158 Brewster on the Protlionotciry Warbler. 
long, inclining, half-submerged log, peeping into every crevice and 
occasionally dragging forth from its concealment a spider or small 
beetle, turning alternately his bright yellow breast and olive back 
towards the light ; now jetting his beautiful tail or quivering his 
wings tremulously, he darts off into some thicket in response to a 
call from his mate ; or, flying to a neighboring tree-trunk, clings for 
a moment against the mossy bole to pipe his little strain or look 
up the exact whereabouts of some suspected insect prize. 
This Warbler usually seeks its food low down among thickets, 
moss-grown logs, or floating debris, and always about water. Some- 
times it ascends tree-trunks for a little way like the Black-and-white 
Creeper, winding about with the same peculiar motion. When 
seen among the upper branches, where it often goes to plume its 
feathers and sing in the warm sunshine, it almost invariably sits 
nearly motionless. Its flight is much like that of the Water-Thrush 
(either species), and is remarkably swift, firm, and decided. When 
crossing a broad stream it is slightly undulating, though always 
direct. Its food consists of insects, generally of such spiders and 
beetles as are found about water. Audubon positively asserts that 
he has discovered minute molluscous animals and small land-snails 
in their stomachs. 
The nesting of the Prothonotary Warbler affords the most inter- 
esting phase of its life history. Audubon’s account of its nest, 
“fixed in the fork of a small twig bending over the water,” seems 
in the light of our present knowledge open to serious doubts. At 
least, it is not the mode of nidification used in the places where 
it is best known at the present day. Mr. B. F. Goss of Neosho 
Falls, Kansas, first brought to light the fact that in that locality 
the bird invariably nested in holes of trees or buildings. Since 
his discovery of the first nest in 1863, others similarly situated 
have been found by Dr. Palmer and Mr. Robert Ridgway, at the 
Kiowa Agency, Indian Territory, and at Mount Carmel, 111. The 
first nest collected the past season was found by Mr. Ridgway on 
April 27. It contained four fresh eggs. This was probably an 
exceptionally early date, as nearly a week elapsed before any other 
eggs were taken ; and, indeed, the greater proportion of a large 
number collected between May 8 and May 12 were freshly 
laid. At least forty nests were examined altogether, about one 
half of which contained eggs. To give an account of all the vari- 
ous situations in which these nests were placed, would entail a 
