nterbreeding of Helminthophila pinus and H. chrysoptera. — Ou j3 , 



June 13, 1889, Mr. Samuel Robinson, who has collected with me here for 

 the past fifteen years, noticed a male Helminthophila pinus, with food in 

 its bill, fly and disappear at the foot of a small alder. A female Helmin- 

 thophila chrysoptera soon appeared, also with food, and was lost to sight 

 at the same spot as the other bird. On going to the locality five young 

 birds flew from the nest and alighted on the bushes in the immediate 

 vicinity. Both parent birds were soon feeding the young again. He 

 shot the old birds and secured all the young, which, together with the 

 nest, are in my cabinet. 



The locality was ground sloping toward a swampy thicket and covered 

 with a young gi-owth of alders. A few maple trees were in the vieinit)'. 

 The nest was on the ground at the foot of a small alder and partly con- 

 cealed by overhanging ferns and weeds. It is composed externally of oak 

 leaves and lined with grape-vine bark, no other materials being used. 



The male {pinus) is a very bright specimen with white wing-bars, edged 

 with yellow. The female (^chrysoptera') is strongly marked with yellow- 

 below, the wing-bars being exceptionally rich with the same color. 



The young, two males and three females, are all similar, and have the 

 head, neck, chest, sides and back olive-green. Abdomen olive-yellow. 

 Remiges like adult pinus. Two conspicuous wing-bars of light olive, 

 edged with yellow.— Jno. H. Sage, Portland, Conn. 



Ank, yi. Jnly, 1889. p. 279. 



Q-oneral l">ioto3. I 



On the Breeding of Helminthophila pinus with H. leucobronchialis at 

 Englewood, New Jersey.-^As additional evidence in this puzzling case, 

 I desire to record the breeding of a typical male of H. pinus, with a non- 

 typical female of leucobronchialis. The nest was found on the west slope 

 of the Palisades atEnglewood, New Jersey, June 12, 1892. It was placed 

 on the ground in a small bushy opening in a piece of mixed woodland, 

 and contained three eggs (one of which was broken) of the rightful 

 owners and one of the Cowbird. In construction it agreed with typical 

 nests oi pinus. The eggs are similar to those of/M«s, but are some- 

 what more heavily spotted than the average eggs of that species. The 

 female was closely examined both while she was on the nest and in the 

 bushes and trees near it. In coloration she was intermediate between 

 pinus and leucobronchialis; the underparts were washed with pale yel- 

 low, the upper back was bluish, the rump grayish; the wing-bars were 

 white. She was flushed from the nest three times, and on each occasion 

 was at once joined by a typical male pinus which shared her anxiety. 

 Frequently they were so close to each other that they were both in the 

 field of my glass at the same time, and I thus had an excellent opportunity 

 to compare them. The lirokcn egg and the egg of the Cowbird were 

 removed. On returninu' to the nest June 19, it was found to be deserted. 



While interesting in itself and of importance as a fuel in tlie history of 

 the relationships which exist between these two bii tls, this record has no 

 decisive bearing on the case, and it would be unwise therefore to attempt 

 to draw inferences from it.— Frank M. Ch.\pman, American Museum of 

 Natural History, New York City. 



Ank U .July, 1892. p. 302-3, 



