Nesting of the Mourning Warbler. 
On June 27, 1889, while watching a pair of 
Mourning Warblers (Geolldypix Philadelphia) 
feed their young, which had just left the nest, 
I discovered that there was in the vicinity at 
least one more pair of birds, and that their la- 
bors were not as far advanced as the others was 
apparent by the presence of the male only, 
which showed conclusively to me that the fe- 
male was at the time incubating a long sought 
for clutch of eggs, and at no great distance 
from me. 
1 was in hopes that the male would soon find 
some insect in his movements through the 
bushes that would be choice enough for his 
spouse, but my hopes were in vain. I watched 
him for an hour and lie was not out of sight 
more than an instant at a time, and during this 
period lie acted as if lie wanted to decoy me 
away from where I was so comfortably seated 
on a log. So I finally yielded and lie led me off 
some seven or eight rods into a thick patch of 
undergrowth and briars and gave me the slip. 
I passed on through the clump and returned 
by a roundabout way to an old tree top which 
f could conceal myself in, and which was 
about three rods from my former position. 
Prom here within less than fifteen minutes 1 
had the satisfaction of seeing him alight on a 
stump with an insect in his bill, and after 
looking around for a minute drop into a little 
bunch of hard maple hushes which were 
about five feet from the stump, and in a short 
I time I saw him return to the top of the stump 
without the insect. 
I suspected something, but held to my place 
of concealment until the act was repeated, 
when i went to the spot and commenced 
parting the bushes, whereupon .Mrs. Mourner 
came out, and although she appealed quite 
seriously injured l think she would have lived 
had not 1 shot her a few minutes later. In the 
centre of the bunch on the top of a little 
stump about four inches across from where 
these bushes grew was the nest, which con- 
tained three eggs, which upon examination 
proved to he about one third incubated. To 
make the identity positive I collected both of 
The nest, which is before me, was placed 
about eight inches from the ground, and is 
composed of weed stalks with layers of leaves 
mixed in, and is lined with fine black rootlets, 
which Was in fine contrast to the eggs which 
were of a pinkish-cream ground color when 
taken, but at present are as follows: 
Egg No. 1. .71 x ,5fi. Ground color creamy- 
white, marked with blotches of reddish-brown, 
and witli lilac-gray shell markings. All of the 
blotches or marking's with the exception of one i 
(Which is on the side) are on the larger end, in 
the form of a wreath. 
Egg No. 2. .72 x.58. Ground color creamy- 
white. All the markings are wreathed around 
the large end in blotches and spots of light 
reddish-brown, with lilac-gray shell markings. 
Egg No. 3. .7 1 x .33. Ground color creamy- 
white with blotches and spots of reddish- 
brown about equally distributed over the 
entire surface of the egg, and a wreath of 
lilac-gray shell marking at the greater end. 
E. G. Tabor. 
Meridian, N. Y. 
the birds. 
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