The Prothonotary Warbler. 



This beautiful little Frotonotaria oi- 

 trea is quite rare in Kansas, yet I bad tbe 

 good fortune to find four nests last June. 



Early in May I saw a Downy Wood- 

 pecker making an excavation in the dead 

 limb of a small elm tree standing on the 

 edge of a forest and on the bank of tbe 

 Big Blue River. I watched the tree for 

 several days, but. For some cause, the birds 

 abandoned the work. 



On June 9, in passing this tree I saw a 

 j bird fly from the hole so swiftly that I could 

 , not determine the species. I hid in some 

 I bushes near by, and after waiting about 

 ] ten minutes was rewarded by seeing a pair 

 i of the Prothonotary Warblers approach 

 through the trees. They flew dii-ectly to 

 the elm tree ; and, after a moment's hesi- 

 I tation, the female entered the hole, while 



the male flew away into the forest. 

 ',; I then crept silently to the nest, which 

 ' was not more than six feet above the 

 ground. By quickly placing my hand over 

 the hole and allowing sufficient opening 

 between my thumb and finger for the ad- 

 I mission of the bird's head but not its body, 

 i ^ easily caught the bird and examined it 

 i at my leisure. I have frequently caught 

 , Woodpeckers, Bhiebirds, Chickadees and 



Wrens in this manner. 

 ' When the bird was released it uttered a 

 short, distinct call which brought the male 

 ? bird promptly from the trees near by. They 

 then flew away together. 



Eeturning to the tree I secured the nest 

 and complement of five fresh eggs. 



This nest was composed of fine grape- 

 vine bark, dry weeds, and horse hair. The 



stnictnre was rather frail and deeply 

 roimded. Around its upper edge were ar- 

 rayed bits of skeleton oak leaves whose 

 delicate lace-like tracery of veinlets gave 

 evidence of greater taste than I had before 

 seen in bird architecture. 



The eggs were much rounded in shape. 

 The color was white with a pinkish hue, 

 and dotted with spots of brown and laven- 

 der. At the larger end these spots were 

 so thick as to become confluent. The eg-gs 

 were similar in size and markings. 



Two more nests of this bird were re- 

 ported to me on the same date, June 9. 

 Upon visiting them I found in one five 

 young nearly fledged, and in the other two 

 addled eggs. 

 ; A week or more after the discovery of 



the first nest I found a pair of the birds 

 not far from the same place. I watched 

 them closely and afterward frequently saw 

 the male alone, but failed to find the nest 

 until after the young had left it, when 

 I found it in the deserted nest of a Blue- 

 bird not a hundred feet away from a dwell- 

 ing house. 



^ I identified the nest by its peculiar ar- 



fchitecture and a few egg shells at the base 

 ^ of the tree. 



g These four nests were alike in situation, 



g all being in damp forests near the river, 

 and in deserted nests of other birds, about 



\^ six or seven feet above the ground. They 

 ' " were all built of like material and were 



.'^'^ ornamented with skeleton leaves. Two of 

 the nests were in elm trees and two in wil- 



^ low stumps. I have read no description of 

 j ^ the nest of this warbler and do not know 

 whether the above agrees with the expe- 

 rience of older observers. — D. JE. Lantz, 

 Manhattan, Kan. 



