Dendroica blackburniae.— On both high and low ground, wherever there 

 were spruces in any numbers, whether by themselves or mixed with other 

 trees, and also to some extent where the grovjrth was entirely of hemlocks, 

 the Blackburnian Warbler was'one of the most abundant and character- 

 istic summer birds, in places even outnumbering the Black-throated Green 

 Warbler, although it shunned strictly the extensive tracts of white pines 

 which D. virens seemed to find quite as congenial as any of the other 

 evergreens. A set of four fresh eggs was taken June 26, 18S7. The nest, 

 which was found by watching the female, was built at a height of about 

 thirty feet above the ground, on the horizontal branch of a black spruce, 

 some six feet out from the main stem. Its bottom rested securely near 

 the base of a short, stout twig. Above and on every side masses of dark 

 spruce foliage, rendered still denser by a draping of Usnea (which covered 

 the entire tree profusely), hid the nest so perfectly that not a vestige of it 

 could be seen from any direction. This nest is composed outwardly of 

 fine twigs, among which some of the surrounding Usnea is entangled and 

 interwoven. The lining is of horse hair, fine, dry grasses, and a few of 

 the black rootlets used by D. maculosa. The whole structure is light and 

 airy in appearance, and resembles rather closely the nest of the Chipping 

 Sparrow. The eggs measure respectively : .68X.49; -fieX-So; .69X.49; 

 .68 X .51 inch. They are marked with pale lavender, Vandyke brown,' 

 mars brown, and black. Over most of the shell the markings are fine and 

 sparsely distributed, but about the larger end they become broad and 

 more or less confluent, tending to form a wreath pattern. Some of the 

 black markings are linear, resembling pen scratches. The ground color 

 of these eggs before blowing would have passed for dull white, but with 

 the removal of their contents a delicate, yet faint, greenish tinge appeared 

 and has since persisted. This greenish tinge was also a characteristic 

 feature of eight eggs (representing two sets) taken by Mr. Bailey at Win- 

 chendon before my arrival in 1887. Lest the identification of the above- 

 described set be questioned, I will add that the female was seen to enter 

 the nest, and that both she and her mate were shot and preserved. 



Auk, V, Oct., 1888. p.Sei-f jj . 



