in her bill) finally began to move off in a 

 new direction, working gradually through 

 the shrubs to an open place where stood a 

 Butternut tree, whose leaves hung black 

 and dry from the effects of the sharp frost 



fifteen feet from the nest, and the bird 

 sbon became sufficiently accustomed to my 

 presence to make several trips to it. The 

 identification was as good as if I had shot 

 the bird. As I have not been able to visit 

 the spot since, I know nothing further of 

 the history of this rare and interesting 

 family. I trust they will have such pleas- 

 ant memories of this moist, malarial spot, 

 that they will visit it again next breeding 

 season, although there may be a spark of 

 selfishness in the wish. This is near the 

 northern ■ liniit of the breeding place of 

 Hehninthophaga jyiims. The other rarity 

 was taken not over a mile from the first. 



I happened to be in the country on the 

 Fourth of July, when a lady said to me 

 that she had a very beautiful bird's nest 

 she would like me to see, and to my sur- 

 prise brought out a nest I had never seen 

 before, but had heard much about, one 

 which in material and form stands apart 

 from any of our birds' nests. A few 

 pieces of the hanging gray lichen, found 

 so abundantly on dead trees in damp 

 places, were fastened at the upper end to 

 a twig so as to hang closely together, the 

 whole forming a mass about seventeen 

 inches in length and about four in greatest 

 thickness at the top and tapermg to a 



so abundantly on dead trees in damp 

 places, were fastened at the upper end to 

 a twig so as to hang closely together, the 

 whole forming a mass about seventeen 

 inches in length and about four in greatest 

 thickness at the to]} and tapermg to a 



July 1. My friend handed me a nest and four eggs, of 

 the Blue- Winged Yellow Warbler, {Helminthophaga pinus). 

 The eggs are somewhat smaller than the Maryland Yeilow 

 Throats ; of a pure white background, with a few brown 

 spots and lines around the larger end. The nest resembles 

 that of the above mentioned species, except the lining 

 which is entirely of grapevine bark, the ends of which stick 

 up all around the inner edge of the nest. 



^irUi. jjijtvi^ Jbdu^di^ Jiptt4^t^. fiti. ^ \i! f t 

 O.&L O. IX.Nov.l88< . p. tif. 



point at the bottom. The whole shape i / 

 suggests a long tapering beard of some 

 venerable specimen of the genus Homo. 

 At or near the top the fibres were woven 

 to form a pouch-shaped cavity in which 

 was an egg of the Cowbird, which, by the 

 way, often gets its egg in before the own- 

 er of the nest. The cavity was hardly 

 over an inch in diameter and about two 

 and one-half in depth. 



I was much disappointed not to see the 

 eggs, but the nest was a thing of beauty 

 and the lady generously gave it up in the 

 cause of science. It was found about the 

 1st of July in a hemlock tree on the bank 

 of the Housatonic Eiver, hanging from a 

 low limb. 



Brewer, Minot and IngersoU have writ- 

 ten interesting descriptions of this nest, 

 which is that of the Blue Yellow-backed 

 Warbler {Parula a^w^-^a^ac^-r^ s|^t.l834. p. 

 Averill, Jr., Stratford, Fairfield Co., Ct. fil-nZ. 



