ORNITHOLOGIST 





—AND — 







OOLOGIST. 





$1.00 pel- 

 Annum. 



PUBLISHED BY FRANK B. WEBSTER. 

 Established, March, 1876. 



Single Copy 

 10 cents. 



Vol. XV. 



BOSTON, MASS., DECEMBER, 1890. 



No. 12. 



A Series of Eggs of the Prothono - 

 tary Warbler. 



The eggs of the Protbonotavy Warbler (Pro- 

 tonotaria citrea) ai'e as a rule more brightly 

 marked than those of any other warbler, and 

 their glossy apiiearance adds much to their 

 beauty. Their variation is very great, but it 

 is believed that the series of seventy sets now 

 before me exhibits all their varieties of size 

 and color. 



Set 1. June 11, 1888. Burlington, Iowa. 

 Nest in hole in elm tree in water. Six eggs. 

 Two are pure white, unmarked, save for four 

 or five indistinct specks of cinnamon. The 

 other four have a ground color of ecru drab, 

 sparingly speckled and spotted with cinnamon: 

 .73x. .■)(!; .6!)x..>5; .(!Sx.."i(); .70x..5o; .0.)X..W; 

 X ..")."). All entirely without gloss. 



.■<et H. June 6, 18S8. Marion County, Mo. 

 Nest in cavity of rotten willow stump, made 

 mostly of moss. Five eggs, incubation begun. 

 White, glossy and speckled all over the surface, 

 but more heavily at the larger ends, with 

 cinnamon-rufous, burnt umber, and lilac-gray: 

 .7lix.(i0; .78X.58; .75x.5!); .77x..")Vl; .74x.()l. 

 Very large eggs for this species. 



Set HI. .June 8, 1888. Lacon, 111. Nest of 

 moss, etc., in an old knot hole. fSix eggs, 

 fresh. Light creamy white, glossy, heavily 

 sjjcckled and spotted with chestnut and olive- 

 gray. The markings are much lieavier at the 

 larger ends: .72x..5s; .(i7x..o7; .57x..o7; 

 .(ifix.SS; .70x..^7; .71x.(in. 



Set IV. June 1, 1888. Lacon, 111. Nest of 

 moss, hair, etc., in broken end of willow 

 standing in the water. Five eggs, fresh, 

 (ilossy white, speckled and spotted all over 

 the service with chestnut and olive-gray. The 

 juarkings are much heavier at tlie larger ends: 

 .72x.f)0; .74X.59; .71x.58; .72x..59; .71x..58. 



Set V, June H, 1888. Burlington, Iowa. 

 Nest in willow stump. Seven eggs, incubation 

 begun. Glossy white, speckled all over the 



surface with burnt umber and olive-gray: 

 .6!lx..5n; Six.M; .6f)x..i.5; .66x,.5.t; .68x..5r); 

 .66X..55; .(i8x..54. 



Set VI. June 1888. Burlington, Iowa. 

 Nest in hole in .sycamore, standing in the 

 water. Seven eggs, incubation begun. Glossy 

 white, speckled all over with chestnut and 

 lilac-gray. The markings are heavier near 

 the larger ends: .(iOx..")o; .70x..i6; .6:-!x..52; 

 .()4x..54; .69X..5G; .7lx..5S; .(i4x..5:3. This 

 set also contains one egg of the Cowbird. 



Set VII. May 27, 1880. Marion Co., Mo. 

 Nest made entirely of a large 'luantity of damp, 

 green moss, placed in a natural cavity on the 

 under side of a willow limb leaning over the 

 water, and about three feet from the surface. 

 Five eggs, incubation commenced. Light 

 creamy white, glossy. Spotted all over the 

 surface with chestnut and olive-gray: .O0X..56; 

 .f)8x..5{i; .erix.oO; .71x..56; .70x..57. 



Set VIII. June 11, 1888. Lacon, 111. Nest 

 of moss in natural cavity in a willow tree, six 

 feet from the ground. Six eggs, fresh. 

 Glossy white, speckled and spotted all over 

 tlie surface with chestnut and olive-gray. The 

 spots are larger near the greater ends: .74 x .57; 

 .74X.5.5; .70x.5.5; .7:!x.5G; .76x.55; .73x.5.'j. 



Set IX. June 7, 1888. Lacon, 111. Nest of 

 gi'ass and moss, in a woodpecker's liole not 

 over three inches above the water. Six eggs, 

 fresh. Ecru drab ground color, without gloss. 

 Two of the eggs are unmarked except by a few 

 spots of cinnamon near the larger ends. A 

 third has a well-defined wi'cath of chestnut 

 spots near the larger end, and a few specks of 

 olive-gray over the rest of the surface. The 

 other three are speckled and spotted with 

 chestnut and olive-gray. The shells of two of 

 the eggs are very rough: .69x..57; .71x.58; 

 .73x..'j7; .()7x..53; .07x..'j:!; .71x..5;5. 



Set X. June :-!. 1888. Burlington, Iowa. 

 Nest in dead stump. Six eggs. Light creamy 

 white, glossy. Thickly speckled and spotted 

 all over the surface with chestnut and olive- 



Oopyri^ht, 1800, liy Fkank B. Wkbstek. 



