5 
Nest and Eggs of Swainson’s Warbler. 
of the preceding season) proved so very scarce that we often 
spent an entire day in their haunts without either seeing or 
hearing one, and the search for a nest seemed so hopeless 
that I soon abandoned it for a more promising undertaking 
elsewhere. Mr. Wayne, however, continued it with unre¬ 
mitting perseverance, and after many disappointments his 
labours were finally rewarded; for early in June he succeeded 
in finding two nests, the first that have ever been taken. 
His account of the interesting experience, kindly placed in 
my hands for publication, is as follows;— 
“ Feeling sure that a pair of these Warblers had a nest in 
a swamp, I searched the place carefully many days in succes¬ 
sion. The male was usually present, but he sang in so many 
different places that I could not tell where his mate and eggs 
were concealed. At length (on June 5) while forcing my 
way through a dense tract of canes, I stopped to rest and 
look about, feeling half disposed to give up the task altogether, 
when my eye was suddenly arrested by the sight of a bird 
sitting near at hand on what appeared to be a mass of rub¬ 
bish lodged in the top of a cane. I saw almost immediately 
that it was a Swainson’s Warbler, and advanced, when it 
flew and alighted on the ground, feigning lameness, but 
keeping perfect silence. Upon examining the supposed 
rubbish, I found, to my great delight, that I had at length 
discovered the veritable nest of a Swainson’s Warbler; but 
to my disgust it contained only a single young bird about five 
days old. I shot the male shortly afterwards as it was feed¬ 
ing the young bird, but the female escaped. The nest was 
built in a cane about four feet above a pool of stagnant 
water. 
ee Having now some definite knowledge of the position of 
the nest, I went next day (June 6) to a neighbouring swamp 
where I had seen a pair of the birds. After a short search I 
started the female, which sat very closely, merely dropping to 
the ground as I brushed past the nest, and quickly gliding 
out of sight, simulating lameness like the female of the first 
nest. I waited fully half an hour before she returned 
accompanied by her mate. Both birds chirped like a Parula , 
