Nesting of the Hooded Warbler. 
The Singing of Birds. B.P. Bioknell. 
This beautiful little Warbler is one of the 
rarest Warblers I have the pleasure of study- 
ing. They usually arrive here the first week 
in May and soon commence their nest build- 
ing, and full sets are completed by the first 
week in June. They choose for their nesting- 
site some large piece of woods, usually high 
land, well filled with small undergrowth, and 
then place their nest in a small thick beech 
or maple bush, usually from 12 to 24 inches 
from the ground ; but I took a set this 
season thirty-nine inches high. 
The nest is a plain structure, composed 
of dried leaves and vegetable material, occa- 
sionally lined with a little horse hair and a | 
few spider webs outside. It is quite bulky 
for the bird, and one would think easy 
enough to find ; but when you enter a large 
piece of woods so well filled with small under- 
growth that you cannot see ten feet ahead 
you will find it quite necessary to get down 
on your hands and knees to look for their 
nests. 
I have found them readily, and have looked 
two or three hours in this way for them ; yet 
the longer I look the stronger are the ties 
for that particular nest. You rarely ever see 
the male bird, and if the female is sitting 
you have nothing to guide you; but even 
then the Cowbird has often found it ahead 
of me and left her mark. 
I think the most secreted nest of the 
Hooded Warbler I ever found had been j 
visited by the Cowbird. 
Although I find nests of other species of 
Warblers, I take more pleasure in looking 
after Sylvan i a mitrata nests under those 
difficulties than any other, unless it is the 
Blackburnian, although I have never been 
able to find but one set of their eggs. I suc- 
ceeded in taking seven sets of the Hooded 
Warbler this season, five sets with four eggs 
each, and two sets of three. I have never 
taken a set of five. Eighty per cent, in my 
experience contain four eggs. 
Ahnon E. Kibbe. 
Mayville v N_Y\_ _ - — 
0.& O.Vol.18, July, 1898 P.99-1CO 
A Philadelphia Collection of Eggs of 
the Mniotiltidae. 
Myiodioctes mtratus. Hooded Warbler, 
fifteen sets of four, one set of three, total, 
sixteen sets. 
O.&O. XIII, Dec. 1388 p.170 
Myiodioctes mitratus. Hooded Warbler. 
The first song-period of this species seems rarely to pass early 
July — latest dates, July 10 and 15. Perfect songs heard in the 
fourth week of August locate the second song-period. At this 
time the plumage is approaching maturity. 
As has before been reported, this species possesses two differ- 
ent songs, or perhaps more truly, two distinct variations of one. 
These differences, however, are neither individual nor seasonal, 
but seem to come within the normal vocal compass of the species, 
both songs being used indiscriminately by the same bird. This 
fact has been noted by Rev. J. IT. Langille in the ‘Bulletin of the 
Nuttall Ornithological Club’ for April, 1SS2 (pp. 119, 120), 
whose experience in its discovery was very similar to my own. 
I well remember with what interest and excitement I followed one 
of the songs of this bird about the woods on many different days, 
expecting to make a new bird acquaintance, and with what sur- 
prise and chagrin I discovered that it proceeded from the Blooded 
Warbler, which had been constantly about me, but which I had 
never suspected to possess such versatility. 
Auk, I, July, 1884. p. 3. fit ~ 2 / J 
SYLVAN I A MITRATA. 
Hooded Warbler. 
This species was like the preceding, quite 
sparingly found, Arriving in Monroe County on 
April 18th, they were found alter that date in 
limited numbers. They were birds of decisive 
movements; not often did I observe them other- 
wise than when traveling from tree to tree in the 
forest, displaying at such times all the restless- 
ness of birds in migration, and conspicuous by 
both song and activity. They frequented the 
forests and old fields at altitudes ranging from 
2,500 feet up to 3,300 feet. At the latter range 
they were very sparingly found, and none ob- 
' served higher, save a single specimen secured 
near the “black growth” on Great Smoky Moun- 
tain, at an altitude of about 4,500 feet. 
As I confine the present series of articles to 
those, treating on the birds found breeding, I 
give a brief account of a nest found three years 
ago in Monroe County, on .June 3d. It was 
placed in a scrub oak about three feet from the 
ground, and was worthy of especial mention from 
the quantity of flax which was used in its con- 
struction. A strip of fine bark and bits of moss 
also entered into its composition. The eggs were 
four in number, of a faint creamy white, spotted 
with reddish-brown and lilac congregating about 
the larger end. Dimensions, ,65x.48, ,G5x.47, .04 
x.47, ,64x.4G. 
Another nest of the same species was placed in 
a similar position, but was much coarser in com- 
position, being constructed of bark strips, leaves 
and grasses and lined with fine grasses. It con- 
tained four eggs, nearly fresh on June 9th. They 
differ somewhat from the above set, in having 
the spots pretty evenly distributed over the entire 
surface of the egg. Measurements wore as fol- 
lows: ,G7x.50, .GGx.50, ,G5x.49, ,G5x.4G. 
c/i-CP.m. /too. m-m. 
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