Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Dendroica castanea.
Lake Umbagog, Maine. Nest.
1897. As we were following the path which leads around the boat
June 14. cove Jim was lucky enough to find a nest of the Bay-breasted
Warbler containing five fresh eggs. It was on a stout, droop-
ing branch of a large red spruce about 5 ft. from its extremi-
ty, 13 ft. from the main trunk, and 20 ft. above the ground.
The female sat very closely, refusing to move when the branch
was shaken with some violence and only leaving her eggs when
Watrous struck the twigs close over her head with a long stick.
She then flew down into some young arbor vitaes where the male
immediately joined her and both birdsbegan feeding neither
showing any solicitude or appearing to notice the movements
of Mr. Watrous who, with a stout rope, first tied the branch
firmly to the trunk above and then walking out on it secured
the nest and eggs. Previous to this I had of course identi-
fied the female to my entire satisfaction. I also took sev-
eral photographs of the nest before it was disturbed. Like
most nests of this Warbler it showed plainly enough from be-
neath looking very like a large nest of a Chipping Sparrow
but from above and from every side it was well concealed by
the spruce foliage that pressed close over and around it. Be-
fore the female was started her mate was singing steadily in
some hemlocks about 20 yards from the nesting tree. //
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