Nesting of the Black-throated Green 
Warbler. 
BY JOHN N. CLARK, SAYBROOK, CONN. 
On the 23d of May, 1884, I visited a swamp 
in the woodlands of Saybrook, Conn., to inves- 
tigate a spot therein, the chief attraction of 
which was that among its tangled mazes was an 
old Maple tree which had been blown over in 
some violent gale of the past, upturning from 
July 5 — He saw this day the nest of a 
Black- throated Green Warbler, ( Dendrceca 
virens,) which was built on a horizontal 
limb of a small spruce. It was very neatly 
made though composed entirely of dried 
grass, the lining being of the same material 
as the exterior, but of finer pieces. It was 
about five feet from the ground and con 
tained four eggs partially incubated. 
7l' “Hi. . 
JTT. yylo^, tm. 
Feb. 1887.] 
Black-throated Green Warbler. 
June 14th, I found a nest of this species 
containing three young, less than a week 
old. The nest was ten feet from the 
ground, saddled upon a maple limb and 
held in place by several twigs, the leaves of 
which made a complete covering over it. 
Fine strips of birch bark, cobwebs, dry 
hemlock twigs, hairs, and fibrous barks, 
closely interwoven, formed the exterior, 
fine dry grass and fibrous barks, with an 
abundant lining of hair, the interior ; the 
ce of 
23 tside 
AND OOLOGIST. 
the mud of the swamp a large mass of its roots 
and adhering debris. This tangled mass of roots 
and mud had been for several years the head- 
quarters of a pair of Large-billed Water Thrush- 
es ( Shtrus mutarWa) and from the nest deftly 
hidden therein I had secured a nice set of these 
eggs annually for four years. To this spot I 
was carefully working my way, through the 
thickets, when my attention was suddenly at- 
tracted by a small bird quite near me, busily 
skipping from one bush to another; and as 1 
immediately observed, gathering the swamp spi- 
ders’ webs in its beak. I saw at once also that 
it was the Black-throated Green Warbler(D<>«- 
drceca virens ) a female, and 1 was greatly inter- 
ested, as a set of eggs of that species would be 
new to my collection. 
Securing a good site for observation 1 dili- 
gently watched her accumulate nesting materi- 
al, and with great vigilance scanned every move- 
ment. A up tiler interested observer also put in 
his appearance — the ma le warbler. Perched on 
a spray near at hand Vie chanted blithely his 
little song of encouragement to his laboring 
wife, but I did not see him soil his feathers by 
tlie slightest assistance in gathering the nesting 
material. Soon rising from the thicket, the fe- 
male took flight for her nesting place, and here 
a singular episode took place. The male bird 
immediately left, his perch in pursuit, and seiz- 
ing the female by the tip of the tail, accompan- 
ied her flight in that order quite to the site of 
the nest, when lie left for an adjacent perch. It 
was some ten rods away but this strange meth- 
od of (light, enabled me to observe their course 
and fix the location, to which 1 immediately 
hastened. Concealed behind an adjacent tree I 
waited further revelations. After a few mo- 
ments the female started again for the swamp, 
followed immediately and attended by her 
male, with his beak evidently clinging to the tip 
of her tail again. I remained on the spot some 
time watching them while they made, several 
trips to the swamp — the male invariably escort- 
ing her hack and forth in the same singular 
manner. The nesting site was in what is 
called here Yellow Birch, a species affecting 
swampy places. It was quite a tail tree with- 
out a branch to the nest, which was about thir- 
ty feet from the ground, in the crotch formed 
at the base of the first limb. Several twigs 
started from the same spot and the foliage on 
them completely concealed the nest from view 
either above or below. I never saw a nest so 
perfectly concealed from sigiit as was this. 
I fixed upon June 2nd as about the right time 
for a visit to the nest, and at that time climbed 
up to it. Numerous excresences on the various 
sides of the tree natural with the species, com- 
bined with the enthusiasm, made the ascent an 
easy one — even if I did puff and sweat a little 
when I got there. The bird glided quietly away 
long before 1 reached the nest, evidently trust- 
ing entirely to its concealment for its safety, 
nor did I see or hear one note from either bird 
while i was at the nest. Very deftly hidden it 
was. 
The neat little nest is now before me Its 
outer materials are chiefly fine strips of bark, 
such as might tie gathered from the stems of 
dry plants, a few of Cedar, and a few of the fine 
outside bark of the White Birch ; and a few 
very fine black roots. It is neatly and abund- 
antly lined with horse-hair and wiih some very 
fine grape stems. 1 have been wondering 
where the bird picked up all the liorse-hair. 
The outside, diameter of the nest was about 
three inches, inside about one and three-fourths 
inches, with a depth of about one and a half in- 
ches. Five eggs was the complement found 
therein, and they admirably fill Clio place in my 
cabinet so long vacant. The ground color of 
these eggs is white, but without the glossy sur- 
face usual in the Maryland Yellow-throats, and 
in fact compared With this latter species there is 
readily perceived a tint of grayish, though only 
of the faintest shadow appreciable. The mark- 
ings, which are abundant, toward the larger end 
form wreaths near the widest diameter; and are 
chiefly of the lavender and purple tints, with 
few or none of the lighter reddish colors com- 
mon with many of the Warblers. These mark- 
ings are bold and sharp, forming at, times coarse 
zig-zag lines and heavy blotches. I notice one 
at least an eighth inch across either way. Mix- 
ed with these are gome of less size down to the 
most minute. The form of the eggs is as near 
the regulation “ovoidal” in pattern as anything 
that I can imagine, being neither excessively 
elongated nor excessively blunted at either end 
and liie five specimens measure about as fol- 
lows (in hundredths of an inch) viz., .114x48; .03 
x4'J; .00x58; .50x47; .04x4S. 
Since writing the foregoing I have found an- 
other nest of the species, and the site was so 
different from the former that 1 am constrained 
to add an account of it. There were young in 
the nest, and I found it by watching the old 
bird returning to it with food. This site was in 
a small Red Cedar ( Juniperus virylninanw) a- 
bout seven or eight feet high, and the nest was 
in the densest par! about five feet up. The ma- 
terials and form were similar to the former nest 
The tree was one of a group of half a dozen 
growing in an open glade with large trees a few 
rods away. 
?lies ; 
leptli 
bird 
i the 
ed so 
ns of 
ppor- 
, she 
i the 
tered 
.ping 
coin- 
f the 
i, Vt. 
frJ- 
Explorations in 
jion of Maine. 
5NTER. 
'age 131.) 
ack-throated Green 
varbler, my especial 
:pected in a country 
sts, quite frequently 
s were met with in 
tains, but the greater 
clearings at Euslis 
The nests were evi- 
Ihe hemlocks, as in 
localities, the birds 
iterial for its con- 
145 
O.&O. XII. Feb. 1887. p, 2* 
3. 
% 2 . 
