The Kentucky Warbler. 
(Opororuk fonnona,) ( Wilson,) Baird. 
BY D. E. L-, MANHATTAN, KANSAS. 
The Kentucky Warbler is a common Summer 
resident of the limbered portion of Kansas, being 
more abundant in the south-eastern part. Man- 
hattan is near the western boundary ot the range 
assigned to it by ornithologists, it having been 
taken at Fort Riley, a point about twenty miles 
west. But it is so common a bird at Manhattan 
that I doubt not that it is a regular visitor west of 
Fort Riley, wherever the growth of timber and 
OLOGIST. 19 
underbrush is sufficient to afford it its favorite 
shelter for a Summer home. 
Although the habits of the Kentucky Warbler 
are well known, and excellent, descriptions of its 
nests and eggs are published, it is so retiring in 
the breeding season that its eggs have found a way 
to comparatively few oological collections. My 
experience is that the nest is difficult to find. I 
have spent hours in watching the birds^Hpl 
searching for the nest without success. The few 
nests that I have found have been the result of ac- 
cident rather than the reward of my diligence. 
At this place they arrive from the south about 
May 1. My earliest record is April 110; my latest 
is May 3. They soon pair and begin to look 
about for a building' site, at. this time the male is a 
diligent and rather loud singer, and keeps the 
woods ringing with his “tweedlr, timfltr, dweedh." 
If disturbed, both birds resent any approach by 
their usual sharp “ tship” repeated at intervals as 
’ as one continues moving about in their vicin- 
ity; but should one conceal himself and remain 
quiet, they disappear noiselessly in the thickets 
and the song of the male js soon again heard. I 
presume that the female could be just as musical 
were she so disposed,' but that the cares ol house 
building occupy most of the time at her disposal. 
Many a pair of these Warblers have I watched, 
and although I was certain that the nest was in 
the near vicinity, I have almost uniformly failed 
to discover it. Once, after visiting a locality at 
odd times for several weeks, I really found the 
nest ; but the young had just deserted it. In fact, 
I started the last one away. This was on June 
26, 1883. The nest was almost under the top of 
a fallen tree. It was built in plain view at the 
foot of a small shrub. Although I must have 
passed a dozen times within a few feet, I had failed 
to discover it. It was on the ground in a mass of 
dry leaves. The chief material was leaves, but 
the lining was of grass and long horse-hair. It 
the most neatly built nest of the species I 
have yet seen. 
My first nest of this Warbler was found on May 
26, 1883, I was passing along an unused wood- 
road in a low, damp forest, intent upon finding a 
Poor-will which had alighted in the vicinity, 
when I, was startled by the flutter ot wings at my 
feet,. On looking down, I saw within a foot of 
me the nest for which I had often looked. The 
female Warbler had perched upon a low branch 
about two rods distant and was tilting and bal- 
ancing like a Water-thrush, while it uttered its 
sharp note of alarm. The nest contained two 
eggs of the Warbler and one of the Cow-bird. 
Although incubation had begun, I left the nest 
two days hoping to be rewarded with a larger 
