Hose- breasted Grosbeak . May 24, ’83, 
I found a nest of tbe Rose-breasted Gros- 
beak containing one egg. The female flew 
from the nest as I approached and alighted 
in a low tree very near me. When I visit- 
ed the place the following day the male 
bird was upon the nest. I waited until 
there were four eggs and then took them, 
feeling proud enough of my prize. These 
birds have never been seen in this locality, 
before to my knowledge. They were 
strangers to me but it didn’t take me long 
to get acquainted with them. Are they 
common in any portions of Eastern Conn ? 
, 5 zsvriP&t' s&rryuw. 
o.,%o wm. Sept. 1383. p. 7 / 
A young collector here has taken three 
sets of five and four of four Rose-breasted 
Grosbeak’s eggs this last season. I had 
always supposed four was the average 
number until I saw your article in June 
number giving three as the average. 
far. tl/lr. 
v ojLb. VU1. Feb. 1 333. p ./3 
Elmer T. Judd, Bethel, Com^writes of and 
s!yB?t finding bo many in one nest, 
lie asks if it is common to find as many . 
O.&o. XI. May. 1880. P. *»• 
“Botany of Birds’ Nests. 
Editok Ornithologist and Oologist-Sir: Last night 
two little boys who have me to 
much interested in birds, brough emshpak 
identify. I told them it was a 
They then gave me the particulars about the th y 
which the/saw fly. and the old birds, winch made it** 
tive. These birds, as you are awaie, are notv y 
The nest was on grounds well protected. 
It was the nest of this bird that set me to th™ what 
an ^^^sTfound^round Rockville, Conn., were 
birds’ nests, those . , h nuzzled me for several 
find so far east .-J. «■ ra(ie - n ^ q. XI. Sept. 1886. P-/VV- 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 
(Zamelodia lu doviciana.) 
BY C. O. TRACY, TAFTSVII.LE, VT. 
This bird is a fairly common Summer resident 
of this locality. Within the memory of the wri- 
ter it was very rare. Mr. Zadock Thompson did 
not include it in his list of Vermont birds in his 
“Thompson’s Vermont,” published in 1842. It 
seems probable, however, that it was known in 
the State before that time. (Will any-one having 
| knowledge of its early appearance in Vermont, 
\ kindly report the same to the O. and O. or the 
writer?) The sexes arrive together. The male 
is at once conspicuous, both by his beautiful plum- 
age and melodious song. While essentially a 
forest bird — and one must see and hear him in 
liis forest home to see his full beauty, and hear 
! , him in his happiest song — they often come into 
the orchard and. shade trees about our homes. 
I Along the lightly timbered river banks and road- 
sides 'they find their favorite breeding places, but 
I these must be at no great distance from the more 
j heavily timbered forest. The forked top of a 
I sapling is usually selected for a nesting place. 
Sometimes, however, the horizontal branch of a 
I large forest tree is chosen. The nest is a frail 
structure, made of fine dry twigs and a few grass 
or weed stalks. Sometimes only twigs are used, 
and these are nearly always Hemlock. It is sel- 
dom less than eight, or more than twenty feet 
from the ground. The full complement of eggs is 
usually four, sometimes but three. Dimensions 
vary froml.x.75 to ,90x.70 of an inch; color green- 
ish blue, spotted with different shades of brown. 
Most of their eggs are laid the first week in 
June. The earliest and latest dates that I have 
taken full fresh sets are June 2d and 23d. Botn 
sexes incubate, the male performing his full share of 
this important duty. My records show that where 
I have made observations in thirty-four cases, the 
nests were occupied by males twenty-three times 
and females eleven. By the second week in Sep,- 
i temberthey have all departed for the south. 
o. 
&0. X. Mar. 1885. p. 
Breeding of Habia ludoviciana in Niagara County, New York. — Al- 
though I have collected and made observations of birds in this County for 
the past ten years, not until the past season have I found the Rose- 
breasted Grosbeak breeding here. On May 26, 1888, I found in the edge 
of a piece of woods a nest about five feet from the ground, containing one 
egg, I was unable to identify. Returning on the 30th, I was surprised to 
find a male of this species on the nest. I stood within three feet of him 
for some time, but he did not move, and not until my hand was within a 
foot of him did he show any signs of leaving. There were now four eggs 
in the nest, and I left them till later so as to see the female on the nest. 
But on returning two hours afterward, I again found the male sitting. I 
took only the nest and eggs and on emptying them I found that incuba- 
tion had begun in two of them, and concluded the male must have begun 
sitting as soon as the first egg was laid. 
On June 8, in another piece of woods one mile from the other nest, I 
found another nest containing two young birds about three days old, and 
one egg which looked so clean that I took it and on emptying it found 
that incubation had just commenced. This time the female was on the 
nest, and was more reluctant to leave than the male had been in the other 
case, and not till my hand had nearly closed over her did she conclude to 
do so. The nest was at about the same elevation as the first. 
On June 23, but a few rods from the last nest, I found another, with the 
male on, containing one young bird not over one or two days old, and 
three eggs. I took one, in which incubation was found to have begun 
about three days before. Cn the morning of July 4, I found that the first 
young bird had left the nest, and on passing in the afternoon found it on 
a small bush and secured it. I had but little trouble in raising it, as it 
would eat almost anything given it. I kept it till late in November, when 
I sent it to Mr. Hornaday of the U. S. National Museum, but it died on 
the way, probably from want of water. 
From my observations of the species I conclude that the male does most 
of the sitting during the incubation of the eggs. — S. L. Davison, Lock- 
port, Niagara Co., N. T. 
JLttk, fl. April. 1889. p. £it&- !<1 1 r-rfX 
15 
