Curious Nest of the Warbling Vireo. 
All Oologists are acquainted with the or- 
dinary form of this Vireo’s nest. It is in- 
teresting to know that the bird sometimes 
departs from the usual manner of build- 
ing, and, incited probably by the spirit of 
progress, puts a roof on its house. The 
fact that there was such a nest in existence 
12. Vireo gilvus. AVarblirfg Vireo. In 
Missouri where I have taken a large number 
of this bird’s nests I have three records of the 
Cowbird’s eggs. One nest containing two 
eggs, and two containing one egg each. 
O.&O. XlV.Sept. 1889 p!34 
coming to my knowledge, I wrote to the 
possessor, Mr. H. M. Griswold of Tam- 
pico, HI., and received the following reply: 
“ I found the nest about two years ago 
while looking for Indigo Birds. 'As I 
passed along a row of soft Maples, I was 
attracted by the harsh, rasping sound, 
which the Warbling Vireo gives when dis- 
turbed. After lookiug about for some 
time, I saw a large bull snake, about three 
feet long, twined around a limb, some ten 
feet from the ground. A charge of shot 
brought dowu the snake with a live bird 
in its mouth, which it released as it fell. 
As the bird was strong and nearly full- 
grown, I climbed to where I could reach 
the nest, which was hanging from the ex- 
treme end of a long limb, and replaced it. 
After the bird had flown, I took the nest, 
which I send you by to-day’s mail.” 
The description of the nest is as fol- 
lows : Outside diameter, three and one- 
quarter inches by two and one-half inches 
deep ; cavity inside, two inches by one 
and one-half inches deep. The materials 
are of the ordinary sort, but very strongly 
put together. The nest is joined to a 
limb three-fourths of an inch in diameter 
by two sets of threads, and to a very 
small branch along its rim, being thus 
suspended in the crotch of the limb and 
the branch. At the end of the little 
branch, which is not quite three inches 
long, the fibres that twist in and out to 
form the rim of the uest are gathered to- 
gether, given a half turn, and then spread 
out like a fan, the intervening space being 
filled in closely with fine threads, making 
a cover just the size of the nest. This 
cover is hollowed upward about an inch, 
so as to be like a shallow cup inverted 
over the nest. The connecting threads 
act like a hinge and join the cover to the 
nest on the side away from the larger 
limb. A bird standing on the limb could 
lift the cover and it would fall again of its 
own weight as soon as the bird had passed 
under. Such a cover would screen the 
contained birds or eggs from the sight of 
passing birds of prey and furnish a very 
thorough protection from wind and rain. 
The query is, had the snake ever been up 
there before, as would seem to be indi- 
ted by there being but one young bird, 
and was the cover intended as a defense 
/JS' 
