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W. l|;iddleBex Co. Mass. 



June 25-30, j889. 



In an extensive spruce and larch swamp m Ashbumhajr near 

 the v;estern base of fft ^'atatic we found five males of this 



species. They doubtless had mates and nesxs m this swainp. Many 

 of the^ trees were hun," rather thickly with ^snea moss, ^either 

 moss nor -arbler was noticed elsewhere m the surroundmp region. 



[Yol. 13-No. 3 



An Unusual Nest of the Parula 

 Warbler. 



UY WILLIAM ISKEWSTEH. 



In the interesting article on "The Parula 

 Warbler, Its Nest and Eggs," in January O. 

 & O., "J. M. W." says: "I do not think this 

 warbler ever attached the upper part ot theuest 

 to limb or twig like the orioles and vireos." 

 It is natural that this keen observer and charm- 

 ing writer should (eel sure of his ground in 

 dealing with a species which he knows so well, 

 but, nevertheless, he is mistaken in the opiniou 

 just quoted. 



I have a nest of the Parula Warbler taken 

 with a set of three eggs at Stoneham, Mass., 

 June 24. 1867, which in shape and general style 

 of construction closely resembles a wide- 

 mouthed nest of the Baltimore Oriole, except- 

 ing, of course, that it is much smaller. There 

 is no hole in the side, and the bird entei'ed at 

 the top as this Oriole does. The upper edges 

 and sides were securely fastened to the fine 

 terminal twigs of the drooping bough of a 

 vigorous live hemlock, where the nest was 

 prettily concealed among its foliage, and hung 

 suspended precisely as the Oriole's hammock 

 hangs in the drooping spray of an elm. 



This nest is composed entirely of jtsnea, 



loosely woven orperhaps merely felted together. 

 It had a scanty lining of tine grasses and pine 

 needles, which the birds must have been at some 

 pains to collect, for the closest scrutiny, on the 

 part of a friend and myself, of all the trees in 

 the surrounding grove, failed to show more 

 than a few scattered tufts, the largest not 

 larger than an English walnut. 



This fact doubtless explains the unusual char- 

 acter of the nest just described. Its builders 

 having chosen to ignore one of the most firmly 

 grounded traditions of their race, by settling in 

 a spot where usnea was too scanty to be used 

 in tlie ordinary way, were obliged to depart 

 still further from established precedent and 

 construct a finished nest. As it is, the case af- 

 fords an interesting example of evolution in 

 nest building. Another step in the same direc- 

 tion would give us a nest composed of twine, 

 bark, or what not. Who can say that a Parula 

 will not yet build such a house? 



In Northern New England, where the ustiea 

 is found in almost every tree, the Parula War- 

 bler, as far as I have observed, nevei' breeds in 

 colonies such as "J. M. W." describes, but, on 

 the contrary, is quite as evenly and generally 



distributed as any of the other warblers. Ihe, 

 same is true of the South, where (m South; 

 Carolina and Georgia). I have found it breed- 

 ino- in great abundance, placing its nest m the 

 long streamers of TiUandda that drape the 

 forest trees. 



0.& O. 2011. Mar. 1388 p. V(i - 



