- 

 getlier, where they form an indistinct wreath. 

 There are also a few spots of lilac-gray in the 

 wreath: .65x.o4; .61x.54; .63x.53; .64x.53; 

 .64X..52; .65x.53. 



Set II. May 2, 1888. Iredell County, N". C. 

 Nest under fallen limb in pine woods. Bird ou 

 nest. Five eggs, incubation begun. Creamy 

 white, speckled and wreathed with fine dots of 

 hazel. The wreath is composed of innumerable 

 dots and yet they are not confluent. On two 

 of the eggs there are a number of dots of 

 lavender-gray in the wreath ; .65 x .51 ; .03 x 

 .51; .60X.50; .65x.49; .64x.50. 



Set III. May 25, 1888. Buncombe County, 

 N. C. Nest of leaves, grasses etc., lined with 

 hair and flue grass ; situated under a small 

 bush. Bird flushed. Four eggs, fresh. Creamy 

 white, sprinkled and speckled cinnamon-rufous. 

 Near the larger ends they are wreathed with 

 minute dots of the same color, very close to- 

 gether, but not confluent. In the wreaths 

 also dots of lavender-gray, but they do not 

 show unless closely looked for : .65x..50; .63 x 

 .50; .62X.49; .64x.52. 



Set IV. April 23, 1888. Iredell County, N. 



iLOGIST. 



183 



C. Nest at foot of pine sapling. Bird at nest. 

 'Five eggs, incubation begun. White, speckled 

 with cinnamon-rufous. At the larger ends the 

 markings form wreaths, and here there are 

 also many dots of lavender-gray. The eggs 

 are much narrower and more pointed than any 

 of the other set in the series: .69x48; .69 x 

 1.49; .69X.49; .69x.49; .67x48. 

 ; SetV. June 4, 1882. Monroe County, Penn. 

 Nest under root of a stump at a fence. Birds 

 seen. Five eggs, fresh: White, speckled with 

 bay. The markings are much heavier at the 

 larger ends, where they form indistinct wreaths. 

 There are also some spots of lavender-gray in 

 the wreaths: .67x.52; .68x.53; .67 x .53 ; .64 

 X.52; .66X.51. 



Set VI. April 20, 1887. Iredell County, N. 

 C. Nest against a small bush, on the ground. 

 Five eggs, fresh. White, with faint creamy 

 tint, speckled and spotted with chestnut. Four 

 of the eggs are wreathed near the larger ends, 

 but the other has most of the specks at the 

 smaller end. All of them are quite pointed: 

 .70x.50; .69X.51; .69 x .51 ; .66 x .51 ; .69 x 

 .51. 



Set VII. April 23, 1888. Iredell County, N. 

 C. Nest on ground, at foot of small bush. 

 Bird on nest. Five eggs, incubation begun. 

 Creamy white, heavily spotted (for this species) 

 with bay and lilac-gray. There are no wreaths 

 on this set, but the spots are larger and thicker 

 near the larger ends: .64x.53; .62x.53; .62 x 

 .52; .62 x.52; .62 x.52. 



Set VIII. June 20, 1883. Near Taftsville, 

 Vermont. Nest of strips of rotten wood and 

 leaves, lined with hair, moss, and roots ; on the 

 ground, under an overhanging stone in a hem- 

 lock woods. Quite a quantity of rotten hem- 

 lock wood was used as a foundation for the 

 nest proper. The female, when flushed, acted 

 much like a Ruffed Grouse in her endeavors to 

 draw the collector's attention away from her 

 nest, from which she was flushed. Five eggs, 

 fresh. Creamy white, spotted and wreathed 

 (near the larger ends) with chestnut and 

 lavender-gray. Large eggs, and quite pointed, 

 for this species: .72x.54; .72x.54; .70x.64; 

 .70X.53; .69X.54. 



Set IX. May 28, 1888. Near Taunton, Mass. 

 Nest on ground. Bird seen to fly from nest. 

 Five eggs, fresh. Creamy white, thickly 

 speckled and spotted with hazel and lavender- 

 gray: .67X.54; .05x.54; .65x.54; .65x.54; 

 .06 x .53. (No wreaths on this set). 



Set X. April 29, 1887. Iredell County, N. 

 C. Nest on ground, at foot of small bush. 

 Bird on nest. Five eggs, fresh. White speckl- 



184 



OENITH 



ed and spotted with bay and lavender-gray. 

 (The latter color is confined to the wreaths, 

 which are near the larger ends.) These are 

 the largest eggs in the series, and are indeed 

 quite phenomenal for this species : .77 x 

 .76x.57^ i«6:lhf^.i>-|^J lW!>.183.4 



