Nesting of the Mourning Warbler. 
About the year 1877, in the early days of 
.June, as I was nest-hunting in a piece of 
swampy woods near the railway track, about 
a mile south of this town, and while I was cau- 
tiously moving through a clump of low, second 
growth underwood, chiefly composed of 
swamp maple, my attention was arrested by 
a series of sharp chipping bird notes, and, 
gazing in the direction from whence the 
sounds came, I saw that the author was a 
small bird, whose plumage I then took to be of 
a uniform dusty brown hue. A little more re- 
search discovered that the cause of her solici- 
tude was a partly composed nest, placed on the 
horizontal branch of a small cedar, a little over 
a foot off the ground. Her notes of displeasure 
soon brought her mate on the scene, and lie, 
flitting among the newly acquired foliage of 
the shrubbery, added his notes in sympathy 
with hers, but from the glimpses that I then 
got of both birds, I did not discover any varia- 
tion in their plumage. 
Jan. 1889.] 
AND OOLOGrIST. 
I soon withdrew, leaving them to settle their 
little business, but intending to return in the 
course of a week or so, which I did, and on my 
approach, saw the bird seated on her nest, from 
which she flushed, and I found that it con- 
tained four eggs. These, with the nest, I re- 
moved, but on my way homeward threw the 
latter away, not knowing the prize I had in 
hand. These eggs have since remained 
in my collection, and, until lately, were 
labelled “Dusty Warbler.” Referring to some 
notes, which I soon afterwards made, I 
find the following regarding this species: Its 
color is a dusty brown hue, with an olive tinge. 
Its common notes are a simple “chip,” pecul- 
iar, too, and varying hut little in the warblers. 
Its habitat is the outskirts of soft-wood timber 
lands, where there is low, thick underwood, 
in some thicket of which, sometimes on the 
branch of a small cedar or other evergreen, 
the nest is placed. This complicated structure 
is formed of dry stalks, line strips of bark, and 
other woody matter, lined with fine hair. The 
eggs (four to the set) are white, with a 
sprinkling’of reddish spots towardsjthc large 
end. 
Tears passed away, ami 1 saw no more of 
this species, or its nest; but during the season 
of 1887 some more links were added to the 
chain of nay knowledge regarding it, and 
finally to its identity. On the 81st of May, of 
that year, I noticed coming out from among 
( the willows, and other soft underwood, that 
grew on some low land adjoining my farm, the 
peculiar song notes of some small bird, which 
I did not remember to have previously heard. 
Desirous of becoming more acquainted with 
the little stranger, I approached in order to 
have a nearer interview. But the active little 
fellow, suspicions of my intentions, rapidly 
flitted from bush to bush, keeping himself 
well concealed among the loaves, near the tops 
of the underwoods, all the while, however, 
emitting his “Whit-a-dee, wliit-a-dee, whit-a- 
dee” song. At length I got a good view of his 
plumage, and especially noticed his brown 
■coat, yellow vest, and black throat. 
I hunted in the vicinity for some time, but 
failed to discover any others of the species, or 
any appearance of a nest, except an old one 
that had been occupied the previous year, and 
may have belonged to this species. Some days ; 
afterwards I again searched the vicinity where 
my new found friend was still warbling liis 
ditty, but failed to discover any nest, and as 
other work was pressing, i soon abandoned 
nest-seeking for the season, but almost daily, 
when near that vicinity, I heard the little song- 
ster until the hay-making was in progress. 
Oir the 4th of October, of tire same season, 
when on my way to the Falls o:f Niagara, I 
called on Mr. Thomas Mcllwraith, in tire city 
of Hamilton, and among other specimens of 
mounted warblers in that gentleman’s splendid 
collection, I noticed one which he informed 
mo was the Mourning Warbler ((leothlypis Phil- 
adelphia). Afterwards referring to my notes, 
and reading the description of this species in 
his work, The Birds of Ontario, I became cer- 
tain that the strange bird noted in the early 
summer was the Mourning Warbler, and that 
the nest above noted belonged to that species, 
and this conclusion has been confirmed by my 
observation of this species during the past sea- 
son. 
Now, viewing tlie set of eggs in my collec- 
tion, I note that the ground color is a clearer 
white, and that the dotting over the surface 
and tiie coloration towards the larger end is 
more of a brownish hue than the coloring of 
the eggs of the more familiar Black and White 
Warbler ( Mnintilta va Ha), but in size and form 
there is scarcely any difference. 
Early in May, of the past year, some pairs of 
this species made their appearance in some 
low places on “Wildwood,” and for some days 
their pleasing songs, intermingled with those 
of tlie Water Thrushes and other warblers, en- 
livened the vicinity, but as June advanced 
their shifting about from place to place showed 
that they had not settled down to nesting, 
and towards the middle of the month .‘hey 
disappeared altogether. 
William L. Kells. 
Lis towel, Ontario. Q.& O. XIV. Jan. 1839 p. 4-5 
