42 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 15-No. 3 



A Series of Eggs of the Black-poll 

 Warbler. 



ho eo'fts of the Black-poll Warbler (Den- 

 di'oiiM utriata) present as much variation in 

 , shape and coloration as those of any of 

 the Warblers. They vary in shape from ovate 

 to elongate ovate, while the ground color runs 

 from white to creamy and pinkish-white, with 

 rare phase which shows a light greenish- 

 liite. The series now before me, consisting 

 of seventeen sots, and described below, shows 

 in detail tbe curious typos of their markings 

 and coloration. 



The nest is a beautiful structure. Those 

 that I have (over fifteen in number) show but 

 little variation in their construction, except 

 that some are muoli more copiously lined with 

 feathei-s tlian others. Perhaps the similarity 

 of these nests is due to the fact that they all 

 came from one locality, and that the birds 

 naturally used the same materials. 



A typical nest (so far as can be selected 

 from those before me) may be described as 

 follows: Outside depth, 1.75; inside depth, 

 1.10; outside diameter, H.75; inside diameter, 

 2.00. Composed of grasses, roots, a little 

 lichen, and a few small twigs of spruce fir. 



Lined with fine grass, and over this is placed 

 a thick lining of soft white feathers, apparently 

 belonging to the domestic goose. The roots 

 and grasses are mostly dark, and the contrast 

 of the pure white feathers with the remainder 

 of the nest presents a beautiful effect. When 

 seen with the eggs in the nests nothing prettier 

 can be imagined. 



They were all found in spruce trees. One of 

 them was only a foot from the ground ; another 

 was eighteen inches; a third was two feet up; 

 a fourth three and a half feet; two more were 

 eacli four feet high; five were five feet up; 

 two others were seven feet from the ground; 

 another was eight feet; and still another was 

 ten feet high. 



Set I. June 12, 1877. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Five eggs. Grayish-white, speckled and 

 spotted, almost exclusively at the larger ends, 

 with olive-gray and bistre. The markings 

 form indistinct wreaths: .7:-ix.55; .70x..5.5; 

 .7:3x.5.5; .71 x..).5; .68x..54. 



Set 11. June 12, 1885. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Five eggs, fresh. White, specified and spotted 

 with burnt umber and olive-gray. The mark- 

 ings are much heavier near the larger ends: 

 .68X.50; .OOx.52; .()i)x.-")l; .08x.51; .()Sx.49. 



Set 111. .Tune 1'.), 1888. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Five eggs, incubation commeuced. Bluish- 

 white, heavily spotted, almost entirely at the 

 larger ends, witli olive-gray and burnt umber: 

 .74x.5:i; .74x..5:3; .72 x.. 5:3; .7;!x.52; .74 x..54. 



Set IV. June 19, 1888. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Three eggs, incubation commenced. Bluish- 

 white, spotted and speckled, chiefly at the 

 larger ends, in the form of indistinct wreaths, 

 with olive-gray, bistre and burnt umber: 

 .73X.54; .74x.54; .73x.53. 



Set V. June 13, 1885. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Five eggs, fresh. Light creamy white, heavily 

 speckled and spotted with russet, burnt umber, 

 and olive-gray. The markings are over all the 

 surface, but are heavier at the larger ends: 

 .71X.53; .70X..53; .71x.54; .69x.52; .68x.52. 



Set Vl. June 18, 1887. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Four eggs, fresh. White, heavily spotted 

 chiefly near the lai-ger ends, with olive-gray 

 and burnt umber: .73x..53; .73x.51; .79x.52; 

 .71 X.51. 



Set Vll. June 18, 1887. Grand Manan, 

 N.B. Four eggs, incubation commenced. 

 Three of them have a pinkish-white ground 

 color, but the fourth is white. All of them 

 are spotted and speckled with russet, more 

 heavily near the lai-ger ends. Tliere are also 

 a few spots of lilac-gray: .76x.53; .75x.53; 

 .77X..53; .70x.54. 



Set Vlll. June 20, 1888. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Four eggs, fresh. White, heavily blotched 

 and spotted with drab. There are also a few 

 spots of bistre and olive-gray. The markings 

 are heavier near the larger ends, but the surface 

 of the eggs is more evenly covered with mark- 

 ings than in any other set in the series : .09 x .47 ; 

 .70X.4S; .09X.49; .69x.48. 



Set IX. June 18, 1889. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Five eggs, incubation begun. Pinkish- white, 

 heavily spotted, chiefly at the larger ends, witli 

 bay, hazel and drab-gray: .75x.54; .74x.54; 

 .71X.54; .73X.54; .73 x..54. 



SetX. June 19, 1888. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Five eggs, incubation advanced. Grayish- 

 white, sj)otted and blotched with russet and 

 olive-gray. There are also a few spots of 

 bistre on one of the eggs, and the markings 

 are heavier near the larger ends: .75x.53; 

 .77X.54; .75x..55; .75x..55: .75x..54. 



Set XI. June 18, 1887. Grand Manan, N.B. 

 Five eggs, incubation commenced. White, 

 spotted and blotched with russet and burnt 

 umber, and a few specks of olive-gray. Al- 

 thougli the raxrkiugs are well scattered over 

 all the surface of the eggs, they are heaviest 

 at the larger ends: .79x..50; .78x.53; .7t)X..53; 

 .78X..53; .79x.54. 



Sot XII. June 20, 1887. Grand Manan, 

 N.B. Five eggs, incubation comraence<l. 

 Grayish-white, speckled, spotted and blotched 

 with raw umber, russet, and a few specks of 

 olivo-gray. The blotches are nearly all at the 

 larger ends, but the other markings are scat- 

 tered all over the surface: .09x.51; .70x.51; 

 .71 X.53; .71 x..5;3; .fi8x.51. 



Set XIII. June 21, 1889. Grand Manan, 

 N.B. Four eggs, incubation commenced. 

 White, speckled and spotted with russet and 

 burnt umber, nearly all at the larger ends, 

 and with a few markings of olivo-gray: 

 .69X.53; .70x.54; .09x..54; .71x..54. 



Set XIV. June 13, 1887. Grand Manan, 

 N.B. Five eggs, incubation commoneed. 

 Grayish-white, heavily blotched, chiefly at the 

 larger ends, with drab and burnt umber. 

 There are also a few specks of olive-gray: 

 .73X..54; .74x..54; .75x..54; .75x..54; .75X..54. 



Set XV. June 21, 1888. Gi'and Manan, 

 N.B. Four eggs, fresh. Greenish-white; 

 three of the eggs are profusely speckled with 

 mouse-gray. At the larger ends the specks 

 (there are no spots) become confluent. The 

 fourth egg is speckled all over (more thickly 

 at the larger end) with tawny-olive: .74x.54; 

 .70X.54; .70X.52; .7lx.54. 



Set XVI. June 11, 1885. Grand Manan, 



Mar. 1890.] 



AND OC 



N.B. Five eggs, fresh. Greenish- white, 

 spotted and speckled, more heavily at the 

 larger ends, with burnt umber and drab 

 .71X.52; .68X.49; .70x.51; .71x.51; ,65x.48. 



Set XVII. June 17, 1885. Grand Manai 

 N.B. Four eggs, fresh. Greenish-white, 

 speckled with mouse-gray. Near the lai 

 ends the markings, are much heavier, where 

 tliey form indistinct wreaths: .68 x .54; .08 x.o4: 

 .(i9x.54; .70X.54. ./. P- N. 



1969. My Hunt for the Blackfoll Warbler. By F. H. Carpenter. 



/i^vf., pp. 38-40. Ora. zoologist's Bexal-anntial, Vol.1, y*-^- 



