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An Interval Between the Laying of 
Eggs, etc. 
but 
and 
Some time ago I read an article by Mi. 
McLaughlin in the O. & O. to the effect that 
when a bird only laid two eggs to the set she 
didn’t lay them on consecutive days, 
dropped a day between laying the first 
second eggs. I have only had occasion to test 
the accuracy of his statement once, and that 
was a Whip-poor-will in 188S, and she missed a 
day exactly as he stated. Now all this is 
merely introductory to a theory of my own, 
viz., that when the Acadian Flycatcher and 
Wood Pewee lay three eggs to the set they are 
at least four days in so doing, and I hereby 
present my facts. 
May 29, 1889, I observed an Acadian’s nest 
with two eggs- in it. May 30th, still two eggs. 
May Slst, took set of three from the nest. 
June 1st, I observed two Acadians’ nests with 
one egg each. June 3d, both nests contained 
only two eggs. June 5th, took a set of three 
from each nest. June 6tli, Wood Pewee’ s nest 
(two eggs observed). June 7th, still only two 
eggs. June 8th, three eggs in nest. 
The evidence, X must confess, is rather slim, 
but it all points one way, and I mean to work 
up the matter this year. Last year I did not 
appreciate the fact until May 30th, and .so_did 
Nesting of the Wood Pewee in Nova 
Scotia. 
A POINT ON SHELL MARKINGS. 
While at my home in Kentville, N. S., an 
exquisitely marked set of eggs of the Wood 
Pewee ( Contopus virens) A. O. U. 461, found 
their way into my collecting box. The neatly 
constructed shallow nest, composed of veg- 
etable down and fine tree moss, the whole 
completely covered with lichen, (which made 
it hard to distinguish from a knot while 
standing on the ground), was built on top of a 
forked branch of a large dead spruce limb, five 
feet from the trunk of the tree, and fifteen 
feet from the grouud, to the edge of a spruce 
wood. The eggs were two in number, of a pale 
buff ground color, having a faint pinkish 
tinge. A series of fine spots and irregular 
blotches of browns, shading from pale red- 
brown to rich chocolate, and lavenders from 
light to dark, circle the large end. One 
thing particularly noticeable in some of the 
lavender markings is the appearance of being 
put on over some other shade, a reddish tinge 
showing through in the centre. This led me 
to try an experiment. First using a piece of 
white silk dipped in water, I tried to remove 
the lavender; a little rubbing made it appear 
rather darker. Not satisfied, I then took my 
nof 1 then have much opportunity of testify sharpest scalpel and carefully cut off the 
marking. Every shave, as fine as it was, 
theory. 
a.^o. JJ. i M6, \>' 
IcL 
•6 ■ S. 
as line as 
made the lavender blotch darker, until I 
finally cut down to a dark reddish-brown with 
a very dark brown spot in the centre. Still ; 
continuing the scrape, my brown began to 
lighten up. Thinking it about time to let up 
scraping, if I wanted any shell left, X laid down 
the scrapel and put the egg back into the box, 
scraped spot up, which was a plain lavender 
when I started to scrape, but now it had a dark 
brown centre with a light brown circle around 
it which was in turn enclosed with a lavender 
circle; then came the buff ground color. Tak- 
ing the other egg and treating it in a similar 
manner the same result was obtained. Some 
'Pickens Oo. 
So. Carolina. 
27. Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. — C onspicuously common ev of the lavender spots do not have brown under 
where in the woods 
S. Carolina. Loomis. Auk, Vll. Jan. 189 
Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. — This is one of the rare birds 
ABK, VII, Oot, but a few pairs rear theiryoung on the island. On the mainland th 
1890, £>. 328 common. Seven ICIe Beaoh, N, J. C. S,Shiek, 
784. Wood Notes and Nest Hunting. By Horace Lunt. Ibid., pp. 
155-160. — Pleasantly written notes about, chiefly, the Wood Pewee and 
Ovenbird. Aim er. Naturalist, XVXX2 
them. 
Has it ever been proved beyond doubt how 
the Wood Pewee and Hummingbirds attach 
the lichen so tightly to their nests? I am 
aware that some argue that it is wound on 
with spiders thread; others, again, seem to 
think that the bird uses a sticky fluid, which is 
secrete, similiar to the Eave Swallow. 
Any reader of the O.& O. who will furnish , 
an article, positively from observation how 
and with what it is fastened to, will do me | 
and 110 doubt others a great favor. 
Walter D'A. liyan. 
Kentville, N. S. 
0.& O.Vol.17, June, 1892 p.87-8£ 
