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ERS
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FOR THE PEOPLE
FOR EDVCATION
FORSCIENCE \
LIBRARY
OF
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM
OF
NATURAL HISTORY
THE WARBLERS
OF
NORTH AMERICA
By FRANK M. CHAPMAN,
Associate Curator of Mammalogy and Ornithology in
the American Museum of Natural History.
BIRD STUDIES WITH A CAMERA, with introductory
Chapters on tbe Outfit and Methods of the Bird Photographer-
Illustrated with over loo Photographs from
Nature by the Author. i2mo. Cloth, $1.75.
HANDBOOK OP BIRDS , OB- EASTERN NORTH
AMERICA.
With Keys to the Species, Descriptions of their
Plumages, Nests, etc., and their Distribution
and Migrations. With over 200 Illustrations.
l2mo.
Library Edition, $3.00.
Pocket Edition, flexible covers, $3.50.
BIRD-LIFE. A Guide to the Study of Our Commoa Birds.
Popular Edition in colors, $2.00 net ; post-
age 1 8 cents additional.
THE WARBLERS OP NORTH AMERICA.
With Contributions from other Ornithologists
and 24 full-page Colored Plates illustrating
every Species, from Drawings by L. A. Fuertes
and B. Horsfall, and Half-tones of Nests and
Eggs. 8vo. Cloth, $3.00 net ; postage 20 cents
additional.
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY. NEW YORK.
/ 4
^^^^j^i^,,^^ -nM--^
\Y^o^. I<1^5
Plate I
1. Yellow Warbler, Male.
2. Yellow Warbler. Female.
3. Mangrove Warbler, Male.
4. Mangrove Warbler, Female.
5. Prairie Warbler, Male.
6. Prairie Warbler, Female.
(one-half natural size.'
THE WARBLERS
OF
NORTH AMERICA
BY
FRANK M. CHAPMAN
WITH THE COOPERATION OF OTHER ORNITHOLOGISTS
friTH TfVENTT-FOUR FULL-PAGE COLORED PLATES, ILLUSTRATING
EVERT SPECIES, FROM DRAfVINGS BY LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES
AND BRUCE HORSFALL, AND HALF-TONES
OF NESTS AND EGGS
NEW YORK
D. APPLETON & COMPANY
1907
Copyright, igoj,
By Frank M. Chapman
All rights reserved
Published, March, igoj
PREFACE
THE WARBLERS have been described as "our most beautiful,
most abundant, and least known birds." The knowledge that
at certain seasons our woods, and even the trees of our larger
city parks are thronged with an innumerable host of birds, the bril-
liancy of whose plumage rivals that of many tropical species, comes to
the bird student with the force of a surprising discovery. One never
forgets one's first Warbler !
Highly migratory, the extended journeys of Warblers are never-
theless performed with regularity which makes their appearance in
the spring a fixed calendar event. The very essence of the season
is in their flitting forms and lisping voices ; without them May would
seem a dreary month and the migration of birds lose half its charm.
But these dainty, fascinating sprites of the tree-tops are elusive.
Years of observation may be required to add to one's list of field
acquaintances the last of the thirty-odd species which, in eastern
North America, may be found at a single locality.
In this quest the field-glass student is handicapped. The small
size of Warblers, their activity, the nature of their haunts, their rapid
journeys, marked seasonal changes in plumage, and the general resem-
blance in the song of many species all tend to render recognition in life
unusually difficult. This book has, therefore, been prepared with the
cooperation of other ornithologists, to meet the demand for a fully
illustrated work which will serve as an aid to the field identification of
Warblers and to the study of their life-histories.
F. M. C.
American Museum of Natural History,
New York City, January, 1907.
Beit gems of Nature's cabinet
With dews of tropic morning wet.
^^Longfellofv
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTORY
Plan of the Work
List of Contributors ....
THE WOOD WARBLERS ....
General Characters of Warblers
Plumage of Warblers ....
Distribution of Warblers
Migration of Warblers, W. W. Cooke •
Songs of Warblers
Nesting Habits of Warblers
Food of Warblers, Edward Howe Forbush
Mortality among Warblers
THE WARBLERS OF NORTH AMERICA
Genus i. Mniotilta
1. Mniotilta varia, Black and White Warbler
Genus 2. Helinaia
2. Helinaia swainsoni, Swainson's Warbler
Genus 3. Helmitheros
3. Helmitheros vennivorus, Worm-eating Warbler.
Genus 4. Protonotaria
4. Protonotaria citrca, Prothonotary Warbler.
Genus 5. Helminthophila
5. Helminthophila chrysoptera, Golden-winged Warbler.
6. " pinus. Blue-winged Warbler.
7. " hachmani, Bachman's Warbler. .
8. " peregrina, Tennessee Warbler. .
9. " celata celata, Orange-crowned Warbler. .
pa. " " orestera, Rocky Mountain Orange-
crown
pb. " " lutescens, Lutescent Warbler. .
pc. " " sordida. Dusky Warbler. .
10. " rubricapilla rubricapilla, Nashville Warb-
ler
lOa. " " gutturalis, Calaveras Warbler.
11. " Virginia, Virginia's Warbler.
12. " lucia:, Lucy's Warbler. . . . .
Page
I
I
5
7
7
7
II
14
20
22
23
33
Z7
38
38
43
44
48
48
53
54
59
60
65
77
83
86
89
90
91
92
97
98
100
Genus 6.
13-
13a.
14-
Genus 7.
15-
Genus 8.
16.
i6a.
i6b.
17.
18.
19.
20.
20a.
21.
22.
22a.
23-
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
30a.
31.
32.
33.
34-
35-
37-
38.
38a.
Genus 9.
39-
40.
41.
41a.
Genus 10.
42.
43-
COMPSOTHLYPIS
Compsothlypis americana americana, Southern Parula
Warbler.
" " usnece, Parula Warbler. .
" pitiayumi nigrilora, Sennett's Warbler.
Feucedramus
Peucedramus olivaceus, Olive Warbler.
Dendroica
Dendroica estiva cestiva, Yellow Warbler. .
" " sonorana, Sonora Yellow Warbler.
" " rubiginosa, Alaskan Yellow Warbler
" bryanti castaneiceps, Mangrove Warbler. .
" maculosa, Magnolia Warbler. .
" tigrina, Cape May Warbler.
" ccerulescens ccerulesccns. Black-throated Blue
Warbler ....
" " cairnsi. Cairns' Warbler.
" coronata, Myrtle Warbler
" auduboni auduboni, Audubon's Warbler. .
" " nigrifrons, Black-fronted Warbler.
" nigresccns. Black-throated Gray Warbler. .
" townsendi, Townsend's Warbler.
" virens, Black-throated Green Warbler.
" chrysoparia, Golden-cheeked Warbler.
" occidentalis, Hermit Warbler.
" ccriilea, Cerulean Warbler
" blackburnicE, Blackburnian Warbler. .
" dominica dominica, Yellow-throated Warbler
" " albilora, Sycamore Warbler.
" grades graciw, Grace's Warbler. .
" pensylvanica, Chestnut-sided Warbler.
" castanea, Bay-breasted Warbler.
" striata, BlackpoU Warbler.
" vigors! vigorsi, Pine Warbler.
" kirtlandi, Kirtland's Warbler.
" discolor. Prairie Warbler
" palmaruni palmarum, Palm Warbler. .
" " hypochrysca, Yellow Palm Warbler
Seiurus
Seiurus aurocapillus, Oven-bird
" motacilla, Louisiana Water-Thrush.
" noveboracensis noveboracensis. Northern Water-
Thrush. ....
" " notabilis, Grinnell's Water-Thrush
Oporornis
Oporornis formosa, Kentucky Warbler.
" agilis, Connecticut Warbler.
Page
102
103
104
109
no
no
113
119
120
121
121
128
133
140
141
154
157
162
167
170
175
180
184
185
187
192
196
201
206
209
213
216
218
219
226
230
234
235
235
241
44- Oporornis Philadelphia, Mourning Warbler.
45. " tolmiei, Macgillivray's Warbler.
Genus 11. Geothlypis
46. Geothlypis trichas trichas, Southern Yellow-throat. .
46a. " " brachidactyla, Northern Yellow-throat
46b. " " occidentalis, Western Yellow-throat.
46c. " " arizela, Pacific Yellow-throat
46d. " " sinuosa, Salt Marsh Yellow-throat.
47. " beldingi, Belding's Yellow-throat.
Genus 12. Cham;ethlypis
48. Chamc^thlypis poliocephala poliocephala, Rio Grande
Yellow-throat.
Genus 13. Icteria
49. Icteria virens virens, Yellow-breasted Chat.
49a. " " longicauda, Long-tailed Chat.
Genus 14. WiLSONiA
50. IVilsonia mitrata, Hooded Warbler.
51. " pusilla pusilla, Wilson's Warbler.
51a. " " pileolata, Pileolated Warbler
51b.
52.
Genus 15
53-
Genus 16.
54-
55-
HYPOTHETICAL LIST
INDEX.
" " chryseola, Golden Pileolated Warbler.
" canadensis, Canadian Warbler.
Cardellina
Cardellina rubrifrons, Red-faced Warbler.
Setophaga
Setophaga ruticilla, American Redstart.
" picta picta, Painted Redstart.
Page
244
249
251
257
251
259
260
261
261
263
263
263
264
268
269
269
274
278
279
280
285
28s
287
287
295
299
301
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Plate.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
XXII.
XXIII.
XXIV.
COLORED PLATES
Facing Page.
Yellow, Mangrove, and Prairie Warblers. Horsfall. . Frontispiece
Blackpoll and Black and White Warblers. Horsfall. .
Blackburnian and Prothonotary Warblers. Horsfall. .
Bach man's, Swainson's, and Worm-eating Warblers. Fuertes
Blue-winged, Lawrence's, Brewster's, and Golden-winged
Warblers. Fuertes.
Olive, Lucy's, and Virginia's Warblers. Fuertes.
Tennessee, Orange-crowned, and Nashville Warblers. Hors
fall
fa
Fuertes.
Parula and Sennett's Warblers. Fuertes. .
Cerulean and Black-throated Blue Warblers
Myrtle and Audubon's Warblers. Fuertes
Magnolia and Kirtland's Warblers. Horsfall. .
Bay-breasted and Chestnut-sided Warblers. Horsfall. .
Yellow-throated, Grace's, and Black-throated Gray Warblers
Fuertes
Black-throated Green and Golden-cheeked Warblers. Horsfall.
Hermit and Townsend's Warblers. Fuertes.
Cape May and Palm Warblers. Fuertes. .
Rio Grande Yellow-throat, Oven-bird, Northern
Thrush, Louisiana Water-Thrush. Fuertes. .
Kentucky and Connecticut Warblers. Horsfall.
Macgillivray's and Mourning Warblers. Horsfall.
Belding's and Northern Yellow-throats. Fuertes.
Hooded Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat. Horsfall.
Wilson's and Canadian Warblers. Fuertes.
American and Painted Redstarts. Horsfall.
Pine and Red-faced Warblers. Horsfall.
38
50
64
72
98
86
104
112
118
126
138
152
162
170
214
226
236
244
252
264
280
288
296
PHOTOGRAPHS OF NESTS AND EGGS
Figures. Facing Page.
1. Nest of Prothonotary Warbler. 58
2. Nest of Parula Warbler 58
3-32. Eggs of Warblers 44
3S. Nest of Yellow Warbler 188
34. Nest of Chestnut-sided Warbler 188
35-64. Eggs of Warblers 144
65-94. Eggs of Warblers 176
95. Nest of Blackpoll Warbler .... 200
96. Nest of Oven-bird. 200
97-126. Eggs of Warblers 258
127. Nest of Redstart 272
128. Nest of Hooded Warbler 272
INTRODUCTORY
PLAN OF THE WORK
The plan on which this work was projected was outHned in
'Bird-Lore' for April, 1903 (pp. 61-63). Responding to frequent
and continued requests for a book treating especially of Warblers,
the writer, as editor of that magazine, asked ornithologists to assist
in the preparation of the proposed volume by contributing the results
of their observations of the habits of Warblers, and added:
"Continued study of our birds emphasizes the absolute necessity
of many observers if we are to have anything approaching adequate
biographies of even a single species. Habits should be affirmed or
denied only on the basis of abundant data; again, what proves true
of a species in one part of its range may be incorrect in another;
and we need, therefore, not only many observations from one place,
but from many places throughout a bird's range before we can write
its life-history with an approach to thoroughness. Cooperation, there-
fore, is the watchword of the bird study of to-day.
"The truth is, the best of bird biographies tell only the story of the
individual rather than the species. Life is too short for a single
student to acquire a thorough knowledge of more than a few species
of birds, and even then his experience is apt to be limited to a small
part of their range. In the writer's opinion, the bird biographies in
Bendire's 'Life Histories of North American Birds' are among the
best, if not the best of any which have been written. This is not
solely because of Alajor Bendire's wide field experience and powers
of observation, but also because he secured the cooperation of orni-
thologists throughout the country. It was not required that they
should be skilled in painting pen pictures of bird-life ; facts, not rhe-
torical flights, were wanted, and the result is one of the most satis-
factory books of reference of its kind.
"There is an object-lesson for us here. In our enthusiastic appre-
ciation of the bird as a creature of rare grace and beauty, the final
touch giving life to woods and fields, let us not forget that as bird
students we are here more intimately concerned with the birds' habits
2 PLAN OF THE WORK
than with the part they play as the 'jewels of creation,' when, with
no loss of appreciation of the esthetic side of bird-life, we may make
our bird biographies a storehouse of exact and detailed observations
in regard to a bird's distribution, migrations, its manner of courting,
singing, nest-building, incubating, caring for its young, the relation
between its structure and habit, etc."
The concluding lines were then expanded into an outline bio-
graphy representing the manner in which it was desired to treat each
species; and it may at once be confessed that in only a small number
of instances have contributions been received which would permit
of the treatment proposed. Of observations on migration, numerical
abundance, local distribution, and nesting dates, there have been no
lack ; valuable descriptions of haunts, actions, and, particularly, of
song have been sent, but the minute, intimate study revealing the
bird's inner life and relation to its surroundings has, in most
instances, yet to be made. Such studies result only from definitely
directed and prolonged observation, and, in the development of orni-
thological science in America, we are only just beginning to receive
contributions from naturalists who, not content with the mere ability
to name the birds of their own locality and describe their habits in
a general way, have chosen some particular subject or species for
thorough investigation. However, it is believed that the present
volume adequately reflects existing knowledge of the North American
Mniotiltidae and it is hoped, therefore, may prove a stable foundation
on which to build a more complete structure.
At the outset the author disclaims any special knowledge of the
members of the family of which this book treats. Circumstances,
some of which have been before mentioned, have induced him to
undertake its preparation ; and only the generous cooperation of other
workers has enabled him to complete the task.
A special effort has been made to acknowledge fully all sources
of assistance. Manuscript contributions have been marked as such,
while information which has been previously published is, when prac
ticable, given in the words of its author. In this connection intro
ductory and transition remarks and other editorial ear-marks, which
become tiresome through frequent repetition and tend to rob the
matter quoted of its own distinctive character through the needless
interposition of another personality, have been avoided as much as
possible. While the result may be a less finished, it is, to our mind, a
more effective whole.
PLAN OF THE WORK 3
It should be added that in the selection of material, other things
being equal, preference has been given to articles which have appeared
in magazines, and in the publications of scientific societies which are
comparatively inaccessible ; while those books which can be more
readily purchased have been used only when other sources of infor-
mation have failed.
/\ list of the contributors, or co-authors of this volume is
given on a succeeding page, but it is desired here to specify the
nature of the material they have contributed, as well as to comment
in a more or less explanatory way, on the book's contents.
Preliminary Chapters. — The subjective matter herein contained
was prepared by the writer with the exception of the article on
'Migration,' which is by W. W. Cooke, and that on 'The Food of
Warblers,' which was written by E. H. Forbush.
Descriptions of Plumages, etc. — The description of plumages,
with remarks on genera and comments on species are by the writer.
They are based on the collection of the American Museum of Natural
History and the admirable series of carefully sexed Warblers in the
collection of Dr. J. Dwight, Jr., which is deposited in the museum,
but thanks are also due Robert Ridgway, Curator of Birds of the
United States National Museum, and Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Chief
of the Biological Survey, for permission to examine the birds under
their charge, as well as to William Brewster and Dr. L. B. Bishop
for an opportunity to study the Warblers contained in their private
collections. It is a pleasure to acknowledge here, also, the assistance
derived from the second volume of Ridgway 's 'Birds of North and
Middle America' which includes the Warblers, and Dwight's 'The
Sequence of Plumages and Moults of the Passerine Birds of New York.'
The measurement of 'Length' here given is taken from study
'skins', first, because a large series of measurements taken in the flesh,
of all the species treated, is not available ; and, second, because it is
believed that the measurement of the length of a properly prepared
skin gives a more nearly correct idea of the size of the living bird,
than does the measurement of the recently killed, usually relaxed,
and more or less stretched specimen.
Range. — The paragraphs on distribution are, in the main, by
W. W. Cooke with additions by the author who is responsible for
the range given of the various subspecies of Warblers.
Migration. — The migration tables, assuredly one of the most
valuable features of the book, have been prepared entirely by W. W.
4 PLAN OF THE WORK
Cooke of the Biological Survey. For the past twenty years orni-
thologists throughout the country have been sending data on bird
migration to the Survey. In the preparation of Bulletin No. i8 of the
Survey ('Distribution and Migration of North American Warblers'),
it was Professor Cooke's duty to elaborate this unequalled store of
migration records, and the matter here given is based on that work,
the migration records being presented in a tabular form which makes
them easy of reference and comparison.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Under this heading an attempt has
been made to present a picture of the bird in nature; sketching its
appearance and actions as well as describing its haunts, both while
migrating and nesting. Here are also occasionally included remarks
on the time, place, or manner of the discovery of the bird or its nest
and eggs, with other pertinent historical details, and, in some
instances, biographical data which seem more in place here than in
any other section of the outline for treatment adopted.
Especially valuable contributions to this department were made
by Gerald Thayer, Frank L. Burns, Verdi Burtch, Walter K. Fisher,
and Andrew Allison.
Song. — Under this caption the call-notes as well as the songs of
Warblers are treated. Always a difficult and unsatisfactory subject
to deal with, it is particularly so in the case of the Warblers, the
calls and songs of most of which lack sufficient character to be des-
cribed recognizably. However, the impressions of different observers
in widely separated localities are presented, not with the expectation
that what they have written will give one an adequate idea of the
particular song in question, but that it will lead to its identification
when heard.
Miss Paddock, Mrs. Farwell, Gerald Thayer, and Andrew Allison
have made notable contributions to this part of the book, and
Lynds Jones has permitted liberal use of his 'Songs of Warblers'.
The student should also consult Matthews' 'Fieldbook of Wild Birds
and their Music' (Putnams) which being readily procurable has not
been quoted from.
Nesting-Site and Nest. — The method of treatment of these
sections requires but little comment. The abundant literature of the
subject has been freely drawn on, reference showing the source o\
information. The collections of the American Museum, William
Brewster, and C. W. Crandall have been used, while particularly
accept able manuscript contributions were made by Andrew Allison,
Frank L. Burns, and A'erdi Burtch.
PLAN OF THE WORK 5
Eggs. — The descriptions and measurements of the eggs were pre-
pared by Mr. C. W. Crandall, well known as a careful, conservative
oologist. Mr. Crandall possesses one of the largest private collections
of eggs in the country, and his work is therefore based on abundance
of material. The eggs figured are, in the main, from Mr. Crandall's
collection with additions from the collections of the American Mus-
eum of Natural History and of Mr. J. L. Childs.
Nesting Dates. — Unless otherwise specified the dates here given
are the earliest and latest at which full sets of fresh eggs were found.
Most of the data here presented were contributed by the ornithologists
whose names are given as authority, but the collections of the Ameri-
can Museum and of Mr. C. W, Crandall as well as the literature of
the subject have also been drawn on.
Biographical References. — As the heading indicates this biblio-
graphical matter is restricted to articles treating of the habits of the
bird in question. Where quotations are made from these articles due
acknowledgment is made by cross-reference in the text.
Contributors. — In the preceeding comments on the plan of the
book, the principal contributors to it have been mentioned. Assist-
ance, however, was received from many others, in some cases merely
a nesting date, in others more extended notes. Whenever used such
matter is duly acknowledged and we give here an alphabetical list of
all contributors of manuscript to the book. The impossibility of
including in this list the names of the hundreds of observers on whose
work the migration tables are based is regretted, but Professor
Cooke assures us that the manner in which these data are presented
makes it impossible to give credit where credit is due.
To Mr. Waldron DeWitt Miller and Mr. Robert C. Murphy I
am much indebted for assistance in reading proof.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
Allison, Andrew, Ellisville, Miss.
Attwater, H. P., Houston, Texas.
Bagg, Egbert, Utica, N. Y.
Barrows, Walter B., Agricultural College, Mich.
Bishop, Louis B., New Haven, Conn.
Bowles, C. W. and J. H., Tacoma, Wash.
Brewster, William, Cambridge, Mass.
Burns, Frank L., Berwyn, Pa.
Burtch, Verdi, Branchport, N. Y.
PLAN OF THE WORK
Christy, Bayard H., Sewickley, Pa.
Cooke, W. W., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C.
Crandall, C. W., Woodside, L. I.
Dille, F. M., Denver, Colo.
Farwell, Mrs. John V., Jr., Lake Forest, Ills.
Fisher, Walter K., Palo Alto, Cal.
Forbush, E. H., Wareham, Mass.
Ganier, A. F., Vicksburg, Miss.
Gault, B. F., Glen Ellyn, Ills.
Holmes, LaRue K., the late, Summit, N. J.
Jackson, T. H., West Chester, Pa.
Jacobs, J. Warren, Waynesburg, Pa.
Jones, Lynds, Oberlin, Ohio.
Kells, Wm. L., Listowel, Ont.
Knight, O. W., Bangor, Me.
Koch, August, Williamsport, Pa.
McDavitt, Ina Lord, Vineland, N. J.
Mailliard, J. J., San Geronimo, Calif.
Morgan, Albert, Hartford, Conn.
Paddock, Miss I. M., St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Sears, Miss Annie L., Waltham, Mass.
Spaulding, F. B., Lancaster, N. H.
Stephens, Frank, San Diego, Calif.
Thayer, Gerald H., Dublin, N. H.
Wayne, A. T., Mt. Pleasant, S. C.
Widmann, Otto, St. Louis. Mo.
Wood, N. A., Ann Arbor, Mich.
THE WOOD WARBLERS
THE GENERAL CHARACTERS OF WARBLERS
The American Warblers (Family Mniotiltidae), or Wood
Warblers as they are more formally called to distinguish them from
the wholly different Old World Warblers (Family Sylviidae), are
small insectivorous birds with generally slender, sharp-pointed,
sometimes flattened, but never hooked (as in the Vireonidae) bills.
The three or four outer primaries are longest and of nearly the
same length, the tarsus is posteriorly ridged (not rounded as in the
Tyrannidae), the hind-claw never lengthened (as in the Alaudidae or
Motacillidae).
The broad, bristly billed, flycatching members of the family are
too brightly colored to be mistaken for most North American repre-
sentatives of the true Flycatchers (Family Tyrannidae), from which
they differ in other respects, and, among North American birds,
the Warblers are to be confused in nature only with the Vireos and
Kinglets. From the Vireos they differ in wing-formula and in lack-
ing a hooked bill, while in life they may usually be distinguished from
them by their greater activity. The Vireos are more deliberate in
movement, they peer, while the Warblers pirouette, or flutter, turning
the whole body this way then that, darting or springing here or there,
the embodiment of perpetual motion among birds.
The Kinglets are smaller than the smallest Warbler, except
Lucy's Warbler. In the Golden-crowned Kinglet the black and
orange or yellow crest is always diagnostic, while the Ruby-crown's
habit of nervously twitching its wings, and wren-like call note will
readily distinguish it from any Warbler.
PLUMAGE OF WARBLERS
Development of Plumage. — When a Warbler leaves the egg it is
apparently naked, but close examination will reveal on the feather-
tracts of the upper surface of the body a scanty growth of the finest
down. This is the 'natal down'. (See Dwight, The Sequence of
8 PLUMAGE OF WARBLERS
Plumages and Moults of the Passerine Birds of New York.'; While
the bird is in the nest this downy plumage is succeeded by a second
plumage which has been termed both the 'first' and the 'juvenal'
plumage but which, in my opinion, among altricial birds, may best be
known as the nestling plumage.
Where, in the newly hatched bird, there was down, it is forced
outward by the rapidly growing feathers of the nestling plumage,
on the tips of which it remains for a brief period. Where there
was no natal down, the nestling plumage is the first plumage to appear.
When, at the age of about twelve to fourteen days, the young
bird leaves the nest, the nestling plumage of its body is virtually
complete, but the tail is stumpy and the wings, although they support
the bird in its first uncertain flight, are not fully grown. Both
wings and tail, however, belong also, as we shall see, to the first
fall plumage, and the distinctive nestling plumage may therefore
be said to be wholly acquired in the nest.
No time intervenes between the completion of the nestling plu-
mage and the appearance of the first feathers of the first fall plumage,
traces of which indeed may often be detected in the feather tracts
of the breast before the wings and tail are fully grown.
This first fall plumage is acquired by molt of the feathers of the
nestling plumage and the development of a new growth of feathers.
The wing and the tail quills and the primary wing-coverts are retained,
but the remaining wing-coverts and all the feathers of the body are
shed.
Although there may be some feather-growth during the winter,
the first fall plumage remains virtually unchanged until the following
spring, when, by a molt involving the feathers of various parts of
the body, but not those of the wings and tail, the first breeding plu-
mage is acquired.
With the exception of Helminthophila bachmani, Peucedramus
olivaceus, Dendroica chrysoparia, and Setophaga ruticilla, which
apparently do not secure their mature plumage until their first post-
breeding molt (at the beginning of their second autumn), the first
breeding plumage resembles that of the mature bird, except for such
minor differences as may be shown in the intensity of color of the
wings and tail.
Following the nesting season, in accordance with the almost
universal law of molt, an entirely new set of feathers, including wing
and tail quills, is gained, and this, like the plumage of the first fall,
PLUMAGE OF WARBLERS 9
is unchanged until the succeeding spring when certain feathers of the
body may be changed, and, thereafter, this order of molt is apparently
followed by the species.
Nestling Plumage. — It is difficult, if not impossible, to frame a
law which shall express the relations of the nestling plumage of
Warblers to their adult plumage. When, however, the adult is olive-
green above, yellow or whitish below and without spots or streaks,
the young is dull olive-green or olive-brown above, dusky olive or
grayish below with the belly whitish or yellowish.
Examples are Helminthophila peregrina, H. rubricapilla, H.
pinus, Dendroica vigorsi, Geothlypis trichas, Oporornis formosa,
Wilsonia pusilla, W. mitrata, and Icteria virens.
When the plumage of the adult is varied in pattern with streaks
or spots, etc., the plumage of the nestling, while it may be widely
different, is generally streaked or spotted. Examples are Mniotilta
varia, Dendroica coronata, D. audnboni, D. maculosa, D. striata, D.
castanea, D. blackburnice, D. palmarum, and the Seiuri.
When the adult is gray above the nestling is gray, as in Helmin-
thophila lucice, Dendroica nigrescens, and D. dominica; and when the
adult is brown above the nestling is brown or brownish, as in Helinaia
swainsoni, Hehnitheros vermivoriis, and Seinrus aurocapillus.
As might be expected, indications of common ancestry are betrayed
by the nestling plumage. The nestlings of Dendroica coronata and
D. auduboni, for instance, while quite unlike the nestling of any other
Warbler known to me, very closely resemble one another, and the
spotted nestlings of Dendroica striata and D. castanea are almost
indistinguishable. Among the more uniformly plumaged, olive-green
birds this similarity in the plumage of the nestling also prevails.
An interesting character shown by the nestling, with but few
exceptions, is the presence of wing-bars when they are absent or
obscure in the adult. These bars are usually buff but are gen-
erally in strong contrast to the wing-coverts, of which they form the
tip. With the molt from nestling into first fall plumage, these coverts
are shed and the bars lost, a fact which suggests that the unbarred
wing represents a higher stage in the development of the species
than the barred wing.
When, in the adults, there exists a sexual difference in the color
of the wings or tail, the nestling presents a corresponding difference
in color, since both wings and tail are retained until after the first
nesting season (^. g. Dendroica ccerulescens) . When, however, no
such difference exist?, the nestlings of both sexes are alike in color.
lO PLUMAGE OF WARBLERS
First Fall Plumage. — Leaving aside for the moment the question
of the relation of the fall plumage of the young to that of the adult,
it will be found that most of our Warblers in first fall plumage
conform to the general laws of color in relation to sex and age. These
may be stated as follows:
1. When the adults are alike or nearly alike in plumage, the
young in first fall plumage resemble their parents in spring plumage.
Examples are Protonotaria, Helmitheros, Helinaia, Helminthophila
pinus, H. lucicc, Dendroica dominica, the Seiiiri, Oporornis formosa,
Icteria virens, Setophaga picta, Cardellina.
2. When the adults in breeding plumage differ, the young of
both sexes resemble either the breeding female or the adults in the
fall. This class includes by far the largest number of Warblers.
Examples are Mniotilta, Helminthophila rubricapilla, H. celata, H.
peregrina, Peucedramus, Compsothlypis, Dendroica tigrina, D. crstiva,
D. coronata, D. auduboni, D. maculosa, D. pensylvanica, D. striata,
D. castanea, D. blackburnice, D. nigrescens, D. virens, D. tozvnsendi,
D. palmarum, D. discolor, Oporornis agilis, 0. Philadelphia, 0.
tolmiei. Exceptions are Helminthophila chrysoptera, Dendroica
ccerulescens, and Wilsonia mitrata.
Adult plumage. — Essentially adult plumage, as we have seen, is
acquired not later than the first spring molt by all our Warblers except
Helminthophila bachmani, Peucedramus, Dendroica chrysoparia,
and Setophaga ruticilla, in which it is doubtless acquired immediately
after the first breeding season, or in the following spring.
Once acquired, the adult plumage, as far as color is concerned,
may remain virtually unaltered, or it may be changed for a widely
different fall plumage to be worn until the approach of the next nest-
ing season, when the mature breeding dress is regained.
These facts may be expressed in two laws as follows :
1. When the sexes are alike, or nearly alike, in color, the fall
plumage of both is generally like the spring plumage. Examples are
Protonotaria, Helinaia, Helmitheros, Helminthophila lucicc, H.
virginicp, H. pinus, Dendroica dominica, D. gracice, D. kirtlandi, the
Seiuri, Chamccthlypis, Setophaga picta, and Cardellina.
2. When the male in spring plumage differs from the female, he
generally resembles her in fall plumage. There are numerous excep-
tions to this law but it holds good for most species in which there is
marked sexual difference. Examples are: Dendroica tigrina, D. coro-
nata, D. auduboni, D. maculosa, D. pensylvanica, D. castanea, D.
striata, D. blackburnicr. Exceptions are: Helminthophila bachmani,
DISTRIBUTION OF WARBLERS II
H. chrysoptera, Peucedramiis, Dendroica cccrnlescens, Oporornis
agilis, and 0. tolmiei.
DISTRIBUTION OF WARBLERS
The approximately one hundred and fifty-five species contained in
the family Mniotiltidae are distributed in summer from Argentina
to Labrador and northern Alaska, including the West Indies and
Galapagos. During the winter few species are found north of the
southern border of the United States. The wide range of some
species makes a geographical analysis of the group difficult, but by
allotting a species to the region in which it occupies the largest area,
we have the following results:
South America 40 species
Galapagos 10 species
Central America and Mexico 30 species
West Indies 20 species
North America 55 species
Twenty-six of the 40 South American species are contained in
the genus Basileutcrus and the remaining 14 belong to the genera
Myioborus (9 species), Geothlypis (4 species) and Compsothlypis
(i species). , „
Nine of the Galapagan species belong in the somewhat aberrant
genus Cert hid ca, placed in this family for the first time by Mr. Ridg-
way, and one is a Yellow Warbler of the West Indian petechia group.
Central America and Mexico, omitting the northern part of the
tableland, have 6 species of Basileutcrus, 2 of Oreothlypis, i of
Compsothlypis, i of Helminthophila, 6 of Geothlypis, 2 of Chnmce-
thlypis, 4 of Granatcllus, 3 of Myioborus, i of Euthlypis, 2 of Erga-
ticns, and 2 of Rhodinocichla.
The West Indies have 10 species of Dendroica, i of Catharopeza,
2 of Teretistris, i of Leucopesa, i of Microligea and 5 of Geothlypis.
The constitution of the 16 North American genera is stated on
a later page. It is evident, therefore, that, although of tropical origin,
the Warblers now reach their highest numerical development in North
America.
Of the 16 genera of Warblers found in North America, the
following 7 have no species breeding south of our limits: Mnio-
tilta, Helinaia, Hehnitheros, Protonotaria, (all monotypic), Opor-
ornis, Seiurus, and Wilsonia. None of the 9 species of Helmintho-
phila nest south of the Mexican tableland, all but one entering North
12 DISTRIBUTION OF WARBLERS
America. Icteria also extends southward over the Mexican tableland
and, with Helminthophila, is more North American than Mexican,
though doubtless of Mexican origin.
This leaves 7 genera whose breeding range still includes an area
in the tropics. Of these the following 6 enter North America
through Mexico: Compsothlypis, Peucedramus, Geothlypis, Chamce-
thlypis, Cardellina, and Setophaga. With the exception of the forms
of Geothlypis trichas, which have apparently reached the Bahamas
through Florida, none of these genera is known to be represented in
the breeding season in the West Indies.
On the other hand, Dendroica is evidently a West Indian genus.
Excepting members of the widely distributed Yellow or Golden
Warbler group, Mexico has no species of this genus which are not
found in the United States, although 3 of our species extend south-
ward into Mexico as geographic forms (i. e. D. auduboni nigrifrons,
D. a. goldmani, and D. gracico decora, the latter reaching Honduras).
The West Indies, however, without including the Golden War-
blers, have 7 resident species of Dendroica, 5 of which are represented
in North America by closely related forms (i. e. D. adelaidce and
D. delicata, by our D. dominica and D. grades; D. vigorsii achnistera
and abacoensis, by D. v. vigorsi; D. vitellina, by D. discolor).
In this evident West Indian origin of Dendroica, we have a prob-
able explanation of the numerical abundance of the birds of this genus
in the Eastern states as compared with the Western states. Of the 23
North American species, only one, the phenomenally distributed Yellow
Warbler, is found in both the Eastern and Western states. 6 occur in
the west but not in the east, one appears to be restricted to east central
Texas, and 15 are found in the east but not in the west.
This restriction of forms of West Indian origin to the Eastern
states, in connection with their confinement to these islands in
winter, leads us to consider HcUnaia and HeJmithcvos, both confined
to the east, as of West Indian rather than of l^.Texican origin.
As might be expected, therefore, forms of Mexican origin (e. g.
Icteria and Geothlypis), which spread both to the east and the west,
are likely to occupy a larger area than those which enter our limits
at their extreme southeastern border. In other words, we share with
the west many of the Warblers of Mexican origin, but give her in
return few or none of those which have been received from the West
Indies.
Continuing the comparison begun under Dendroica, we find, in
the first place, that the west has only 2 genera of Warblers not repre-
DISTRIBUTION OF WARBLERS
13
sented in the east, i. e. Cardellina and Peucedramus of the Mexican
tableland, which cross our border in Arizona and New Mexico. The
east, on the contrary, has the 2 genera mentioned above as of probable
West Indian origin and also Mniotilta and Protonotaria.
Chamcothlypis reaches our border on the lower Rio Grande, and
Compsothlypis comes to us through the same door and, evidently
finding the arid region of the west a bar to range extension in that
direction, has followed the humid coast to the north and east. Doubt-
less the origin of several other species (e. g. Oporornis formosa, and
IVilsonia mitrata) of eastern Warblers is to be accounted for in a
similar manner.
The remaining 8 genera are common to both regions but it is
worthy of note that only i of them is presumably of West Indian origin.
Omitting, therefore, Chamcsthlypis and Compsothlypis, as occupying
neutral ground, the east has 12 genera of Warblers, the west 10. In
species, however, chiefly owing to the large number of species of Den-
droica derived from the West Indies, and to those of other genera
which have spread from eastern Mexico eastward, the difference
between the east and the west is more pronounced. It is expressed in
the following figures : Species found in both the east and west, 7 ;
species found only in the west, 13; species found only in the east, 32;
Texas species, 3 ; thus giving the east 39 species as against 20 for the
west.
It should be added that this comparison is based on the Warblers
of the Atlantic States with those of the Pacific States, no account here
being taken of the northwestward distribution of some species to
Alaska bringing them properly into the bird-life of western North
America, though obviously of eastern origin.
The subject is a wide one and absence of definite knowledge of
the past tempts us to speculate on the significance of the present.
This outline, however, may well be concluded by the appended
Distributional Synopsis of the Family Mniotiltid.^.
Mniotilta, i species, eastern North America.
Helinaia, i species, eastern North America.
Helmitheros, i species, eastern North America.
Protonotaria, i species, eastern North America.
Helminth ophila, 9 species, 8 North America, i Mexico.
Oreothlypis, 2 species, Mexico and Central America.
Compsothlypis, 3 species, South America from Argentina north
to Central America, Mexico, and eastern North America.
14 MIGRATION OF WARBLERS
Peucedramiis, i species, Guatemala, Mexico, southern Arizona
and New Mexico.
Dendroica, 34 species, South America, Central America, Mexico,
West Indies, North America.
Catharopeza, i species, West Indies.
Oporornis, 4 species, North America.
Seiiirus, 3 species. North America.
Teretistris, 2 species. West Indies.
Lencopeza, i species. West Indies.
Microligea, i species, West Indies.
Geothlypis, 19 species, South America from Argentina north to
Central America, Mexico, Bahamas, and North America.
Charnccthlypis, 2 species, Mexico, Texas.
Icteria, i species, North America and Mexico.
Granatellus, 4 species, South America, Central America and
Mexico.
Wilsonia, 3 species, North America.
Cardellina, i species, Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico.
Setophaga, 2 species. North America, Mexico, Guatemala.
Myiohorus, 12 species. South America, Central America, Mexico.
Euthlypis, I species. Central America, Mexico.
Basileuteriis, 32 species. South America north to Central
America, and Mexico.
Ergaticus, 2 species, Central America, Mexico.
Certhidea, 9 species, Galapagos Archipelago.
Rhodinocichla, 2 species. Northern South America to Mexico.
MIGRATION OF WARBLERS
BY W. W. COOKE
Scarcely a W^arbler in the United States remains through the
winter in the vicinity of its nesting site, while most of the North
American members of this family travel many hundreds, or even
thousands of miles, to their winter home. Among the few exceptions
are a small number of Southern Yellow-throats (Geothlypis trichas
trichas) that are resident throughout the year in Florida and southern
Georgia, and also a few of the western form of the Orange-crowned
Warbler ( Helminthophila c. sordida) resident on the Santa Barbara
Islands, California.
The Pine Warbler has one of the shortest of Warbler migration
routes, for it does not pass farther south in winter than the southern
MIGRATION OF WARBLERS 15
limit of its breeding range; migration with this species, therefore, is
simply the withdrawing of the northern breeding individuals and
the massing of the whole species in the southern fourth of its summer
home. This same Pine Warbler is also one of the very few species
that are confined in the winter season almost entirely to the United
States.
One of the greatest travellers among the Warblers is the Black-
poll, of which species comparatively few individuals breed south of
Canada, and all winter in South America. The shortest journey that
any Blackpoll performs is 3,500 miles, while those that nest in Alaska
have 7,000 miles to travel to their probable winter home in Brazil.
Some individuals of most of the species of Warblers desert the
United States during the winter and, indeed, there are only a few
species that can be found at all in this country during cold weather.
The Myrtle Warbler is the hardiest, many wintering regularly
as far north as southern New York, while a few may remain in
Massachusetts and in Maine, Most of the Palm Warblers spend the
winter in the Gulf States; a few Black and White Warblers occur
in winter in northern Florida in company with Orange-crowned and
Yellow-throated Warblers, some Oven-birds and an occasional
Northern Water-Thrush; while, in southern Florida a few Worm-
eating, Parula, Black-throated Blue, and Prairie Warblers may be
found.
The Black and White, Nashville, Orange-crowned, Alyrtle, and
.Sycamore Warblers occur during the winter in Texas, principally
in the southern part. On the Pacific slope, at this season, Audubon's
Warbler ranges north to southern Oregon, and Townsend's Warbler
is found in southern California.
Most of the species, and by far the larger number of individuals,
therefore, go south of the United States in their migration, but
the distance they travel varies greatly. The Prairie, Black-
throated Blue, Swainson's, Bachman's, Cape May and Kirtland's
Warblers go only to the West Indies. The Worm-eating, Myrtle,
Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, Hooded, Blue-
winged, Nashville, Orange-crowned, Parula, Palm, and Wilson's
Warblers and the Chat, go no farther than Central America, while
many species spend the winter in South America including some, or
all the individuals of the Black and White, Prothonotary, Golden-
winged, Tennessee, Yellow, Cerulean, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Black-
burnian, Kentucky, Connecticut, ^Mourning and Canadian Warblers,
l6 MIGRATION OF WARBLERS
the Redstart, Oven-bird and both the Water-Thrushes. Nearly all
the Warblers of the western United States spend the winter in Mexico
and the contiguous portions of Central America.
Knowing that so many Warblers from the eastern United States
spend the cold season in South America, and seeing the cham of
islands in the West Indies stretching from Florida to Venezuela, one
would suppose these islands to be the principal route of migration
between the two countries. As a fact no Warbler takes the shortest
course between New England and South America, by a direct flight
across the ocean, as is done by many of the water birds, and few
Warblers reach South America by way of the West Indies. The
BlackpoU and the Connecticut Warbler are probably the only ones
that use this route regularly and commonly, while the rest of the
Warblers of the eastern United States, follow along the coast to
Florida, then make a long flight across the Gulf of Mexico and thus,
by a roundabout course through Central America, reach their winter
home in South America. In the case of the Yellow Warbler, the
route actually followed is about two thousand miles longer than a
straight course across the Atlantic Ocean, The reasons for taking the
longer journey seem to be the impossibility of making so long a single
flight (2,500 miles) as would be required by the direct course from
New England to Venezuela and the scarcity of food in the West
Indies due to the small size of the eastern islands.
The Warblers are night migrants ; the hundred-mile trip between
Florida and Cuba is apparently always made at night and at such
a speed that, in spring migration, many birds leaving Cuba after sun-
set, arrive on the Florida coast before midnight. The longer flight,
five to seven hundred miles, across the Gulf of Mexico is also evidently
made in a single night without stop or rest. How long a journey
is made each night when the bird is flying over land is as yet unknown.
But either the flight is short or else, after a single night's journey,
the bird stops for several days to feed, for the general advance of a
species in its northward migration is only a few miles per day. The
Black-and-White Warbler, an early migrant, averages only thirteen
miles per day and occupies a whole month in the journey from North
Carolina to Massachusetts. The late migrants move faster and the
Canadian Warbler, one of the latest, averages thirty miles per day
and in a month crosses the whole width of the United States from
the Gulf of Mexico to Canada.
Warblers also perform long migration journeys by day. May-
nard (Birds E. N. A., Rev. ed., 1896, 585) describes a flight of
MIGRATION OF WARBLERS 17
Warblers observed off the eastern coast of Andros Island, Bahamas,
April 26-28, 1884, which lasted three days. Thousands of birds were
seen and none of them flew more than twenty feet above the water.
This observation is confirmed by Chapman (Bird-Lore, VII, 1905,
140) who writes :
"While sailing from Miami, Florida, directly east across the Gulf
stream to the Bahamas, in May, 1904, I observed three small bodies
of migrating Warblers flying toward Florida. The birds were not
so high in the air as we might have expected them to be, but were
flying low, within a few feet of the water.
"The first group of six or seven birds, among them a Redstart, was
seen about 6 a. m.. May 10, when we were some six miles from land,
which was still, of course, plainly visible. Later in the day, when we
were about midway between the Florida coast and the Biminis, the
nearest Bahaman land, a compact flock of seventy five to one hundred
Warblers passed us, flying slightly north of west. The birds were
not more than ten feet above the water and were evidently not guided
by sight in their choice of direction.
"On the morning of May 11, as we approached the Bahaman
banks, between the Biminis and Great Isaacs, a third group of War-
blers was seen, and they, like the two preceding, were flying toward
Florida within a few feet of the water."
Warblers make the long five hundred mile flight across the Gulf
of Mexico from choice, since, if they desired, they could cross from
Florida to Cuba and from Cuba to Yucatan without being out of
sight of land. So far as now known, no Warbler uses this route in
migration, preferring the straight course over the Gulf. It seems
probable that even this five hundred mile flight is not severely
exhaustive to the average bird as there are good reasons for believing
that after crossing the Gulf of Mexico in the spring, many Warblers
do not descend to earth as soon as they sight the coast, but continue
inland many miles before alighting.
The farther north a Warbler goes the faster it migrates. The
Blackpoll Warblers that nest in Alaska occupy a month in the
thousand-mile trip from Florida to southern Minnesota, or an average
of about thirty-five miles per day; while these same birds make the
last part of their journey, 2,500 miles to Alaska, in not over two
weeks, or at an average speed of at least two hundred miles per day.
When Warblers are feeding in the daytime during the migration
season, they are continually on the move and their general direction
is toward their summer home. This movement is not rapid, a person
l8 MIGRATION OF WARBLERS
on foot can easily keep up with the shifting flocks, but in the aggre-
gate it amounts to quite a portion of the whole distance to be traversed.
The northward or southward migration of Warblers is not a
constant, uniform movement, but rather a succession of waves.
Yesterday the woods were deserted, to-day almost every tree is alive
with a flitting host of bright-hued migrants ; in a few hours they have
passed, to be followed, at longer or shorter periods, by similar com-
panies.
Warblers have the peculiar habit, during migration, of collecting
in mixed flocks composed of many different species. These com-
bined flocks may be large or small, but during the height of the
migrating season, it is rather unusual to find a flock composed of a
single species. No other group or family of birds presents such com-
posite flocks as the Warblers. In northern Minnesota, twenty-three
different species, most of them in large numbers, were seen during
one forenoon in a single spot in the woods through which they were
passing in practically a continuous flock.
The Warblers, as a whole, are among the later Spring migrants.
Feeding on insects, they remain in their southern homes until Spring
is well advanced and their food abundant. Their northward move-
ment is more rapid than the advance of the season. Thus some Yellow
Warblers arrive in the Great Slave region when the average daily
temperature is only 47° F. But these same Warblers remain so late
in South and Central America, that when they reach New Orleans,
about April 5, an average daily temperature of 65° F. awaits them.
Thence northward they hasten, covering one thousand miles in a
month, and, moving faster than the advance of Spring, find in southern
Minnesota a temperature of 55° F., and when they arrive, late in May,
at Great Slave Lake, they have gained 8° more on the season. During
the whole trip from New Orleans to Great Slave Lake, these birds
are continually meeting colder weather. The last fifteen days they
traverse a district that Spring requires thirty-five days to cross. Late
and rapid journeys of this kind offer certain advantages; fewer
storms are encountered and food is more plentiful along the way.
The mortality of birds during the time of migration is very great
and probably no other family suffers so severely as the Warblers.
Small in size, with loose feathers ill adapted to withstand storm or
rain, they nevertheless cross and recross the Gulf of Mexico, which
doubtless becomes each year the watery grave of untold thousands.
Warblers are peculiarly susceptible to the attraction of a bright light,
and on stormy or dark nights during the period of migration, many
MIGRATION OF WARBLERS 19
kill themselves by striking light-houses. When the dead birds at
the foot of any light-house are examined after a disastrous night,
more than half are always found to be Warblers.
How the Warblers find their way in the long night journeys
is still a disputed point. Some believe that they are guided
entirely by sight and that mountain ranges and river courses form
prominent land marks to aid in finding the course. Others go to
the opposite extreme and attribute to a so-called 'sense of direction,'
the bird's wonderful success in retracing its way to the last year's
home. Still others think they have explained the case sufficiently
when they say the bird finds its way by instinct, while still others
deny the efficacy of instinct and affirm that the young birds are
led in their southward journey by the old birds, w^ho in turn
remember the route from their previous season's passage. All
observers are agreed that each Warbler intends to return each
year to the general vicinity of the last year's nest and that most of
them succeed.
Almost as great a diversity of opinion exists as to the reasons
for bird migration, both as to its original cause and the factors
that at present work for its continuance. There are two general
theories in regard to the origin of migration. One, that the birds,
originally non-migratory, increased so in numbers that their home
became overcrowded and adventurous birds, passing beyond the
usual boundaries, found new and congenial nesting sites. From
these they were driven by the winter's shortage of food, to return
again the following summer. In this view of the case, the place
of residence in the winter is the bird's true home, which it deserts
in the summer for the purpose of reproduction.
The second theory is the direct opposite of the one just given.
According to this second theory the nesting-site is the bird's real
home, from which it was driven originally by the advancing ice
of the Glacial Epoch, and the habit of migration thus induced has
been continued through the ages. Both theories base the origin
of migration on a failure of the food supply, the one a failure in the
winter home and the other in the summer.
But whatever the cause, the migration of Warblers as now
conducted is at widely different periods. The Myrtle Warbler
presses north in the Spring when the trees are still bare of leaves,
while the Canadian Warbler forms one of the rear guard, after
vegetation has reached nearly full summer luxuriance. Instead
of waiting until the winter's cold and a shortage of food compel
20 SONGS OF WARBLERS
them to depart, the more southern breedmg individuals of the
Summer Warbler and the Redstart begin their fall migration in
early July, when the season is warmest, and their insect food
supply has not yet reached its maximum.
In the light of the foregoing statements, it is no wonder that
the study of bird migration has interested naturalists for genera-
tions and that the number of students of the migration of birds is
steadily increasing.
SONGS OF WARBLERS
From a purely musical point of view, Warblers, as a family, take
low rank as songsters. Nevertheless, the voices of even the technically
least-gifted among them often so potently appeal to our memory that,
as we hear them, the pleasures of the past are added to our enjoyment
of the present. All the sweetness and promise of spring seems stored
in Parula's little sizzling gurgle; there is good cheer and sunshine in
Yellow Warbler's simple lay; peace and rest in the quaint seeing
of the Black-throated Green. The flight songs of the Seiuri and the
unique potpourri of the Chat, however, give these Warblers just claim
to a place among our leading song-birds.
If not great songsters, the Warblers are at least great singers.
During the winter, I have heard only the Pine Warbler sing, but all
the species, so far as I am aware, sing freely during their migrations
and many of them have a second, if brief, song period in the Fall.
Acquaintance with their songs is of the greatest assistance in
identifying these small, active haunters of the tree-tops, not one in
a hundred of which may be satisfactorily seen. It would, therefore,
be fortunate for the student of birds with a field-glass if some intelli-
gible method of transcribing Warbler's songs could be devised. But,
alas ! not only do two people rarely hear the same song alike, but one's
best attempts at description after a time are often meaningless to
oneself. Still a description of a bird's notes may be an aid to identi-
fication, and especial attention has therefore been paid to this phase
of Warblers' biographies, while the following classification of War-
blers' songs may further assist the student in gaining a clue to the
identity of some well-heard but poorly seen singer.
A preliminary arrangement places in one group birds which sing
more than once or twice from the same perch ; in another, those which
pause only while singing and, between songs, continue their search
for food or, indeed, sing even while moving. It will be observed
SONGS OF WARBLERS
21
that in the first group are included all the terrestrial and sub-terrestrial
species, the lowly nature of whose haunts do not meet the require-
ments of a singing-perch, and, abandoning for a time their search
for insects, they mount to a favoring branch and give themselves
wholly to song. As if in reward for their earnestness we find that
this group contains all the notable songsters of the family.
Class I. Warblers Which Sing While Resting.
Group A. Loud, whistled songs.
Prothonotary, Swainson's, Olive (?), and Kirtland's Warblers,
Pine and Yellow-throated Warblers (sing also while mov-
ing). Oven-bird, Northern Water-Thrush, Louisiana Water-Thrush,
Kentucky, Connecticut, Mourning, and Macgillivray's Warblers,
Northern Yellow-throat and races (sing also while moving), Chat,
and probably also Belding's and Rio Grande Yellow-throats.
Group B. Warblers tvhich have not loud, zvhistled songs.
Tennessee, Cape May, Blackburnian, Palm.
Class II. Warblers Which Sing While Feeding.
Group A. Songs of the wee-chee or cher-wee type, with a whistled
quality.
Yellow, Alagnolia, Chestnut-sided, Bay-breasted, Grace's, Palm,
Hooded, Canadian and Wilson's Warblers, American Redstart.
Group B. Warblers whose songs possess pebbly, twittering notes
or which suggest a song of the Chipping Sparroiv or Junco type.
Worm-eating, Bachman's, Nashville, Orange-crowned, Tennessee,
Virginia's, Myrtle, Audubon's and Palm Warblers.
Group C. Warblers in zvhose songs there is a pronounced
zee quality.
Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Parula, Black-throated Blue, Ceru-
lean, Golden-cheeked (?), Black-throated Green, Townsend's, Hermit,
and Prairie Warblers.
Group D. JVarblers ivith a thin or zviry song.
Black and White, Cape May, Blackpoll, Blackburnian.
22 NESTING HABITS OF WARBLERS
Class III. Warblers With a Flight Song.
Prothonotary, Golden-winged (?), Nashville, Orange-crowned,
and Tennessee ( ?) Warblers, Oven-bird, Northern Water-Thrush,
Louisiana Water-Thrush, Mourning Warbler, Northern Yellow-
throat and races. Worm-eating Warbler, Chat.
NESTING HABITS OF WARBLERS
Although only the three Seiiiri, among our fifty-five species of
Warblers, may be considered truly terrestrial, no less than nine-
teen species nest upon the ground, and fifteen more usually nest
within less than three feet of it. There is, in general, a relation
between the color of the bird and the character of its nesting-
site. The terrestrial species are, as might be expected, dull colored,
but even among the arboreal species which nest on the ground,
striking colors are less frequent than among those which nest in
trees. A marked exception to this rule, however, is presented by
Setophaga picta, which nests in banks, etc., although the female is
indistinguishable from the black and red male.
Data do not exist upon which satisfactorily to ascertain the
comparative safety of ground and tree sites. While the former are
more open to attack by terrestrial predaceous mammals and snakes,
a nest in the trees is more likely to be visited by Crows and Jays.
On the other hand, the Cowbird appears to be more partial
to a nest upon the ground, nearly one-half of the twenty-four
species of Warblers in whose nests its tgg has been found being
ground nesters. On the whole, we may assume that the tree site
is the safer, and the fact that our most abundant Warblers nest
in bushes or trees gives this view some support.
We have not as yet many intimate studies of the home-life
of Warblers but, so far as recorded observations go, it appears
that the nest is built by the female to the accompaniment of the
male's song. Occasionally the male is permitted to bring a bit of
nesting material but he apparently rarely takes part in the con-
struction of the home.
The male Pine Warbler is said rarely to sit upon the eggs
but with this exception, I find no evidence that the male ever
assists in incubation. He, however, lives near the nest and may
at times feed the female while she is upon it.
The period of incubation in Warblers, as far as it has been
ascertained, is ten or eleven days, but so little exact information
FOOD OF WARBLERS
23
in regard to this subject exists that some variation from this time
will doubtless be found.
The young are cared for by both parents and leave the nest
when from eight to twelve days old, or on the completion of the nestling
plumage. In most cases but one brood is reared.
FOOD OF WARBLERS
BY EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH
It is no exaggeration to say that for the preservation of the
forests, which supply the raw material for nearly all wood products,
man is largely indebted to birds. The service that birds perform
in protecting woodland trees against the inroads of injurious
insects is more nearly indispensable to him than any other bene-
faction that his feathered friends confer, for the money value of
woods, while great in the aggregate, is not ordinarily large enough
to repay the owners the expense of protecting the trees against
insect enemies, even were this possible.
A single species of insect may be too much for man to cope
with when it infests his woodland. The wild animals and venom-
ous serpents of the woods he may exterminate ; but, in spite of all
his efforts, insects, dangerous to human life or destructive to
property, still infest the land.
Dr. A. S. Packard enumerates over four hundred species of
insects that feed upon our oaks. All other forest trees have many
enemies of their own. Insects attack all parts of the tree, and in so
many insidious ways that man cannot hope to check them all.
Were the natural enemies of insects annihilated, every tree of the
woods would be threatened with destruction and we would be
powerless to prevent the impending calamity. We might save a
few orchards and shade trees ; we might find means to raise some
vegetables; but the protection of all the trees in all the woods
would be beyond our powers.
It may be profitable to spray orchards with insecticides but
it does not pay to spray wood-lots ; to say nothing of the expense
of the manual labor that must be utilized in combating insects that
cannot be reached by ordinary insecticides. So we must leave
the protection of the woods to birds and other natural enemies of
injurious insects.
Birds attain their greatest usefulness in woodlands, mainly
because the conditions prevailing there closely approach the nat-
24
FOOD OF WARBLERS
ural, and organic nature has a chance to adjust her balances with-
out much human interference.
Warblers are among the most useful birds of the woods, for to
them mainly is given the care of the foliage. Trees cannot live
without leaves. Lepidopterous larvae, commonly called caterpillars,
are among the greatest of leaf-destroyers. They form a great
part of the food of Warblers and are fed very largely to their
young.
As the spring waxes warm and merges into summer, the open-
ing buds and growing leaves are attacked by a succession of cater-
pillars of dififerent species, which, were they not checked by birds,
would soon strip all trees of their foliage and keep them stripped
throughout the season. Trees breathe through their leaves and,
lacking them for a considerable period, they must die. Coniferous
trees are killed by a single defoliation. Deciduous trees last
longer but the end is sure.
Warblers save the leaves by constantly pursuing and killing
caterpillars. While living in the woods year after year I have been
greatly impressed by the vast annual uprising of these pests and
the strong repressive influence exerted by the Warblers upon
their increase. Each brood of hundreds of caterpillars that hatches
from the hidden egg-cluster is soon so reduced in number that very
few live to maturity and, even though the survivors may riddle
many leaves, the trees remain practically uninjured and the woods
maintain their luxuriant summer verdure.
Thus the presence of Warblers in woodlands goes far towards
preserving the trees for their owner. Even should the caterpillars
stop short of killing the defoliated trees, the lumberman would
still owe to the birds such profit as accrues from woodlands, for
without their aid the trees would be so reduced in growth that they
would yield no profit. While a tree is stripped of its leaves it
makes no wood growth. The wood-ring for that year is smaller
than usual, and the annual profit on the tree is proportionately
decreased.
Warblers never receive credit for the good they do, because
the insects that they eat are mainly of small size, and the majority
of larger species eaten by them are taken in infancy and before
they have had a chance to work noticeable injury. Warblers
destroy many of the young larvae of such great and destructive
insects as the Cecropia and Polyphemus moths while these insects
are still too small to attract attention. These larvae which were so
FOOD OF WARBLERS 25
injurious on the "tree claims" of the prairie States before arboreal
birds became abundant there, are almost never numerous enough
to be destructive where such birds are plentiful. The fact that
Warblers do away with these insects while the caterpillars are still
very small and before they have had a chance to do any real injury,
is of great economic significance. It may yet place them on a par,
as regards usefulness, with the Cuckoo and other larger birds,
which are considered to be among the most useful caterpillar hunt-
ers, but which probably prefer the larger caterpillars ; for the
Warbler, notwithstanding its small size, may be able to destroy
more individual caterpillars in their infancy than even the Cuckoo
can devour after the same caterpillars have increased several hun-
dred times in size.
Warblers are mainly insectivorous and most species cannot
live long without insect food. Hence their economic position is
quite different from that of the Vireos, Thrushes, or Sparrows, for
example, for these can live either largely or entirely for consider-
able periods on vegetable food.
Warblers are obliged to spend a great part of their time in a
continual hunt for insects. Digestion in most small birds is con-
tinuous and the stomach is filled many times each day. It is some-
times so packed with food that when one is dissected the contents
will expand to twice, or, as Professor F. E. L. Beal tells me, nearly
three times, the size of that organ.
It would seem impossible for digestion to go on under such
circumstances, but it nevertheless progresses so rapidly that, unless
the food supply is constantly replenished, the stomach is soon
empty. The capacity of Warblers for consuming the smaller
insects may be shown by the statement of a few facts. According
to Dr. S. D. Judd, Mr. Robert H. Coleman stated in a letter to the
Biological Survey, that he counted the number of insects caught
by a Palm Warbler and found that it varied from forty to sixty
per minute. He says "the bird spent at least four hours on our
piazza, and in that time must have gathered in about nine thousand,
five hundred insects."^
Of course the insects in this case must have been very small ;
but some of the greatest pests are small at maturity, as, for
instance, the Hessian fly and the wheat midge, — insects which
^ The Birds of a Maryland Farm, by Sylvester D. Judd, Bulletin No. 17, U. S.
Department of Agriculture, Division of Biological Survey, p. 104.
26 FOOD OF WARBLERS
have caused losses of hundreds of milHons of dollars to the wheat
growers of the United States.
My former assistant, Mr. F. H. Mosher, one day observed a
pair of Northern Yellow-throats feeding upon the aphis that infests
the gray birch. One of these birds ate eighty-nine of these tiny
insects in a minute. Mr. Mosher watched the pair eating at this
rate for forty minutes, and states that they must have eaten over
seven thousand plant-lice in that time.- His field-notes also give
instances where numbers of caterpillars of considerable size were
eaten within very brief periods, by Warblers.
A Chestnut-sided Warbler was seen to capture and eat, in
fourteen minutes, twenty-two gipsy caterpillars, that were posi-
tively identified, and other insects that could not be seen plainly
were taken during that time. A Nashville Warbler ate forty-two
of these caterpillars in thirty minutes, with many other insects as
well, that either could not be plainly seen or fully identified. A
Northern Yellow-throat was seen to eat fifty-two caterpillars
within a short time.
A Chestnut-sided Warbler took twenty-eight browntail cater-
pillars in about twelve minutes. When we consider that the short
hairs on the posterior parts of this caterpillar are barbed like the
quills of a porcupine and will penetrate the human skin, causing
excessive irritation and painful eruptions, we may well wonder if
the little bird lived to repeat this performance. But many small
birds eat these caterpillars at a time when probably the noxious
hairs have not fully developed, and others seem to have learned to
divest the larger caterpillars of their hairs by beating and sliaking
their prey and thus loosening the hairs, which are shed as the por-
cupine sheds its quills. The insect is then eaten with impunity
and even fed to young birds.
Still other birds reject the external parts of the larvae and,
tearing them open, eat only small portions of their viscera. A
Black and White Warbler was seen to take twenty-eight of these
caterpillars in ten minutes and probably took many more. A Yel-
low Warbler ate thirty-three canker worms in a little over six
minutes.
Practically all the Warblers feed very largely at times on
measuring worms and other hairless caterpillars. I once noticed
^Birds as Protectors of Woodlands, by E. H. Forbush, Forty-eighth Annual
Report of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, 1900, p. 303.
FOOD OF WARBLERS 27
that in an orchard infested by canker worms, those trees nearest some
woods were soon cleared of the worms, mainly by Warblers, which
came from the woods and sprout-land to feed upon them.
Among the favorite caterpillars eaten by Warblers are those of
the Tortricidse, or leaf rollers, which birds are very expert in taking
from their places of concealment in the rolled-up leaves. The
little case-bearing caterpillars, which are at times so injurious to
fruit, shade, and forest trees, also are eaten by Warblers. The
larvae of the night-flying owlet moths (Noctuidae), which include
the army worm and the various cutworms, are not so often eaten
by Warblers, but such species as climb trees are attacked by these
birds while the ground Warblers probably feed on cutworms to
some extent.
There are some caterpillars that are supposed to have a cer-
tain immunity from the attacks of birds, either because they are
protected by spines, covered with hair, or secrete acrid or other
distasteful or poisonous matter which renders them unfit for food.
The families of silk-spinning moths, formerly collectively known
as the Bombycidae, but now subdivided into many groups, include
a number of the insects most injurious to fruit, shade, and forest
trees. The larvae of these insects are hairy. It is widely believed
that such caterpillars are never troubled by more than a very few
species of birds. But I have learned by observation that in these
cases, as in many others, protection often fails to protect. I now
believe that when these caterpillars are very young and small,
most W^arblers eat them with avidity, for they can do so with
impunity at this time when the hairs or spines have not developed
sufficient strength to be disagreeable.
The forest tent-caterpillar and the apple-tree tent-caterpillar
are two hairy native species, while the caterpillars of the brown-
tail moth and the gipsy moth, previously mentioned, are two very
destructive introduced species. All of these are eaten by most of
the commoner Warblers of New England. The two imported
species were fought for years by the Massachusetts State Govern-
ment, which expended more than a million dollars and then gave
up the fight. These two pests are now beyond the bounds of Mas-
sachusetts and may be expected to spread over a great part of the
United States, in spite of the fact that the fight against them has
now been renewed in Massachusetts and taken up in other states.
These insects have now become pests of the orchard, garden and
forest, feeding on nearly all kinds of trees and vegetation.
28 FOOD OF WARBLERS
They are even more destructive here than they ever were in
Europe, for here they have escaped most of their native enemies.
Hence those American birds that have learned to eat them may
prove of great economic value. It happens that the browntail
larvae emerge from the egg in the fall, at a time when the Warblers
that breed in the Canadian Provinces and the northern tier of
states are returning southward in migration, while the gipsy larvae
begin to hatch as the spring migration begins. The Warblers, in
both cases, appear at just the right time and destroy the small
larvae by thousands. The tent-caterpillar and the forest caterpillar
also are attacked by them during the spring, and eaten in
considerable numbers. The larvae of butterflies are taken as well
as the pupae and imagoes of many Lepidoptera. Warblers, how-
ever, in their selection of food are not confined to any one order
of insects. They are well fitted to pursue and capture any of the
smaller insects, except those that hide in the ground or in the solid
wood, and even they are in danger if they ever show themselves
in daylight outside their chosen retreats.
The habits and haunts of the Warblers are so varied that,
collectively, the species of this family exert a repressive influence
on nearly all orders of insects, from those that live on or near the
ground to those that frequent the very tree-tops. The Oven-birds,
Water-Thrushes, Yellow-throats, and the other ground Warblers
search the ground, the fallen leaves, and undergrowth for the
species most commonly found there as well as those that fall from
the trees. Where grasshoppers are plentiful the ground Warblers
sometimes feed largely on them. The bugs that are found so often
on berry bushes, are not overlooked, notwithstanding their rank
taste, which is so well known to all who have picked blueberries
from the bushes. The eggs of bugs are also eaten.
Another family belonging to this order (Hemiptera), which is
often prominent among the food of Warblers, is the Aphididae or
plant-lice, previously mentioned. Most Warblers probably eat
certain of these insects or their eggs. Each of these eggs may
represent the future form of plant-louse known as the Stem Mother
which, no mishap occurring to shorten the natural life of her
descendants, would, according to Huxley, produce in ten genera-
tions a mass of plant-lice equal in bulk to that of five hundred
million human beings, or the population of the Chinese Empire. A
few species of Warblers eat bark lice and scale insects.
FOOD OF WARBLERS
29
Beetles (Coleoptera) form a varying part of the food of Warblers.
While a few beneficial species are eaten, the vast majority taken
are believed to be either neutral or injurious. The useful lady-
bugs (Coccinellidse) apparently are seldom eaten. The tiger beetles
and the larger useful ground beetles ( Cicindelidae and Carabidae) are
not much sought by Warblers.
Many of the injurious bark beetles and other boring beetles are
greedily eaten. Bark beetles (Scolytidae) are among the most
insidious and deadly enemies of trees. They often complete the
destruction of trees that have been defoliated by caterpillars.
Unable, as they usually are, to live in the most thrifty and vigorous
trees, a tree is no sooner weakened by the loss of its leaves, than
these beetles are attracted to it. Their eggs are soon deposited
and the resulting larvae bore away among the vital tissues of the
tree along the inner surface of the bark. If their increase is not
checked, a year or two of their work is sufficient to destroy the
noblest trees of the forest. The Warblers, however, attack these
borers as they mature and emerge from their burrows in the pair-
ing season. The Black and White Warbler, which in summer
takes the place so well filled in winter by the Brown Creeper, prob-
ably leads in the destruction of bark beetles, but many other
species eat them, and thus the Warblers again come to the rescue
of the trees.
Warblers are not only useful in woodland by destroying bor-
ers, they are valuable also in orchards. Professor S. A. Forbes
found that fifteen Warblers shot in an orchard infested by canker
worms in Illinois, had all eaten Cerambycid beetles, or borers, to
the amount of ten per cent, of their stomach contents. Other
important elements of the food of Warblers at times are the
destructive click beetles and weevils. Leaf-eating beetles also are
eaten.
Many Hymenoptera are taken by the flycatching Warblers,
such as the Redstart and other species that capture much of their
food on the wing. Some of the wasps and bees taken are bene-
ficial, but they are probably most useful when kept within proper
bounds by the birds. At times considerable numbers of hymen-
opterous parasites are taken.
It is probable, however, that the larger numbers of these useful
insects are found in the stomachs of Warblers only when the para-
sites are unduly abundant. A surplus of these insects is of no
30 FOOD OF WARBLERS
benefit and must always die without issue, even if they are not
eaten by birds.
Birds eat not only the useful primary parasites but the injur-
ious secondary parasites that feed on primary parasites. Hence it
is questionable whether birds ever do much harm by destroying
parasitic hymenoptera, except by some unlucky accident. What-
ever injury they may do in this way is probably offset by their
destruction of injurious ants. Caddice flies and May flies are eaten
by Warblers.
In addition to the insect food, some spiders, myriapods, and
snails are taken. Spiders are useful creatures, but if one will go
out into the woods and fields some dewy or foggy morning in fall
and observe how spiders' webs cover the fields, how they drape
the trees, and net the shrubbery, he will see how essential it is that
they be held in check lest a spider-plague overwhelm the land.
Dr. Judd tells us that he found that ninety-six per cent, of
the food in the stomach contents of fifty-three Warblers taken on a
Maryland farm, consisted of insects, and that the arboreal Warb-
lers, other than the Myrtle Warbler are almost purely insectivor-
ous. Still some Warblers are able to subsist for a brief time on
vegetable food mainly.
Audubon tells us that in May, 1808, during a light fall of snow
in Pennsylvania, he took five Chestnut-sided Warblers that had
eaten nothing but grass seeds and a few small spiders. Occasion-
ally small seeds or remains of wild berries are found in the
stomachs of Warblers, more particularly those of the ground-fre-
quenting species ; but I have examined the digestive tract of Warb-
lers taken in the height of the berry season and found only insects
and spiders. The Myrtle Warbler, that hardy little bird that so
often winters in the north, eats very freely of the fruits of the
bayberry, waxberry or myrtle, and cedar : remains of grapes are some-
times found in their stomachs and small seeds are not disdained.
The Pine Warbler is said to feed on the seed of pine trees in
winter, and I have seen it eat suet almost as freely as does the Chick-
adee.
On the whole, however. Dr. Judd rightly regards the Warblers
as insectivorous, and the value to man of those species that nest
in or near an orchard or shade trees is not likely to be overesti-
mated.
The enormous number of insects that breeding Warblers must
secure to feed their young may be inferred from the fact that
FOOD OF WARBLERS
31
each young bird requires fully half its own weight of insects each
day. As the young are fed very largely on caterpillars, and as
they are reared at a time when these insects are most plentiful
there is no doubt regarding the restraining influence exerted upon
the increase of such insect life throughout the North Temperate
Zone by a family of birds so abundant and widely distributed as the
Warblers. The usefulness of these birds in migration consists in
their eminently insectivorous habits and in the power possessed
by them, in common with most other birds, of assembling quickly
where food is plentiful. They thus form a sort of aerial police
whose chief function is to put down uprisings of injurious insects.
Such insects are of little importance except where they appear in
abnormal numbers. Wherever this occurs a counter-check is
needed, at once, lest by the geometrical progression of their
increase they overwhelm all opposition and sweep everything
before them. The migrating Warblers form such a counter-check.
They sweep over the country always on the watch for an abundant
food supply. Wherever food is plentiful the birds gather. Find
a great swarm of young caterpillars or birch plant-lice in the
spring and there you will find, in their seasons, practically all the
Warblers that pass through that region.
The reduction of the numbers of insects by migrating Warb-
lers may be illustrated by a leaf or two from my own experience.
In the spring of 1903, an old field in Concord, Massachusetts,
grown up to birches, was much infested by plant-lice. Although
the spring flight of Warblers was small, these birches were fre-
quented by them. In the fall migration the birch field was again
the gathering place of Warblers, although elsewhere in the woods
the flight of birds was so meagre as to be hardly apparent. In
1904 the aphids were somewhat reduced in number, but the birds
followed them up, as in the previous year, until, late in October,
most of the plant-lice had disappeared, and the Myrtle Warblers,
the latest migrants, leaving the birches, attacked other plant-lice
on the wild apple trees. Since then comparatively few birch plant-
lice have been seen in the field. This may have been partly due
to the action of predaceous insects, parasites, or to adverse meteor-
ological conditions, but the efifect produced by the birds was very
marked.
One fine Sunday in October, 1904, I saw a flock of Warblers
about a few poplar trees near the river. They were feeding on
swarms of a mature aphis. I watched them at intervals all day.
z^
FOOD OF WARBLERS
The flock seldom exceeded fifteen birds, mostly BlackpoU and
Myrtle Warblers. Before night the swarms of insects that had
been so numerous in the morning had dwindled so that it was
rather difficult for me to secure a specimen, although the birds still
found some. When I went there the next morning a single remain-
ing bird was still finding a few, but I could not see a specimen
nor have I seen one there since.
In 1905 I returned to my home at Wareham, Massachusetts,
the first week in November, and found a flock of Myrtle Warblers
busily hunting over the limbs and twigs of some apple trees and
pear trees near my house. From the actions of the birds, I con-
cluded that they had discovered an outbreak of some pest, but at
first I could see nothing on the twigs that they were inspecting.
By watching them with the glass, however, I soon saw exactly
where they were finding food. Then by stepping up to a bird
quickly and driving it away before it could seize the object of its
quest, I saw that it was feeding on a minute cicada-shaped, black
insect. This, indeed, was the only species of living insect I could
find on those trees. Three of these insects were secured, and two
were sent to Dr. L, O. Howard, chief of the Bureau of Entomol-
ogy at Washington. He identified them as the imago of the pear-
tree Psylla, a pest which has been very destructive to pear orchards
in Maryland and New Jersey. I learned that the birds had been
visiting these trees for about two weeks. At the time of my
return they had evidently disposed of most of the last brood of
the season, for, although they were still finding a good many on
the day of my return, they found very few afterwards though they
visited the trees daily for a week longer. These insects hibernate
on the trees by hiding in the crevices between the twigs and are
thus exposed to the attacks of birds all winter. The above brief
and imperfect review represents fairly well our knowledge of the
economic relations of American Warblers. Probably we shall
never have an authentic and scientifically accurate account of the
percentages of the component parts of the food of each species,
until the investigation of their food is taken up by the Division
of Biological Survey of the United States Department of Agricul-
ture, where the greatest study of the food of birds the world has
ever seen is now being made. Enough is known, however, to war-
rant the belief that our Warblers are deserving of all the pro-
tection man can afford them.
MORTALITY AMONG WARBLERS
33
MORTALITY AMONG WARBLERS
The death-rate among North American Warblers is doubtless
higher than that which prevails in any other family of American
birds. Their nest mortality is probably above the average while
a variety of unfavorable conditions encountered during their
exceptionally extended migrations, often cause them to perish by
tens of thousands.
A discussion of the comparative safety of terrestrial and
arboreal nesting-sites will be found under the head of the 'Nesting
Habits of Warblers', here I may simply enumerate the enemies of
Warblers while in the nest. Chief among them are foxes, skunks,
weasels, martens, opossums, squirrels, cats, snakes, crows, jays,
and, except among the more northern species, probably most fatal
of all, the Cowbird. Cowbirds' eggs have now been recorded from
the nests of no less than twenty-four species of North American
Warblers. These species are included in the appended list which
is based in the main on Bendire (Life Histories of North Ameri-
can Birds) : Black and White Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler,
Worm-eating Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Golden-winged
Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Northern Parula
Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cerulean
Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-
throated Green Warbler, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Prairie Warb-
ler, Oven-bird, Northern Water-Thrush, Louisiana Water-Thrush,
Kentucky Warbler, Northern Yellow-throat, Chat, Hooded Warb-
ler, and Redstart.
The Cowbird's habit of selecting as a host a bird smaller than
itself is doubtless responsible for this long list of victims. The
Warblers may build cunningly concealed nests upon the ground,
they may place them in the densest thickets, or in trees at a height
of over eighty feet, it is apparently all one to this bird, which,
never having had a home of its own, has formed no attachment for
any particular site. It is not unusual to find three Cowbird's eggs
in a single nest, and, in one instance, four are recorded.
Only the Yellow Warbler appears habitually to avoid incu-
bating the intruded egg by building a second, and, should occasion
require, a third story to its home, and the fact that with other
species the unfortunate Warblers devote the nesting season to the
care of their foster children makes this form of persecution far
more serious than the loss of merely eggs, which may be replaced
by a second or third laying.
34
MORTALITY AMONG WARBLERS
During the nesting season, Warblers sometimes suffer, as do
other birds, from prolonged wet and cold weather and severe
storms, but it is while they are migrating that they are most
exposed to danger from the elements. None of our land birds are
greater travelers than the Warblers. Journeying by night and
crossing large bodies of water, they sometimes encounter storms
with which they are ill-prepared to contend, and die in countless
numbers. From a large amount of literature on this subject I
extract only one or two descriptions of catastrophes of this nature.
In a paper entitled 'On Some Causes Affecting the Decrease
of Birds' (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI, 1881, 189), H. W. Henshaw
quotes the account of an eye-witness who writes : "Two years ago
there was a heavy storm, lasting some twenty-four hours. It
occurred during the first week in September, and the eastern shore
of Lake Michigan was strewn with dead birds. I took some pains
to count those in a certain number of yards, and estimated that if
the eastern shore was alike through all its length, over half a
million of birds were lying dead on that side of the lake alone."
Added remarks show that many of the birds were Warblers.
On the Gulf of Mexico, A. M. Frazar {Ibid., p. 250) chanced
to observe one of doubtless many similar occurrences, which he
described as follows :
"April 2, 1881, found me in a small schooner on the passage
from Brazos de Santiago, Texas, to Mobile, Alabama. At about
noon of that day the wind suddenly changed from east to north,
and within an hour it was blowing a gale ; we were now about
thirty miles south of the mouths of the Mississippi River, which
would bring the vessel on a line with the river and the peninsula
of Yucatan. Up to the time the storm commenced the only land
birds seen were three Yellow-rumped Warblers {Dendroica coronata)
that came aboard the day previous, keeping us company the most
of the day ; but within an hour after the storm broke they began
to appear, and in a very short time birds of various species were
to be seen in all directions, singly and in small flocks, and all flying
towards the Mississippi River. These birds, of course, must have
been far overhead and only came down near the surface of the
water in endeavoring to escape from the force of the wind. By
four o'clock it had come to be a serious matter with them, as the
gale was too strong for them to make scarcely any progress. As
long as they were in the trough of the sea the wind had very
MORTALITY AMONG WARBLERS 35
little effect on them, but as soon as they reached the crest of a
wave it would catch them up and in an instant they were blown
hundreds of yards back or else into the water and drowned.
"A great many flew on to the deck of the vessel to be washed
about by the next wave that came over the side. Although I made
no attempt to count the number of specimens that came aboard, I
should estimate them at considerably over a hundred, and a great
many more struck the sides and tumbled back into the water. It
was sad indeed to see them struggling along by the side of the
vessel in trying to pass ahead of her, for as soon as they were clear
of the bows, they were invariably blown back into the water and
drowned. Most of those that came aboard were washed into the
sea again, but the next day we found about a dozen dead bodies
that had lodged underneath the galley. The following is a list of
the species recognized, and if more time could have been given to
observation, I undoubtedly could have made out others."
Among the twenty-three species here recorded by Mr. Frazar,
twelve are Warblers, as follows : "Black and White Creeper, abun-
dant ; Prothonotary Warbler, large numbers ; Worm-eating Warb-
ler, large numbers ; Yellow-rumped [=Myrtle] Warbler, a few ;
Chestnut-sided Warbler, quite a number; Golden-crowned Thrush
[^Oven-bird], a few; Kentucky Warbler, large numbers; Mourn-
ing Warbler, large numbers ; Maryland Yellow-throat, very abun-
dant ; Hooded Warbler, large numbers; Yellow Warbler, quite a
number; Redstart, the most abundant."
It is, however, not only when migrating over water that War-
blers are subject to death by severe storms. Writing from Rock-
port, Texas, H. P. Atwater says (Auk, IX, 1892, 303) :
"Thousands of Warblers undoubtedly perished here last week
during the 'norther', which lasted three days commencing on
March 16.
"In the evening of that day flocks of Warblers were noticed
around the gardens and houses here, and the next day many were
found dead or were caught in a half-perished condition. About
fifty per cent, of them were Black and White Warblers. (Mniotilta
varia). The remainder were about equally divided between Parulas
(Compsothlypis americana) and Sycamore Warblers (Dendroica
dominica alhilora). Many Sycamore Warblers and Parulas were
captured alive in the houses.
"On the 19th, among many dead Warblers which were brought
to us were a specimen of the Louisiana Water-Thrush {Seiurus
36 MORTALITY AMONG WARBLERS
motacilla) and one Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia mitrata). Many Yel-
low-rumps were in company with the rest, and, though much tamer
than usual, none were found dead or were captured. On the 19th I
made a trip for the purpose of observation, and found many Black
and White Warblers and Parulas lying dead on the ground at the
foot of live-oak trees. From many of the ranches in the country
round here, came reports of similar occurrences and many dead
birds of the species mentioned have been sent to me."
Without giving further instances of similar character, men-
tion may be made of large numbers of migrating Warblers which
annually meet their death by striking light-houses or light-towers.
Serious accidents of this nature occur only during cloudy or foggy
nights when the birds, losing their bearings, descend from the
height at which they have been migrating. Apparently fascinated
by the far reaching rays of light, they fly toward their source and,
striking some unilluminated part of the tower, are often killed.
Of five hundred and ninety-five birds which were killed by
striking the Fire Island Light, Long Island, on the night of September
23, 1887, no less than three hundred and fifty-six were BlackpoU
Warblers, and more than half the twenty five species represented were
Warblers. (Butcher, Auk, V, 1888, 182).
Nevertheless, in spite of this unusual mortality, the Warblers,
as a family, remain our most abundant birds, an exhaustless food
supply and widespread favorable nesting areas apparently enabling
them to hold their own in the face of conditions to which many
forms of bird life would succumb.
THE
Warblers of North America
In treating the fifty-five species and nineteen subspecies of War-
blers, which have been found north of Mexico, I have followed the
order of arrangement adopted by Mr. Ridgway in his 'Birds of North
and Middle America', uniformity of method being in my estimation,
of more importance than the expression of individual opinion. In the
belief, however, that in the work just mentioned, Seiurus was
inadvertently inserted between Oporornis and Geoihlypis, I have
here placed it before these closely related genera.
The inclusion in this book of one hundred and twenty-four
colored figures of Warblers is thought to make the presentation of an
analytical key to species superfluous. The appended summary of
their more striking generic characters and habits may, however,
prove useful :
SUMMARY OF GENERA
1. Mniotilta (i species) is a black and white creeping Warbler.
2. Helinaia ( i species) is a long-billed, brown, cane-brake
Warbler.
3. Helmitheros (i species) is an olive-green, striped-crowned,
worm-eating Warbler of dry wooded slopes.
4. Protonotaria (i species) is a golden headed inhabitant of
river bottoms.
5. Helminthophila (8 species) contains small, sharp-billed,
second growth Warblers, mostly without white wing-bars or tail
patches.
6. Compsothlypis (2 species) is grayish blue and nests in
hanging 'moss'.
7. Peiicedramus (i species) is an orange or yellow-headed
inhabitant of high pine forests in southern Arizona and southward.
8. Dendroica (23 species) contains the Wood Warblers,
brightly colored, fluttering birds, with conspicuous white or yellow
38 BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER
patches in the tail, usually wing-bars and more or less striking
patterns of color; short, rounded cylindrical bill without evident
bristles.
9. Seiitnis (3 species) has the large, thrush-like, spotted-
breasted, ground-inhabiting, walking Warblers.
10. Oporornis (4 species) has the ground or bush-inhabiting,
pale-footed, gray-headed, blackish or brownish breasted Warblers.
11. Geothlypis (2 species) has the black-masked bush and
thicket haunting Warblers.
12. Ckamcethlypis (i species) is a chat-like Yellow-throat of
southeastern Texas and southward.
13. Icteria (i species) is a large-bodied, big-billed, short-
winged, yellow-breasted haunter of thickets.
14. Wilsonia (3 species) contains the yellow-breasted, flycatch-
ing Warblers, with flat bills and long rictal bristles.
15. Cardellina (i species) is a short-billed, red-faced, gray-
backed, flycatching Warbler of southern New Mexico and Arizona
and southward.
16. Setophaga (2 species) has the broad-billed, black, and red
or orange flycatching Warblers.
Genus MNIOTILTA Vieillot
The genus MnioHlta contains but a single species which is distin-
guished among the Warblers for its creeper-like habits. As might be
expected, so marked a trait is reflected in the bird's form, the bill
being proportionately long, slender, and slightly decurved, with the
upper mandible usually notched at the tip and projecting over the
lower. The hind-toe, in comparison with the middle-toe, is longer
and has a stouter nail than in any of our other Warblers. The rictal
bristles are very small, the tail is nearly square and, compared with
the wing, is rather short. The wing is long and pointed, the three
outer primaries being of nearly equal length. In color both sexes
are black and white, the male being the blacker, the female, espe-
cially in the fall, showing a brownish wash.
Black and White Warbler
MNIOTILTA VARIA (Linn.) Plate II
Distinguishing Characters. — A striped black and white, creeping bird.
Length (skin), 4.70; wing, 2.70; tail, 2.00; bill, .50.
Plate II
1. Blackpoll Warbler, Adult Male. 4. Black and White Warbler, Male.
3. Blackpoll Warbler, Young and adult in Fall.
2. Blackpoll Warbler, Adult Female. 5. Black and White Warbler, Female.
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER 39
Adult (5* Spring. — Crown black, a white stripe through its center and over
each eye; cheeks entirely or largely black; back black striped with white;
upper tail-coverts black, their outer webs margined with white; tail blackish,
externally margined with gray, usually all but the central pair of feathers with
white patches or margins on the inner web at the tip ; wings blackish, externally
edged with grayish, tertiaries and coverts black, the first margined, the latter
broadly tipped with white forming two wing-bars ; throat black usually with
more or less white and with white stripes at either side from the base of the
bill; breast and sides streaked black and white, center of the belly white.
Adult ^ Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring, but with more white on the
breast and throat, the latter sometimes wholly white.
Young d* Fall. — Similar to adult c^ Fall, but with cheeks entirely or largely
white with a black postocular streak; the throat and center of the breast white,
the black streaks of the underparts being confined to the sides and under
tail-coverts.
Adult 2 Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring, but above less glossy and
more or less washed with brownish, particularly on the rump ; the cheeks
grayish or whitish with a brownish tinge sometimes extending to the sides of
the throat and breast; below white, the streakings duskier, less sharply defined
and confined to the sides and crissum, which, with the flanks, is usually strongly
washed with brownish. Resembles young c? but is less distinctly streaked below
and shows brownish tinge.
Adult 5 Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring, but the brownish wash every-
where stronger.
Young $ Fall. — Not distinguishable from adult ? in Fall.
Nestling. — Resembles young $ but black duller, brown stronger and more
prevalent, especially on the breast.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America, north to New-
foundland and the Mackenzie Valley, west to the Rocky Mountains.
Summer Range. — Breeds commonly as far south as to New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Iowa ; less commonly to North Carolina,
Missouri, and Kansas; locally and rarely in the Gulf States; west
regularly to central Texas, central Kansas, and central South Dakota:
north to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Hudson Bay,
and Mackenzie (Fort Norman) ; casually to Lesser Slave Lake and
Peace River Landing, Athabasca; occurs westward casually in Colo-
rado (Boulder, Table Rock,) and in Cahfornia (Farallone Islands,
May 28, 1887; Pasadena, October 8, 1895; Arroyo Seco, Los Angeles
Co., October 2, 1895 ; Point Lobos, Monterey Co., Sept. 9, 1901 ;
Watsonville, Sept. 24, 1903); Washington (Olympia, Sept. 8, 1903).
Winter Range. — Northern Florida (St. Augustine), and
southern Texas ; south throughout the West Indies to Venezuela and
Ecuador.
40
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER
Spring Migration. — A few Black and White Warblers winter in
southern Florida, so that the only way of knowing the beginnings
of spring migration in that district is from the records of the striking
of the birds at the lighthouses. Both at Alligator Reef and at Som-
brero Key lighthouses in southern Florida, this species begins to
strike early in March. Thence, northward the progress is so slow —
an average of twenty miles per day — that it is the middle of May
before the species has reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
PI, ACE
Atlantic Coast —
Northern Florida
Atlanta, Ga. (near)
Frogmore, S. C. (near)
Raleigh, N. C. (near)
Asheville, N. C. (near)
French Creek, W. Va
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Germantown, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Southeastern New York
Central Connecticut
Eastern Massachusetts
Providence, R. I
Southern New Hampshire
Southern Maine
Montreal, Can
Quebec, Can
St. John, N. B
North River, Prince Edward Isl
Mississippi Valley —
New Orleans, La
Helena, Ark
Eubank, Ky
Brookville, Ind
Waterloo, Ind
Oberlin, Ohio
Detroit, Mich
Petersburg, Mich
Listowel, Ont
Parry Sound District, Ont. . .
Ottawa, Ont
Southeastern Iowa
Chicago, 111
Southern Wisconsin
Lanesboro, Minn
Elk River, Minn
Aweme, Manitoba
Fort McMurry, Athabasca . .
Fort Chippewyan, Athabasca
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie . . .
No. of
years'
record
4
9
4
i6
5
5
6
6
9
7
9
i8
15
15
6
8
9
8
7
3
7
ID
10
9
14
13
12
6
i8
5
II
10
5
5
7
Average date of
spring arrival
March i6
April 2
April 3
March 27
April 3
April 13
April II
April 22
April 28
April 27
April 26
April 28
April 28
April 28
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
5
I
3
9
12
14
17
March 27
March 31
April 4
May 2
April 27
May I
April 28
May I
May 4
May 7
April 19
April 30
May 2
April 28
May 3
May 9
May 25
Earliest date of
spring arrival
March 13,
March 21,
March 29,
March 19,
March 28,
April 6,
April 7,
April IS,
April 20,
April 20,
April 23,
April 22,
April 20,
April 20,
May I,
April 27,
April 27,
May 3,
May 10,
May 9,
May 13,
1885
1899
1887
1894
1891
1892
190S
1891
1899
1889
1902
1896
1896
1896
1897
1899
1897
1890
1895
1895
1889
March 19,
March 21,
April I,
April 3,
April 27,
April 22,
April 24,
April 23,
April 26,
April 30,
April 28,
1905
1897
1888
1882
1902
1899
1904
1896
1896
1899
1905
April 23, 1899
April 28, 1897
April 23, 1888
May I, 1886
April 30, 1901
May IS, 1901
May 26, 1893
May 23, 1904
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER
41
Fall Migration. — The Black and White Warbler is one of the
earliest fall migrants; it begins to appear in the Gulf States early
in July, and reaches southern Florida by the middle of the month.
South of the United States it has been noted in southern Mexico
August 13, 1895; in Costa Rica August 10, 1883; and in Colombia,
South America, August 21, 1898.
PLACE
North River, Prince Edward Island.
St. John, N. B
Southern Maine
Southeastern New York
Central New Jersey
Germantown, Pa
Great Falls, Montana
Ottawa, Ont
Southern Michigan
Chicago, 111
Grinnell, Iowa
Raleigh, N. C
New Orleans, La. (near)
Rodney, Miss
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
September 4
September 12
September 19
September 24
September 34
October i
September 13
September 13
September 22
September 22
October 8
latest date of
last one seen
September
September
September
October 15,
October 12,
October 12
September
September
September
September
September
November
October 21
October 3
5, 1887
19, 1891
28, 1898
, 1891
, 1894
, 1885
18, 1889
20, 1887
15, 1892
27, 1896
23, 1889
ID, 1885
, 1897
, 1888
The Bird and its Haunts. — The Black and White Warbler may
be said to be generally distributed throughout deciduous woodlands.
When migrating it visits the trees of our lawns and orchards but
the nature of its nesting site requires less cultivated surroundings.
But wherever seen it may be known by striped markings and creep-
ing habits. Though it may at times borrow the manners of what may
be called the fluttering Warblers, they rarely adopt its characteristic
method of running actively up tree-trunks, over and under limbs
with all the agility of a true Creeper (Certhia) or Nuthatch. The
Pine Warbler clings to the bark of trees, the Yellow-throated Warbler
climbs to some extent among the upper branches but in its mode of
progression none rivals the Black and White Warbler.
When flushed from the nest, the female, with tremulous wings
trails painfully over the dead leaves in an evident effort to lead the
intruder from her home and its contents.
"The Black and White Warbler is a bird of deciduous and mixed
growth, rarely found in the dense spruce forests, and more commonly
in scrubby second growth than in the big primeval timber. Not com-
mon on the higher parts of Mt. Monadnock, even where,— as on the
eastern slopes, — the woods are suitable. Fairly common in summer
and abundant in migrations everywhere about the mountain's base."
(Thayer, MS.)
42 BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER
"At Berwyn, Pa., the Black and White Warbler inhabits timbered
upland, the rocky wooded hillsides and down to the damp swampy
thickets whenever there are sufficient undergrowths of laurel, saplings,
etc. It is at all times a woodland bird.
"I have frequently seen the male and the female carrying white
grubs and white moths to their young; and feed a big lubberly Cow-
bird, out of the nest, as late as June 27. Another time, a female
fed a young Cowbird, at large, with green grubs taken from the
leaves of the chestnut and oak sapling. Three times in as many
minutes she dropped morsels down its gluttonous throat, all the
while exhiting the most jealous care, guarding it from harm. It
was well able to fly." (Burns, MS.)
Song. — The Black and White Warbler is not a vociferous singer
and its high screeping notes, to which the terms thin and wiry are
commonly applied, might readily escape the notice of a person not
listening for birds' voices. The sharp pit alarm note is rapidly and
loudly repeated when the birds fear for the safety of their young.
"The ordinary call-note of the species, both in fall and spring,
resembles the syllable dst; it often uttered rapidly, thus: dzt-dst-dst-
dst, while the bird is creeping about the trunks and large limbs of
trees. The usual song — not uttered in fall, I think — is monotonous,
consisting of a single lisping syllable repeated rather rapidly, five or
six times. A much rarer song I have heard in spring when much
migrational activity was being shown ; this is much more elaborate,
and longer than the other. I heard it once in Amite County in July;
when the singer may have been a breeding bird" {Allison, MS.)
"This Warbler has at least two main songs, both penetrating
and perfectly smooth-toned, as well as thin and wiry. The one com-
monly described consists of about eight like-toned notes, in barely-
separated couplets, with a slight emphasis on the second note of each
couplet : Ssee-zvwee-ssee-wzvee-ssee-wwee-ssee-wwee, — uttered neither
fast nor slowly. This song seems to be comparatively little subject
to variation, though by no means free from it. The other, longer and
less common song begins in the same way, but continues, after the
six or eight ordinary notes, with two or three somewhat hurried repe-
titions of the phrase, all in a slightly richer and more liquid tone, and
one or two on a slightly lower key. Thin and slight though it is, this
complete song has something of a rollicking sound, and ranks very
high among weak-voiced Warbler songs. The Black and White's
common call-note, small and rather sharp, is pretty easily recogniz-
SWAINSON'S WARBLER 43
able, but it is often reduplicated into a 'chippering' very much like the
Black-throated Green's." {Thayer, MS.)
Nesting Site. — A depression in the ground at the base of a tree,
bush, weeds, stump, rocks, etc., beneath fallen limbs, upturned roots,
or in the shelter of a log.
Nest. — Bulky, composed of dead leaves, strips of grape-vine or
cedar bark, or soft inner bark of other trees, grasses and rootlets and
lined with hairs; sometimes more or less roofed.
^SS-^- — 4 or 5, usually 5. Ground color of creamy white to
white, heavily and profusely spotted and specked with reddish brown,
chestnut, hazel and lavender, tending to form a wreath around large
end, but quite evenly marked all over. Many types approach those
of the Canadian and Lutescent Warblers, some few specimens exhibit
small blotches. The shape is a rounded oval, less pointed than the
majority of our Warblers' eggs. Size ; average, .66X.53 ; extremes,
.72X.52, .62X.52, .69X.55, .64X.48. (Figs. 3-5.)
Nesting Dates.— IredeW Co., N. C, April 18 (J. P. N. ); West
Chester, Pa., June 2, young on wing (Jackson) ; New York City,
May 18 (F. M. C.) ; New Haven, Conn., May 20- June 4, three eggs,
two young (Bishop) ; Cambridge, Mass., full sets of first laying. May
18-30 (Brewster) ; Bangor, Me., May 27- June 21 (Knight) ; Listo-
well, Ont., May 23-June 10 (Kelts).
Biographical References
(i) J. P. N. [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Black and White Warbler,
Orn. and 061., XIII, 1888, 183. (2) W. L. Kells, Nesting of some Canadian
Warblers, Ottawa Naturalist, XV, 1902, 229.
Genus HELINAIA Swainson
Helinaia bears a strong general resemblance, both in form and
color, to Helmitheros, the bill, however, is longer (nearly equalling
the head in length), and much straighter, the arc of the culmen is
not convex, its ridge is more developed and sharper, and parts the
feathers of the forehead more deeply; the wing is slightly more
rounded, the tail-feathers are broader, the under tail-coverts reach to
within half an inch, or less, of the the end of the tail, the tarsus is
slightly longer than the middle-toe and nail.
In Helinaia swainsoni, the single species contained in this genus,
the sexes are alike in color.
44 SWAINSON'S WARBLER > .
SwAiNSON's Warbler
HELINAIA SWAINSONI Aud. Plate IV
Distinguishing Characters. — A brownish bird without white in wings or
tail; sexes alike. Length (skin), 5.00; wing, 2.80; tail, 1.95; bill, .60.
Adult cf. Spring. — Crown cinnamon-brown, forehead with a more or less
indistinct bufFy median streak ; a whitish line over the eye and a dusky streak
through it ; back olive-brown ; tail the same without white patches ; wings,
like back, without white bars or edgings ; underparts whitish more or less tinged
with yellowish, the sides grayer ; bill brownish, legs flesh-color.
Adult (S, Fall. — Not seen; doubtless not materially different from the last.
Young (?, Fall. — Doubtless similar to adult c^ in Fall.
Adult 2, Spring. — Similar to adult c^ in Spring.
Adult $, Fall. — Not seen, doubtless resembles Spring ?.
Young 2, Fall. — Similar to $ in Spring.
Nestling. — Above cinnamon-brown, paler below, the belly whitish.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States; north to Virginia
and Indiana; west to the Mississippi River.
Summer Range. — This is one of the rarer Warblers of the United
States ; its breeding range on the Atlantic coast extends from northern
Florida (the lovi^er Suwanee River) to Virginia (Dismal Swamp).
It is strictly a swamp lover and along the Gulf coast to Louisiana, it
is not uncommon in the few localities that seem suited to its habits.
Thence it ranges up the Mississippi River to southeastern Missouri,
and up the Wabash to Knox county, Indiana. Accidental twice in
Texas (Navarro county, August 24, 1880; Port Bolivar, April 17,
1904) and once in Mexico (Vera Cruz, winter, 1887-88).
Winter Range. — So far as known, Jamaica, where it has been
taken from October i to April 8.
Spring Migration. — The earliest recorded spring arrival in the
United States was on March 22, 1890 on the lower Suwanee River.
The same year the species was taken at the Tortugas, March 25 to
April 5. The other records of the first arrival in spring are: Som-
brero Key lighthouse April 3, 1889; Savannah, Ga., April 8-16,
1894; Kirkwood, Ga., May 4, 1898; Frogmore, S. C., April 1-5,
1885; New Orleans, La., April 8, 1898; April i, 1904: March 30,
1905; Bayou Sara, La., April 8, 1887; Coosada, Ala., April 12, 1878.
Fall Migration. — This begins rather late when compared with
the date of nesting. Fledged young have been seen near Charleston,
S. C, by June 9, but the earliest date of striking at Sombrero light-
house is August 17, 1888; other dates at this lighthouse extend from
September 14, 1884, to October 26, 1885, and at Key West, Fla., from
the middle of September to September 20.
igs.
3
- 5-
6,
7.
8.
9-
II.
12
14.
15
17-
Black and White Warbler.
Prothonotary Warbler.
Swainson's Warbler.
Worm-eating Warbler.
Blue-winged Warbler.
Golden-winged Warbler.
Figs. 18-20. Lucy s Warbler.
21, 22. Virginia's Warbler.
" 23-25. Nashville Warbler.
" 26-28. Lutescent Warbler.
" 29, 30. Tennessee Warbler.
" 31. 32. Parula Warbler.
SWAINSON'S WARBLER
45
The Bird and its Haunts. — Swainson's Warbler has an interest-
ing history. Discovered by Bachman near Charleston, S. C, in 1832,
the bird remained virtually unknown until 1878. In the intervening
years, it is true, four additional specimens had been taken (see
Brewster^) but nothing was published concerning its habits until
Brown^ observed it in Alabama, on April 12 of the last-named year.
During the six following years the species was detected in Texas, and
again near Charleston, but it was not until 1884 that, with the excep-
tion of Bachman's and Brown's observations, we had any information
of this bird in nature. In that year through the definitely directed
efforts of Brewster^ and Wayne^ it proved to be a locally common
species near Charleston, as it has since been found to be in many other
places, and it is from Brewster's account of his field work in the spring
of the year mentioned that the following extracts are made :
"While the facts already given prove incontestably that the
present species may occur at times in dry, scrubby, woods, or even in
such open situations as orange groves, it certainly haunts by prefer-
ence the ranker growth of swamps, to which, indeed, it appears to be
confined during the nesting season. * * * The particular kind
of swamp to which he is most partial is known in local parlance as
a 'pineland gall.' It is usually a depression in the otherwise level sur-
face, down which winds a brook, in places flowing swiftly between
well-defined banks, in others divided into several sluggish channels, or
spreading about in stagnant pools, margined by a dense growth of cane,
and covered with lily leaves or other aquatic vegetation. Its course
through the open pinelands is sharply marked by a belt of hardwood
trees nourished to grand proportions by rich soil and abundant mois-
ture. * * * More extensive swamps, especially those bordering
the larger streams, are subject to inundations, which, bringing down
deposits of alluvial soil, bury up or sweep away the humbler plants,
leaving a floor of unsightly mud, interspersed with pools of stagnant
water. Such places answer well enough for the Prothonotary and
Hooded Warblers, which, although essentially swamp-lovers, are not
to any extent terrestrial; but you are not likely to find Swainson's
Warbler in them, unless about the outskirts, or in islands elevated
above the reach of the floods. Briefly, four things seem indispensable
to its existence, viz., water, tangled thickets, patches of cane, and a
rank growth of semi-aquatic plants. * * =*=
"When not singing Swainson's Warbler is a silent, retiring bird,
spending nearly his entire time on the ground in the darkest recesses
of his favorite swamps, rambling about over the decaying leaves or
46 SWAINSON'S WARBLER , .,
among the rank water-plants in search of small beetles which consti-
tute his principal food. His gait is distinctly a walk, his motions
gliding and graceful. Upon alighting in the branches, after being-
flushed from the ground, he assumes a statuesque attitude, like that
of a startled Thrush. While singing he takes an easier posture, but
rarely moves on his perch. If desirous of changing his position, he
flies from branch to branch, instead of hopping through the twigs
in the manner of most Warblers. * * *
"Judging by my personal experience^ Swainson's Warbler is at
all times a singularly unsuspicious bird."
In Mississippi, Allison (MS.) writes that Swainson's War-
bler is "Everywhere a bird of the cane-brakes — not the heavy river-
swamp brakes of Arundinaria gigantea, but the thick patches of A.
tecta. These are found in the borders of the deep river swamps,
and in the low, rich, parts of somewhat less swampy woods. This
Warbler, like the Worm-eating, is constantly rustling among the
leaves; but it is nearly always on the ground that it seeks its food,
among the fallen leaves at the roots of the trees."
Song. — "A bird emerged from a thicket within a few yards of
me, where he had been industriously searching among the fallen
leaves, flew into a small sapling, and gave utterance to a loud, ring-
ing and very beautiful song. * * * j ^^g impressed by the
absorbed manner in which this bird sings. Sitting quietly upon a
limb of a small tree, he suddenly throws back his head and pours
forth his notes with utmost fervor and abandon. During the intervals
of silence he remains motionless, with plumage rufifled, as if com-
pletely lost in musical reverie." (Brown^.)
"A performance so remarkable that it can scarcely fail to attract
the dullest ear, while it is not likely to be soon forgotten. It consists
of a series of clear, ringing whistles, the first four uttered rather
slowly and in the same key, the remaining five or six given more
rapidly, and in an evenly descending scale, like those of the Canon
Wren (Catherpes mexicanus conspersus. In general effect it recalls
the song of the Water-Thrush (Seiurus noveboracensis.) It is very
loud, very rich, very beautiful, while it has an indescribably tender
quality that thrills the senses after the sound has ceased.
"It is ventriloquial to such a degree that there is often great
difficulty in tracing it to its source. * * * jj^ addition to its song
this Warbler utters a soft fchip indistinguishable from that of Parula
americana, but wholly unlike the cry of any ground Warbler of my
acquaintance. I heard this note on only one occasion, when the bird
SWAINSON'S WARBLER
47
was excited OA^er some disturbance in the shrubbery, perhaps the
presence of a snake.
"Although a rarely fervent and ecstatic songster, our little friend
is also a fitful and uncertain one. You may wait for hours near his
retreat even in early morning or late afternoon, without hearing a
note. But when the inspiration comes he floods the woods with
music, one song often following another so quickly that there is
scarce a pause for breath between. In this manner I have known
him sing for fully twenty minutes, although ordinarily me entire
performance occupies less than half that time. Such outbursts may
occur at almost any hour, even at noontide, and I have heard them
in the gloomiest of weather, when the woods were shrouded in mist
and rain." (Brewster.^)
Nesting Site. — "The nests are generally built in canes, but I
have also found them in small bushes, and, in one instance, in a climb-
ing vine by the side of a large public road. The height from the
ground varies from two to eight feet, but they are always near or
over a pond of water." (Wayne.^)
Perry*,*' has found nests in scrub palmettos, myrtle, and gall
bushes not always over nor even near running water, but as often on
high, dry land.
Nest. — "The nest is a remarkable affair — very large, made of
M'ater-soaked leaves of the sweet gum, water oak, holly and cane,
lined with needles of the pine trees and a little dry moss. The stems
of the leaves point upwards, and the nest can easily be mistaken for
a bunch of old leaves lodged in the top of a cane." ( Wayne. ^)
Eggs. — 3 or 4, very rarely 4. Ground color white, creamy white
and bluish white, unmarked, little or no gloss; in shape very blunted
at small end. Size; average, .75X.59 ; extremes, .79X.57, .72X.59,
.77X.61, .75X.55- ^Fig. 8.)
Nesting Dates. — Charleston, S. C, May 7-Jwly 6 (Wayne.)
Biographical References
(i) N. C. Brown, A List of Birds Observed in Central Alabama. Bull.
Nutt. Orn. Club, III, 1878, 172. (2) William Brewster, Swainson's Warbler
[in So. Car.], Auk, II, 1885, 65. (3) A. T. Wayne, Nesting of Swainson's
Warbler in South Carolina, Orn. and 061., XI, 1886, 187. (4) T. D. Perry,
Nesting of Swainson's Warbler [near Savannah, Ga.], Orn. and Ool., XI, 1886.
188. (5) C. W. Beckham, Additions to the Avifauna of Bayou Sara, La., Auk,
IV, 1887, 305. (6) T. D. Perry, Some Additional Notes on Swainson's Warb-
ler, Orn. and 061., XII, 1887, 141. (7) J. P. N[orris], A Series of Eggs of
Swainson's Warbler, Orn. and 061., XIII, 1888, 185.
48 WORM-EATING WARBLER > v
Genus HELMITHEROS Rafinesque
Helmitheros is chiefly distinguished by its stout bill, which, in
proportion to the size of the bird, is more robust than in any other
genus of this family, except Chamcethlypis; the ridge of the culmen
is curved, its base is decidedly ridged and intrudes upon the feathers
of the forehead; the bill is unnotched; rictal bristles not evident.
The wing is rather pointed, about .80 inches longer than the tail ; the
three outer primaries are of nearly equal length; the tail is rather
short, the feathers of about equal length, obtusely, but decidedly
pointed ; the under tail-coverts are long, reaching to within nearly .50
inches of the end of the tail. The feet are well developed, the tarsus
about equalling in length the middle-toe and nail.
In Helmitheros verniivorus, the single species contained in this
genus, the sexes are alike in color.
Worm-eating Warbler
HELMITHEROS VERMIVORUS (Gmel.) Pitt* IV
Distinguishing Characters. — Head conspicuously striped with black and
olive-buff; no white bars or patches; sexes alike. Length (skin), 4.80; wing.
2.80; tail, 1.90; bill, .50.
~ Adult c?. Spring. — Crown with a broad median olive-buff stripe separated
from stripes over the eyes, of the same color, by broad stripes of black; a
well-marked black or blackish post-ocular stripe, lores sometimes dusky; back,
olive-green ; tail olive-green without white ; wings like back, without white,
the bend yellowish ; underparts cream-buff, belly, and sometimes throat, whiter.
Adult (^, Fall. — Similar to last but buffy areas averaging slightly deeper.
Young ^, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Fall, but tertials lightly tipped with
rusty.
Adult 5, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring.
Adult 2, Fall. — Similar to adult d" in Fall.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to young c^.
Nestling. — Buffy-cinnamon ; head stripes duskier, wing-quills as in young
(^ and $, wing-coverts like back, their bases grayer.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States ; north to southern
New England and Nebraska; west almost to the Plains.
Summer Range. — Common in the heavily timbered bottom lands
of Southern Illinois and Indiana and eastward to the lower portions
of the valleys of the Hudson and Connecticut rivers. It is not uncom-
mon in the lower parts of the Allegheny Mountains from north-
western South Carolina to southern New York, and from the Dismal
Swamp of Virginia northward. Outside of this usual range it has
been taken in Vermont (St. Albans, 1891). Massachusetts (East-
hampton, Cambridge, September 19. 1881, Taunton, May 9, 1890) ;
WORM-EATING WARBLER
49
New York, (Penn Yan, On on da go ) ; Northern Ohio (Cleveland,
May 2, 1873); southern Michigan; southern Wisconsin (Racine,
Milwaukee, Lake Koshkonong) ; central Iowa (Des Moines, Grinnell,
May 15, 1886) ; southeastern Nebraska (Omaha, Lincoln) ; eastern
Kansas (Lawrence, May 6, 1873; Atchinson, May 31, 1899).
The species nests rarely south of the latitude of southern
Virginia, except in the mountains, but has been recorded as breeding
at Raleigh, N. C. ; La Grange, Ala. ; Rodney, Miss., and northern
Louisiana. It occurs in migration throughout the Gulf States to
eastern Texas.
Winter Range. — Southern Florida and eastern Mexico to Pan-
ama; Cuba and the Bahamas.
Spring Migration. —
PI.ACE
Atlantic Coast —
Northern Florida
Raleigh, N. C
Asheville, N. C. (near)
White Sulphur Springs, W Va.
French Creek, W. Va
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Southeastern New York
South Central Connecticut
Mississippi Valley —
Houston, Tex. . .
New Orleans, La.
St. Louis, Mo. . . .
Brookvrlle, Ind. . .
Columbus, O
No, of
yeans'
record
10
4
3
3
6
3
7
3
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 9
April 24
April 21
April 28
April 28
May 2
May 4
May 7
May II
April 9
April 29
April 23
April 4, 1892
April 19, 1887
April 19, 1893
April 27, 1890
April 25, 1898 .
April 29, 1888
April 29, 1902
May 3, 1886
May 10, 1894
April 6, 1881
April 6, 1902
April 26, 1882
April 17, 1896
April 18, 1900
Fall Migration. — The earliest fall migrant was recorded at Key
West, Fla., August 30; the average date at which they first strike
the Florida lighthouses is September 14. Migration at the mouth of
the Mississippi is at about the same time, earliest August 11. The
latest migrants are neted at Raleigh, N. C, September 2; near New
Orleans, La., September 30; Key West, Fla., about October i.
The Bird and its Haunts.— The Worm-eating Warbler appears
to be a locally common bird from southern Pennsylvania southward,
but is rather uncommon from this point northward. In a degree it is
a connecting link between the terrestrial and arboreal Warblers, and
feeds both upon the ground and in the trees. In color, voice, and
actions it is far too inconspicuous to force itself on our attention and
its presence is usually detected only by the watchful.
50 WORM-EATING WARBLER
F. L. Burns*' reports it as common, but extremely local, at
Berwyn, Pa., where it inhabits the wooded hill-slopes. "I do not
remember," he says, "having ever met with it in the open, or in small
groves of the bottom lands. It is at home in the second growth timber
of the hills, and is very deliberate in its movements, seeming" never
in a hurry and yet never idle. Stepping out with dainty tread and
bobbing head, it is a really graceful little walker on ground or tree.
"The bird exhibits a remarkable love for its chosen nesting haunts,
building the second and third nest within a radius of a few hundred
feet when disturbed, and returning year after year to the same place
if successful in raising a brood. I have not observed a single pair
building on the exact site of former years, but on several occasions
within a few feet of it. While the female takes the leading part, the
male is always present and seems busy, a by no means silent partner
in the selection of site and construction of nest. * * *
"Incubation does not always commence immediately after com-
pletion of set, particularly if the season be young. It is probable that
the second night witnesses the beginning of that period and, as far
as my experience goes, I believe it is performed by the female alone.
The male feeds her when covering newly hatched young. The home-
coming of a brooding bird, after a brief airing and feeding, is
heralded several hundred yards distant by frequent chips and short
flights from branch to branch near the ground, in leisurely fashion
and circuitous route, until at length, arriving above the nest, she runs
down a sapling and is silent. The bird is a close sitter and if
approached from the open front will often allow a few minutes' silent
inspection, eye to eye, at arm's length, sometimes not vacating until
touched, then she runs off in a sinuous trail, not always feigning
lameness before the young are out. When disturbed with young in
the nest she flutters ofif with open wings and tail, and failing to lead
one off, will return with her mate, who is seldom far off at this
period, circling about the nest or intruder, and, if the young are well
feathered, she will dash at them, forcing them from the nest and to
shelter. Once this brave little bird dashed at me and ran up to my
knee, scratching with her sharp little claws at every step. On the
return the birds always make the vicinity ring with their protests —
a quickly repeated chip. The period of incubation in one instance
was thirteen days."
William Brewster presents this picture of the bird in its haunts
in West Virginia, where, he says, the bird is "most partial to the
Plate III
Blackburnian Warbler, Adult Male.
Blackburnian Warbler, Female.
3. Prothonotary Warbler, Adult Male.
4. Prothonotary Warbler, Female.
WORM-EATING WARBLER
51
retired thickets in the woods along water courses, and seldom or
never found in the high open groves. They keep much on the ground,
where they walk about rather slowly, searching for their food among
the dried leaves. In general appearance they are quite unique, and 1
rarely failed to identify one with an instant's glance, so very peculiar
are all their attitudes and motions.
"The tail is habitually carried at an elevation considerably above
the line of the back, which gives them quite a smart, jaunty air, and
if the dorsal aspect be exposed in a' clear light, the peculiar marking
of the crown is quite conspicuous. Seen as they usually are, however,
dimly flitting ahead through the gloom and shadow of the thickets,
the impression received is that of a dark little bird which vanishes
unaccountably before your very eyes, leaving you quite uncertain
where to look for it next; indeed, I hardly know a more difficult
bird to procure, for the slightest noise sends it darting off through
the woods at once. Occasionally you will come upon one winding
around the trunk of some small tree, exactly in the manner of
Mniotilta varia, moving out along the branches with nimble motion,
peering alternately under the bark on either side, and anon returning
to the main stem, perhaps in the next instant to hop back to the
ground again. On such occasions they rarely ascend to the height
of more than eight or ten feet. The males are very quarrelsome,
chasing one another through the woods with loud, sharp chirpings,
careering with almost inconceivable velocity up among the tops of the
highest oaks, or darting among the thickets with interminable doub-
lings, until the pursuer, growing tired of the chase, alights on some
low twig or old mossy log, and in token of his victory, utters a
warble so feeble that you must be very near to catch it at all, a
sound like that produced by striking two pebbles very quickly and
gently together, or the song of Spisella socialis heard at a distance,
and altogether a very indifferent performance." (Brezvster-.)
Song. — The resemblance of the Worm-eater's song to that of
the Chipping Sparrow is so great that few describers of it fail to com-
ment on the similarity.
Mr W. DeW. Miller of Plainfield, New Jersey, tells me that he
has on two occasions heard a flight song from this species. It is
described by him as much more varied and musical than the ordinary
song, though lacking in strength. It was given as the bird flew
through the woods at an even level, not rising above the tree-tops,
as does the Oven-bird and other flight singers.
52 WORM-EATING WARBLER
This is probably the song referred to by Jones in the following
quotation: "Mr. Burns describes a song that resembles that of a
Goldfinch; chat-ah-che-che-chee-chee-chee, which seems to correspond
well with a passion song in the manner of utterance."
"Commonly remains in song after its arrival until the second
week in July. Sometimes singing ceases a little earlier than this;
again, in other years, songs are to be heard until the third week of
the month.
"The second song-period of this Warbler I can speak of only
from one season's experience. On July lo, 1881, several of these
birds were silently inhabiting a small tract of woodland, their first
season of song having passed; here on August 14, and again on the
2ist, they were found in fine plumage and in full song.
"The songs of no three birds known to me are more alike than
those of the Worm-eating Warbler, the Chipping Sparrow, and the
Slate-colored ]vlx\co." {Bicknell.^)
"Call-note a sharp dzt like that of Swainson's Warbler, or the
Black and White Warbler; it is uttered at all times and seasons.
The song is a perfectly monotonous trill; it is uttered during spring
migration during momentary pauses in the active creeping of the
bird — never in flight. I have seen a bird perch for some time upon
an exposed dead limb, uttering the song at short intervals, and mean-
while sitting quite still. This was on April 26, in Tishomingo county
—almost too soon for the bird to have had a nest. I have heard no
song in the fall." {Allison, MS.)
"I can distinguish no difference between the notes of this species
and those of the Chipping Sparrow ; the first may be a trifle weaker,
perhaps. The series of notes may be uttered while perched, or
cieeping about the lower branches of the trees, sapling tops, bushes,
or fallen brush, or while on the ground. With slightly drooping tail
and wings, puflfing out of body plumage, throwing its head back until
the beak is perpendicular, it trills with swelling throat an unvarying
Che — e-e-e-e-e-e, which does not sound half so monotonous in the
woods as does the Chippy's lay in the open. The first song period
is from the time of arrival until June 24 to July 5, but during the last
two weeks, when housekeeping is a thing of the past and the hot days
have come, it is seldom heard except in the early morning, beginning
about four o'clock, and in the cool of the evening. The second song
period is very brief and follows the molt. I have no dates."
{Burns, MS.)
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER 53
Nesting Site. — "It always nests on the ground, generally on a
steep hillside in the woods. A stream of water or a swamp seem to
be a desirable condition." (Jackson.^)
Ladd* states that the nest is placed at the foot of either a sapling
or small bush, not necessarily on a hillside but sometimes on level
ground in open places with little shade.
Nest. — "The nest is invariably lined with the red flower stalks
of the hair moss ( PolytricMnm)." (Jackson.^) Ladd confirms this
habit and adds: "Sometimes fine grass and horse-hair are used as
part of the lining." The body or outside of the nests is composed of
leaves only. Nests taken by J. N. Clark at Saybrook, Connecticut
(C. W. C.) are composed of decayed leaves and lined with stems of
maple seeds.
^SS^- — 3 to 6, usually 4 or 5. Ground color white with a wide
variation in markings from sparingly to profusely marked with spots,
specks, and blotches of chestnut, lavender, light and dark reddish,
with a tendency to form wreaths around the larger end, but in most
cases a nearly evenly marked egg. In shape some are rounded oval
and others much pointed. Size : average, .69X.53 ; extremes, .75X.58,
.64X.48. (Figs. 9-1 1.)
Nesting Dates.— Iredell County N. C, May 10 (J. P. N.) ; West
Chester, Pa.. May 26- June 15 (Jackson) : Waynesburg, Pa., May
16- June IT (Jacobs): New York City. May 20 (F. M. C.) ; New
Haven, Conn., May 25-Tune 19 (Bishop).
Biographical References
(i) R. RiDGWAY, Field and Forest, i, 1875. lO- (2) Wm. Brewster, Obser-
vations on the Birds of Ritchie County, West Virginia, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist.,
N. Y., XI, 1875, 134. (3) T. H. Jackson, Nesting of the Worm-eating Warbler
[in S. E. Pa.], Orn. and 061., XI, 1886, 156. (4) S. B. Ladd, Nesting of the
Worm-eating Warbler [in S. E. Pa.], Orn. and 061., XII, 1887, no; (5) A
Series of Eggs of the Worm-eating Warbler, Ibid, 149. (6) F. L. Burns, The
Worm-eating Warbler [in Penn.], Bird-Lore, VII, 1905, 137. (7) J. P.
N [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Worm-eating Warbler, Orn. and 061., XV,
1890, 118. (8) E. P. Bicknell, a Study of the Singing of our Birds, Auk, I,
1884, 210.
Genus PROTONOTARIA Baird
Protonotaria citrca, the single species contained in this genus,
has the bill long, stout, aculeate, the upper mandible nearly straight
but somewhat decurved at the slightly notched tip, the ridge of
culmen is pronounced and slightly parts the feathers of the forehead,
54
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
the rictal bristles are barely evident. The wing is rather broad, not
especially pointed, the tail is short, square, or even somewhat rounded,
the outer feather being slightly the shortest; the under tail-coverts
are long, reaching to within half an inch, or less, of the end of the
tail ; the hind-toe is shorter but stouter than the middle toe.
In color the sexes closely resemble each other, the male having
the head brighter.
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
PROTONOTARIA CITREA (Bodd.) Plate III
Distinguishing Characters.— The prevailing orange-yellow color, grayish
wings and absence of wing-bars will always distinguish this species. Length
(skin), 4.90; wing, 2.85; tail, 1.85; bill, .55.
Adult ^, Spring. — Whole head orange-yellow; back yellowish green; rump
and upper tail-coverts gray; tail margined with gray, all but the central pair
of feathers white on the inner web except at the tip, which is black; wings
black, externally margined with gray, lesser coverts like the back, greater cov-
erts tinged with same, first primary covert blackish margined with whitish,
bend of wing yellow ; below orange-yellow changing to white on the crissum ;
bill black.
Adult 3, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Spring, but hind-head always washed
with dusky; bill brownish.
Young c?. Fall. — Similar to adult S in Fall but white on inner webs of
tail-feathers more restricted and more or less mottled with blackish ; first
primary covert grayer.
Adult ?, Spring. — Resembles adult c?, but crown duller, greenish yellow or
orange, back the same changing to gray on the rump ; tail with less white, the
black areas duller ; below averaging paler than the adult and with more white
on the lower belly.
Adult 5, Fall. — Resembles adult $ in Spring.
Young $, Fall. — Resembles adult $ in Fall.
Nestling. — Above dusky olive-green varying markedly to brown ; below
dusky grayish tinged with yellow or brown on the breast and sides, whiter
on the belly.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States, north to Virginia
and Minnesota, west nearly to the Plains.
Summer Range. — The Prothonotary Warbler is pre-eminently a
bird of damp woods in the immediate vicinity of water, and, in
general terms, it can be said that its principal summer home is the
bottom lands of the Mississippi River and its tributaries to an altitude
of one thousand feet ; north to northwestern Ohio ( St. Mary's Reser-
voir), northeastern Indiana (Steuben County), southern Ontario
(Hamilton), southeastern Michigan (Lansing), central Wisconsin
(Shiocton), southeastern Minnesota (Hastings) ; west to central
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
55
Iowa (Des Moines), eastern Nebraska (Omaha, Lincoln and West
Point), central Kansas (Manhattan and Neosho Falls), Oklahoma
City and Kiowa Agency), and eastern Texas (Gainesville and
Austin).
Along the Atlantic slope, near the coast, the species is common
north to the Dismal Swamp of Virginia, and rare locally, thence to
western Delaware (Choptank River). It breeds south to northern
Florida. It has occurred accidentally in Pennsylvania (Areola, May
15, 1887; near Philadelphia, May 1879; Allegheny County, May 17,
1892; Chester County, May; Lancaster County); New Jersey,
(Haddonfield) ; New York (Montauk Point, L. I., August 26, 1886;
Jamaica, May 1849; Yonkers, June 2, 1895); Rhode Island, (South
Kingston, April 20, 1884; Lonsdale, April 29, 1892 and April 19.
1893); Massachusetts (South Abington ; Northampton, May 1883;
Concord, May 9, 1886, August 17 and 23, 1886; Auburndale, June
19, 1890; Hyde Park, May 21, 1892; Mattapan Station September 15.
1894) ; New Brunswick (St. Stephens, October 30, 1862), and Arizona
(Tucson, May i, 1884).
Winter Range. — Nicaragua to Venezuela; rarely north to
Yucatan.
Spring Migration: Atlantic Coast. — The earliest record in the
United States for this species is Sombrero Key Light, Florida, March
II, 1888; the average date of arrival in northern Florida is the first
week in April, the earliest, being Suwanee River, March 22, 1890,
and Perdido Lighthouse, March 22, 1885. At Charleston, S. C, eight
struck the light April 8, 1902. At Cumberland, Ga., the earliest
record is April 10, 1902; on April 15, 1902 this was the most com-
mon among the birds that swarmed about the light; it was again
abundant the next night. The average at Raleigh, N. C, is April 18.
Mississippi Valley. — At New Orleans, La., the earliest record is
March 13, 1888, the average being March 18. Additional records
are: Central Mississippi, average April 6, earliest April 3, 1889;
Lomita, Texas, March 26, 1880; Matagorda Island, Texas, March
31, 1900; Dallas, Texas, April 8, 1898, April 6, 1899; Manhattan,
Kansas, April 25, 1891, April 26, 1894, April 26, 1895; St. Louis,
Mo., April 18, 1884, April 20, 1885 ; Wabash County, Illinois, April
19, 1878; Knox County, Indiana, April 18, 1881 ; Vigo County,
Indiana, April 10, 1896; Elkhart County, Indiana, April 27, 1891,
and Shiocton, Wis., May 4, 1882.
Fall Migration. — The earliest records of fall migration are at
Raleigh, N. C, July 14, 1893 and 1894, and at Key West, Fla., July
56 PROTHONOTARY WARBLER ' '
28, 1888, and August 8, 1889. The earliest records south of the
United States are on the coast of southeastern Nicaragua, September
2, 1892, and in northern Colombia, South America, September 25.
The latest date at Raleigh, N. C, is August 26, and at Omaha, Nebr.,
August 25 to September 10. The latest Florida record is of a bird
that struck the light at Sombrero Key, September 25, 1888, and the
latest from New Orleans is September 24, 1893. The only fall record
for the West Indies is of one taken at New Providence, Bahamas,
August 28, 1898.
The route of the Prothonotary Warbler in its fall migration is
interesting; the breeding birds of the Middle Atlantic States appar-
ently pass southwest to northwestern Florida and then take a
seven-hundred-mile flight directly across the Gulf of Mexico to
southern Yucatan, instead of crossing to Cuba and thence to Yucatan.
The Bird and its Haunts. — The charm of its haunts and the
beauty of its plumage combine to render the Prothonotary Warbler
among the most attractive members of this family. I clearly recall
my own first meeting with it in the Suwanee River region of Florida.
Quietly paddling my canoe along one of the many enchanting, and,
I was then quite willing to believe, enchanted streams which flowed
through the forests into the main river, this glowing bit of bird-life
gleamed like a torch in the night. No neck-straining examination
with opera-glass pointed to the tree-tops, was required to determine
his identity, as, flitting from bush to bush along the river's bank, his
golden plumes were displayed as though for my special benefit.
If all our Warblers had received the attention which the Pro-
thonotary's attractions have won for him, the preparation of this
volume would have been a much easier and more satisfactory task.
Space, indeed, prohibits adequate quotations from the monographs
of which this bird has been the subject, and for more detailed infor-
mation than can here well be presented, the student is referred to the
papers cited beyond. From the one by William Brewster^ the follow-
ing admirable pen picture of the Prothonotary and its haunts is
extracted :
In the heavily timbered bottoms of the Wabash and White
Rivers, Brewster writes, two things were found to be essential to the
Prothonotary's presence, "namely, an abundance of willows and the
immediate proximity of water. Thickets of button bushes did indeed
satisfy a few scattered and perhaps not over particular individuals
and pairs, but away from water they never were seen. So marked
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER 57
was this preference, that the song of the male heard from the woods
indicated to us as surely the proximity of some river, pond, or flooded
swamp, as did the croaking of frogs or peeping of hylas.
"In general activity and restlessness few birds equal the species
under consideration. Not a nook or corner of his domain but is
repeatedly visited through the day. Now he sings a few times from
the top of some tall willow that leans out over the stream, sitting
motionless among the yellowish foliage, fully aware, perhaps, of
the protection afiforded by its harmonizing tints. The next moment
he descends to the cool shades beneath, where dark, coffee-colored
water, the over-flow of pond or river, stretches back among the
trees. * * *
"This Warbler usually seeks its food low down among thickets,
moss-grown logs, or floating debris, and always about the water.
Sometimes it ascends tree-trunks for a little way like the Black and
White Creeper [=Warbler], winding about with the same peculiar
motion. When seen among the upper branches, where it often goes
to preen its feathers and sing in the warm sunshine, it almost invari-
ably sits nearly motionless. Its flight is much like that of the Water-
Thrush (either species) and is remarkably swift, firm, and decided.
When crossing a broad stream it is slightly undulating, though always
direct."
Of the Prothonotary farther south in the Mississippi Valley,
Allison (MS.) writes:
"The typical haunt is low, flat, woodland, preferably with some
standing water; this is usually a river bottom, though a 'bay-gall,'
or low swamp among pine-lands, wooded with white bay, black-gum,
etc., often answers the purpose. In Louisiana, a piece of ground
recently deposited by the Mississippi River, and covered with a thick
growth of willows, is attractive to this Warbler. It joins less than
many other species with the roving bands of migrant Warblers in
the upland woods."
Song.— "The usual song of the Prothonotary Warbler sounds
at a distance like the call of the Solitary Sandpiper with a syllable
or two added,— a simple peet, tzveet, tweet, tweet, given on the same
key throughout. Often when the notes came from the farther shore
of a river or pond we were completely deceived. On more than one
occasion, when a good opportunity for comparison was offered by
the actual presence of both birds at the same time, we found that
at the distance of several hundred yards their notes were absolutely
indistinguishable; nearer at hand, however, the resemblance is lost,
58 PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
and a ringing penetrating quality becomes apparent in the Warbler's
song. It now sounds like peet, tsweet, tsweet, tszveet, or sometimes
tweet, tr-sweet, tr-sweet, tr-sweet. When the bird sings within a few
yards the sound is almost startling in its intensity, and the listener
feels inclined to stop his ears. The male is a fitful singer, and is
quite as apt to be heard in the hot noontide or on cloudy days, when
other birds are silent, as during the cool morning and evening hours.
The ordinary note of alarm or distress is a sharp one, so nearly like
that of the Large-billed Water-Thrush (Seiurus motacilla) that the
slight difference can only be detected by a critical ear. When the
sexes meet a soft tchip of recognition common to nearly all the War-
blers is used. In addition to the song above described the male has
a different and far sweeter one, which is reserved for select occasions,
an outpouring of the bird's most tender feelings, intended for the
ears of his mate alone, like the rare evening warble of the Oven-bird
{Seiurus aurocapillus) . It is apparently uttered only while on the
wing. Although so low and feeble as to be inaudible many rods
away, it is very sweet, resembling somewhat the song of the Canary
given in an undertone, with trills or 'water notes' interspersed. The
flight during its delivery is very different from that at all other times.
The bird progresses slowly, with a trembling, fluttering motion, its
head raised and tail expanded. This song was heard most frequently
after incubation had begun." {Brewster'^.)
Nesting Site. — Brewster^ writes that to give an account of all
the situations in which he has found nests of this species "would
entail a description of nearly every conceivable kind of hole or cavity
that can be found in tree-trunks. The typical nesting-site, however,
was the deserted hole of the Downy Woodpecker or Carolina Chickadee.
The height varied from two to fifteen feet, though the usual eleva-
tion was about four." Barnes's- observations agree with Brewster's
but he adds that, rarely, nests are found as high as twenty-five feet.
Both writers state that the height of the nest and its distance from the
water depend upon the fall in the water after the site has been
selected.
A wide, and apparently not infrequent departure from the type
of nesting-site just described is the vicinity of houses (Ganier^) and,
in one instance, a railroad bridge (Roberts*) when, bluebird-like, the
bird accepts nest-boxes or similar situations.
Ng^f_ — The nest is constructed by the female. The male accom-
panies her on her search for material and rarely brings a small bill
'-."I
NEST OF PARULA WARBLER.
The arrow indicates the location of the nest. The bird may be seen at the left of nest.
Photographed by Frank M. Chapman, at (lardiner's Island, N. Y.
iifi-nJ^.:^ _i£fe:^;;.' -,:^^
NESTING STUMP OF PROTIIUXOTARY WARBLER.
The arrow indicates the nest entrance.
Photographed by Thomas S. Roberts, at Red Wing, Minn.
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
59
full but leaves it "on the outside of the hole for her to carry in and
arrange.
"The female begins by bringing some fine straws or grasses
which are arranged in a nice nest in the bottom of the hole. Next
she procures some fine strips of grape-vine bark, and lines her nest,
and lastly covers this all over carefully and thickly with moss which
grows on the bark of trees standing in the water. * * * They
very rarely use any feathers or hair, and sometimes build their nest
entirely of one of the above materials." (Barnes^.)
Nests collected by Wayne in South Carolina were made of lichens
and lined with cypress leaves (C W. C).
Ganier (MS.) writes that in Mississippi the birds "frequently
.excavate their ozvn hole in the soft cottonwood stumps," a habit not
mentioned by other writers I have consulted.
Eggs. — 5 to 7, usually 6. Ground color a rich creamy white to
bufify, very glossy and very heavily and profusely blotched and spotted
with rich chestnut-red, many lavender and purplish shades occurring.
The heaviest and richest marked of North American Warblers' eggs ;
in shape a rounded oval tending to become nearly spherical, the
larger end having the heavier markings. An extreme type has
rich cream ground with a few scattering spots of purplish brown.
Size; average, .70X.57; extremes, .76X.59, .65X.57, .70X.53, .72X.61.
(Figs. 6, 7.)
Nesting Dates. — Charleston, S. C, May 3 ; June 23, two eggs
with large embryos (Wayne); Lewis County, Mo., May 13
(J.P.N.) ; Mt. Carmel, Illinois, May 8 (Breivster) ; Lacon, Illinois,
May 2i-July 7 (C. W. C. ) ; Pierce County, Wis., May 31 (C. W. C).
Biographical References
(i) William Brewster, The Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)
[in Illinois and Indiana], Bull. Niitt. Orn. Club, III, 1878, I53- (2) R. M.
Barnes, Nesting of the Prothonotary Warbler, Orn. and 061., XIV, 1889, 27-
(3) W. E. LoucKS, Life History of the Prothonotary Warbler, Bull. 111. State
Lab. Nat. Hist, IV, 1894, 10; also Osprey, II, 1898, 99, in, 129. (4) T. S.
Roberts, The Prothonotary or Golden Swamp Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) a
Common Summer Resident in southeastern Minnesota, Auk, XVI, 1899, 236.
(5) Albert Ganier, Nesting of the Prothonotary Warbler, Bird-Lore, II, 1900,
89. (6) J. P. N [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Prothonotary Warbler, Orn.
and 061., XV, 1890, 177.
Genus HELMINTHOPHILA Ridgway
Small size and a short, straight, slender, unnotched, exceedinglv
acute bill distinguish all the species of this genus, except H.
6o GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
hachmani, in which the bill is slightly decurved; the rictal
bristles are not evident; the wing averages about .70 inches longer
than the tail ; the tail-feathers are rather narrow, terminally rounded
or obtusely pointed; the under tail-coverts are about three-fourths
as long as the tail; the feet are blackish, the tarsus decidedly longer
than the middle-toe and nail.
Compared with Dendroica the species of Helminthophila, as a
whole, are plain in color and in pattern of coloration.
H. chrysoptera and H. pinus are the only species having wing-
bars; while with H. hachmani and, to a lesser degree, H. peregrina,
they diflfer from other members of the genus in having the tail marked
with white.
Helminthophila contains nine species and two forms of doubtful
status, all but one of which, H. crissalis of the Sierra Nevada of
Colima, Mexico, are North American. Four species are eastern, one
of them, H. peregrina, extending, however, northwestward to Alaska,
two are found in the Rocky Mountain region and southward into
Mexico, and two, H. celata and H. rubricapilla, range from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, their color showing some response to the vary-
ing climatic conditions encountered in so vast an area.
Although arboreal in habit, the species of this genus nest upon
the ground, with the exception of H. lucice which nests in holes, etc.,
and H. hachmani, which builds in low bushes.
Golden-winged Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA CHRYSOPTERA (Linn.) Plate V
Distinguishing Characters. — General color gray; a yellow patch on the
wings; cheeks and throat black in the <^, gray in the 9. Length (skin), 4.30;
wing, 2.4s; tail, 1.90; bill, .46.
Adult <S, Spring. — Crown yellow bordered by a white line above eye;
cheeks black; back gray sometimes tinged with olive-green; tail gray, the
outer three or four feathers with white patches on the inner vane; wings
externally gray, the inner feathers edged with olive-green, outer vane of greater
coverts largely yellow, median coverts broadly tipped with yellow, forming a
yellow wing-patch; throat and upper breast black bordered by a white line at
either side, rest of underparts grayish, white on the median line.
Adult (S, Fall. — Similar to the last but more or less washed with olive-
green above and with yellow below.
Young c?. Fa//.— Similar to adult 3 in Fall but black throat-patch slightly
smaller and sometimes tipped with grayish, the chin white connecting the two
white stripes on either side of the throat.
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
6i
Adult 2, Spring. — Crown greenish yellow, a white line above eye, cheeks
gray; back gray more or less washed with olive-green; tail and wings as in
c? but yellow of wing-bars more restricted; throat gray bordered by whitish
stripes; middle of belly whitish, sides gray.
Adult 2, Fall.— Not seen.
Young 2, /^a//.— Similar to adult $ in Spring but crown greener, back
and underparts washed with olive-green, chin whitish.
Nestling. — Dusky olive-green above, below dusky olive; wings and tail as
in young in Fall, greater and median wing-coverts olive-green tipped with
greenish forming two conspicuous bars. The early development of the plumage
of the throat soon distinguishes the sexes.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States; north to New
Hampshire and Wisconsin ; west to the Mississippi River.
Summer Range. — The principal summer home is in Michigan,
southern Ontario and northern Wisconsin; a few occur east to New
York (Penn Yan, May 1872; Buffalo, May 12, 1888), New Hamp-
shire (Durham, Hampton Falls, Jaffrey, Manchester and Concord),
and the species is not uncommon locally in Massachusetts and Con-
necticut. It breeds south to northern Illinois, northern Indiana and
Ohio, while in the mountains, the breeding range takes a southerly
dip from Pennsylvania to northern Georgia, where at an elevation of
2,000 to 4,000 feet, the bird is, locally, almost as common as in
Michigan. The species has been noted in Manitoba (Winnipeg
about May 24, 1887), Iowa (Iowa City, May 17, 1885), and New
Mexico (Fort Thorn, April 1854.)
The southern Mississippi Valley is crossed in migration, but the
species is very rare in eastern Texas and occurs only rarely or
casually in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida; accidental in
Mexico and the West Indies.
Winter Range. — Guatemala to Colombia.
Spring Migration. —
PI,ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Atlantic Coast —
Rising Fawn, Ga
4
4
3
3
18
5
May 2
May 3
April 30
April 30
May 12
May 9
April II, 1885
Asheville, N. C
April 22, 1893
French Creek, W. Va
April 30, 1893
Washington, D. C
May I, 1905
Beaver, Pa
April 24, 1902
Waynesburg, Pa
April 26, 1896
Portland, Conn
May 3, 1896
West Roxbury, Mass
May 4, 1891
62
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
PI.ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Framingham, Mass
10
6
4
6
10
5
9
8
May 10
May I
April 30
April 30
May 4
May 7
May 7
May 6
May 8, 1895
April 26, 1888
April 22, 1894
April 27, 1896
April 25, 1886
May 5, 1897
May 2, 1905
May 2, 1900
May 8, 1887
May 12, 1888
Mississippi Valley —
St. Louis, Mo
Keokuk, la
Waterloo, Ind
Petersburg, Mich
Livonia, Mich
Detroit, Mich
Southern Ontario
Lanesboro, Minn
Elk River, Minn
Fall Migration. — A fall migrant has been seen at New Orleans,
La., as early as July 23, 1898, and one v^as taken on the northern
coast of South America, September 6, showing that the Golden-winged
Warbler is among the early migrants. The last ones seen were noted
at Lanesboro, Minn., September 8, 1889; Livonia, Mich., September
21, 1891 ; Chicago, 111., September 25, 1895; Englewood, N. J.,
September 2, 1886; French Creek, W. Va., September 15, 1892;
Chester County, S. C, September 22, 1887, and New Orleans, La.,
September 21, 1897.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This beautiful Warbler is by no
means a rare bird throughout the greater part of its breeding range
and in some localities is abundant, nevertheless it is usually sufficiently
uncommon as a transient spring migrant to make its appearance
worthy of special comment in our note-books. Students of the fall
migration, however, will some years find it an abundant August
migrant.
The complex and as yet not clearly understood relations exist-
ing between this species, the Blue-winged Warbler and the inter-
mediate forms known as Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers make,
as has been said under the Blue-wing, a study of their nesting habits,
particularly in that region where the range of this species overlaps
that of the Blue-wing, a matter of unusual interest.
About Cambridge, Mass., Brewster^ writes that the Golden-wing
"frequents deciduous woods and thickets, preferring to all other
places springy runs shaded by gray birches, old pastures growing up
to birches and wild apple trees, and dry hillsides covered with a
young sprout growth of oak, hickory or maple. As a rule it shuns
evergreen trees, but at its seasons of migration I have occasionally
seen it feeding, with Warblers of other species, in the tops of large
white pines."
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER 63
In southwestern Pennsylvania, we learn from J. Warren Jacob's^
monograph of this species, it prefers fields "abundantly supplied with
damp or springy places, with rank — but closely rooted grass, clumps
of bushes, briers, etc., and the adjacent forest skirted with like
growth." He adds: "I have never found a nest on the creek bottom
lands, but always well up the side or on top of a hill."
In southern Michigan, Gibbs- states, "the Golden-wing evidently
prefers low sections of land, and appears most at home in quarters
where deep woods border marshy tracts. I have yet to meet with the
birds in very high and dry localities, although they are sometimes
seen in elevated swampy spots. I have never found the bird in oak
openings, hickory lands or sandy soil."
In its general actions the Golden-wing resembles the Blue-wing.
It has the same peering ways and habit of examining a branch tip or
leaf while hanging back downward. Jacobs^ writes: "This bird must
be a great destroyer of leaf lice and small caterpillars that infest the
tips of branches and the imderside of leaves, for they are continually
searching and picking at the opening buds and waxen leaves at
the ends of new twigs, the male pausing frequently to sing. At times
their actions [remind] one of the Gnatcatcher in flitting hither and
thither snatching up small winged mites."
The same author states that two days seem to be ample time for
the birds to complete a nest, and in more than one instance he has
known a nest commenced one day to contain an egg "the second day
thereafter." The period of incubation, he adds, is ten days and the
young leave the nest when ten days old.
Song. — "I have only heard the song on three occasions, but the
song is too distinctive a one ever to be forgotten. It was uttered
almost by the hour. An indolent, rather wheezy note, repeated three
or four times without variation; always the same note, a lazy, dron-
ing song with a little of the Black-throated Blue's huskiness in it.
The syllables sh, hush, hush, hush, recall it to me, the last three
slightly quicker than the first." (Farzvell, MS.)
"The song of H. chrysoptera consists normally of four notes
— shree-e-e, swee, swee, szvee, — the first about two notes higher than
the following three, being slightly prolonged. It is varied somewhat
at times, with the second note like the first ; again it is reduced to three
two, or even a single note. The song will immediately attract atten-
tion from its very oddity. By some it is considered harsh, but to me
it has a soft penetrating quality, unexcelled, this eflfect being
heightened by the uncertain source of the song." {Eames.^)
64 GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
"While the female is incubating the eggs, her mate moves
about the tips of branches and tops of saplings, searching for food,
all the while singing his little ditty, which is a simple little bit of bird
music hard to put into print. At some distance the song can be
distinguished by the syllables zee-se-se-se-ze, beginning slowly and
proceeding more rapidly and ending in a slightly higher pitch. When
near the bird this song sounds somewhat different, and is now hard
to imitate in type. The best I can do is to write it zee-n-ee'-zee-u-ee'-
zee-u-ee' zee-u-zwee' , with the u barely articulated. I have several
times heard the song continued to the middle of July, and again on still,
sultry days in August. At this time, however, it is not so strong
and complete as during the early summer. While emitting this song,
the bird stands quite erect, stretched up to its full height, the throat
extended until the feathers ruffle. The head pointing about 70 degrees
upward when the first syllable is uttered, is turned farther upward at
the close of the song. The alarm note of both sexes, when the nest or
young is disturbed, consists of a sharp chip like that of the Chipping
Sparrow, but sharper and repeated oftener." {Jacobs.^)
Nesting Site. — The following quotation from Jacob's^ admirable
monograph of this species seems to apply to the bird throughout its
nesting range : "The nest is hardly ever placed away from some sub-
stantially supporting stalks of weeds — new or dead — ^briers, elders,
sprouts, etc., of not sufficient abundance to hinder a good growth of
grass. One nest was placed above ground, being three inches up in
a clump of iron-weeds in a marshy place."
jSfest. — "The domicile is rather compact and neatly cupped, but
on the whole is very bulky for a bird so small. The base is composed
of dry oak and beech leaves, and other leaves which dry hard, glossy,
and without crumpling ; on top of this heap a more compact structure
is made, the leaves being placed points downward ; then comes a goodly
supply of strips of grapevine bark and shreds of inner tree bark, so
placed that the rough ends extend beyond the rim of the nest. A
lining is then put in place consisting of fine grass stems and, in some
cases, long horse-hairs. A strict lining is not alway put in place,
some birds being content to rest the eggs on the grapevine bark and
a few intermingling grass stems. Although constructed of coarse
materials, the inside of the nest presents a neat appearance, the long
shreds of bark and grasses crossing diagonally, much resembling
basket work. The opening is not straight down, but slightly tilted,
the jaggy leaf-stems and bark sometimes reaching two or three inches
above the rim of the nest proper. * * * Two days seem to be
Plate IV
t \
}
^(//rt^asi/j^^o^fi,
1. Bachman's Warbler, Adult Male. 3. Bachmans Warbler. Young Female
2. Bachman's Warbler, Adult Female. 4. Worm-eating Warbler, Adult.
5 Swainson's Warbler, Adult.
(.One- half natural size..)
BLUE-WINGED WARBLER 65
ample time for the birds to complete a nest, and in more than one
instance I have [found that] a nest commenced one day contained an
egg the second day thereafter." (Jacobs.^)
Eggs. — 4 to 6, usually 5. Ground color white, markings the
same as in the eggs of the Blue-winged Warbler, except that they
are more profuse and of larger size, tending to form small blotches
in many cases. Size; average, .66X.51 ; extremes, .73X. 55, .58X.51,
.61X.48. (Figs. 15-17.)
Nesting Dates. — Weaverville, N. C, May 22, Tarboro, N. C,
June 22 (C. W. C) ; Waynesburg, Pa., May 14- June 13 (Jacobs) ;
Bethel, Conn., May 29-May 31 (Bishop) ; Monroe County, Mich.,
May 1 7- June 18 (J. P. N.).
Biographical References
(i) J. Warren, Nesting of the Golden-winged Warbler (Helminthophila
chrysoptera) in Massachusetts, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, I, 1876, 6. (2) 'Scolopax'
[=MoRRis GiBBs], Nesting Habits of the Golden-winged Warbler, Oologist,
XI, 1894, 311. (3) J. P. N [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Golden-winged
Warbler, Orn. and 061., XV, 1890, 21. (4) J. H. Sage, Notes on Helmin-
thophila chrysoptera in Connecticut, Auk, X, 1893, 208. (5) J. W. Jacobs,
The Haunts of the Golden-winged Warbler, with notes on Migration, Nest
Building, Song, Food, Young, Eggs, Etc., published by the author, Waynes-
burg, Pa. (6) E. H. Eames, Notes on the Blue-winged Warbler and Its
Allies, Auk, VI, 1889, 305. (7) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge
Region, 322.
Blue-winged Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA PINUS (Linn.) Plate V
Distinguishing Characters. — A black or blackish line through the eye; fore-
head yellow or yellowish; two white wing-bars. Length (skin), 4.10; wing,
2.4s; tail, 1.85; bill, .46.
Adult ^, Spring. — Crown yellow, nape and back olive-green ; a black or
blackish line to or through the eye; tail gray, three outer feathers with large
white patches on their inner vanes, fourth and fifth sometimes with white;
wings externally grayish, inner feathers more or less margined with olive-
green; median coverts tipped with white on both vanes, greater coverts chiefly
on outer vane forming two white wing-bars,; below uniform yellow, the
crissum whitish.
Adult 3, Fa//.— Similar to last but crown more or less tipped with greenish.
Young 3, Fo//.— Similar to adult d" in Fall, but crown somewhat greener.
66 BLUE-WINGED WARBLER ' '
Adult 2, Spring.— Resembles adult c^ in Spring, but crown more like back,
eye-stripe duskier, generally less white in tail and on wing-coverts. Much
like young Fall c?, but eye-stripe duskier.
Adult $, Fo//.— Similar to last.
Young 5, Fall. — Similar to preceding, but crown still greener.
Nestling. — Dusky olive-yellow above, paler and more yellow below.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States ; north to Connecti-
cut and Iowa; west nearly to the Plains.
Summer Range. — Southern Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, northern
Kentucky, northern Missouri and southern Iowa. Eastward the bird
breeds more rarely and locally in some of the lower portions of
southern Pennsylvania (West Chester, CarHsle, East Penn, Kirkland,
Laughlintown) ; Maryland (Laurel, Gwynn's Falls) ; Washington,
D. C, more commonly northward to southeastern New York (River-
dale, Ossining, Oyster Bay); New Jersey (Englewood; Morris
County) ; Connecticut (New Haven, Stratford, Stamford, Brantford,
Portland, Bridgeport, Saybrook) ; rarely in Rhode Island (Glou-
cester).
The species occurs rarely or casually in Massachusetts (West
Roxbury, May 17, 1878, Boston, May 29, 1902, Dedham, May,
1857, Dorchester, May 15, 1897) ; western New York (Penn Yan) ;
southern Michigan (Petersburg, May 10, 1894, Battle Creek, May
13, 1902, Detroit, May 29, 1902) ; southern Wisconsin (LaCrosse, May
7. 1885), and southern Minnesota (Minneapolis, May 17, 1880), west
to Nebraska (Omaha, Peru) ; Kansas (Emporia and Onaga).
The most southern breeding records are in the Creek Nation,
Oklahoma; on the St. Francis River in extreme southeastern
Missouri ; Tishomingo County, Mississippi ; and on the coast of
Georgia near the mouth of the Altamaha River. Throughout most
portions of the southeastern States from South Carolina to eastern
Texas, the species is a rare migrant; accidental once in the West
Indies.
Winter Range. — Northern Mexico to Colombia. There is but
one record for the West Indies, that of a specimen taken on Abaco
Island, Bahamas, April 7.
Spring Migration. — South of the United States the Blue-winged
Warbler has been recorded on only one occasion during the spring
migration, when Chapman noted a single bird at Jalapa, Vera Cruz,
April 7, 1897. The migration, however, was evidently well under
way at that date for the earliest arrivals of this species noted in the
United States are at New Orleans, La., March 22, 1898, and on the
Tortugas, Fla., March 23, 1890.
BLUE-WINGED WARBLER
67
Pt,ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Atlantic Coast —
Shelby, Ala
Washington, D. C
New Providence, N. J. .
Englewood, N. J
Beaver, Pa
Berwyn, Pa
Southeastern New York
Portland, Conn
Framingham, Mass
Mississippi Valley —
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo. . .
Brookville, Ind. .
Oberlin, Ohio . .
Rockford, 111. ...
Petersburg, Mich.
Grinnell, la
Lanesboro, Minn.
3
7
5
13
7
6
ID
s
4
6
May
May
May
May
May
April 4, 1898
April 26, 1891
May 12
April 14
April 22
April 26
April 30
May 6
May 4
May 14
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
3, 1091
2, 1902
2, 1891
3, 1900
2, 1900
2, 1902
13, 1896
April 10, 1893
April 17, 1883
April 17, 1896
April 27, 1897
May 2, 1890
May 10, 1897
April 28, 1888
May 7, 1895
Fall Migration. — The last one noted at Lanesboro, Minn., was
on September i, 1889, but the southern part of the breeding-ground
is not deserted until early in October.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Although the Blue-wing is locally
common, its insignificant song and generally quiet ways make it a com-
paratively inconspicuous bird, likely to be noticed only by those who
look for it. It is not, as a rule, a deep woods Warbler, though I
have found it nesting in heavy forest, but prefers rather, bordering
second growths, with weedy openings, from which it may follow
lines or patches of trees to haunts some distance from the woods.
It is rather deliberate in movements for a Warbler, and is less
of a flutterer than the average member of the genus Dendroica.
Some of its motions suggest those of the tree-inhabiting Vireos, while
at times, as the bird hangs downward from some cocoon it is investi-
gating, one is reminded of a Chickadee.
The Blue wing's unsettled relations with the Golden-wing and
with Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers, create a special interest
in its life history, and the fact, that among this group of birds song
is not always diagnostic, makes it well worth while to attempt to see
the singer of every supposed Blue-wing song.
The following study of the Blue-wing is contributed by F. L.
Burns, of Berwyn, Pennsylvania:
"This species is here an inhabitant of the rather open swampy
thickets, upland clearings, neglected pastures and fence rows, where
68 BLUE-WINGED WARBLER
the grass and weeds have not been choked out by a too thick growth of
briers, bushes, sapHngs and vines. While not precisely a bird of the
semi-cultivated fields, it has a wider local range than any of our home
Warblers with the possible exception of the Chat.
"Perched inconspicuously near the top and well out in the
branchlets of a tree or sapling, preferably facing an opening, if in a
thicket; it is in itself so minute an object as to be passed unseen by
many, more especially as it is much less active than most of our
Warblers. With body feathers puffed out to a delightful plumpness,
except for the backward sweep of the head while in the act of sing-
ing, it remains motionless for quite a while. When it moves it is
with a combination of nervous haste and deliberation, and its song
may be heard from quite another part of the landscape with no
apparent reason for the change. While it has its favorite song perches,
it is quite a wanderer and not infrequently sings beyond possible
hearing of its brooding mate, but oftener within fifty to two hundred
feet of the nest.
"Deposition of eggs occurred daily, in one instance, when five
eggs were laid, and before nine a. m. Incubation commences soon
after the completion of set, the female sitting on eggs on the after-
noon of the day in which she completes the set. In an exceptional
case in which three eggs formed the clutch, the embryo was large
in one, commenced to form in the second, and the third egg was
fresh, showing that several days elapsed between deposition, and tlii
commencement of incubation before the set was complete.
"The task of incubation falls on the female alone. It appears that
an airing is taken in the early morning or a little before midday, and
again in the early evening, though perhaps not regularly every day.
I have not seen the male about the nest with food at this period.
The female will allow a close approach, looking into one's eyes with
that hunted look so common in wild animals, and often flushing
without a protesting note. The period of incubation in the one
instance was exactly ten days.
"On June 13, at 6.30 p. m., five young just hatched were blind,
naked and prostrate from chin to sternum. The shells were
disposed of immediately, in what manner I am unable to state; the
female was reluctant to vacate.
"On June 15, at 2.45 p. m., the young were able to raise their
heads slightly and a flufify bit of down had appeared about the head,
also a dark stripe along the back bone. The female appeared, accom-
panied by the male, and fed the young with small green larvae — such
BLUE-WINGED WARBLER
69
as may be found on the underside of oak and chestnut leaves and
then shielded the callow young from the hot rays of the sun.
"On June 16, at 6.30 p. m., when the young were three days
old, a downy puff appeared between the shoulders, wing quills being
dark. The strongest bird had the eyes partly open and the mouth
wide open for food.
"On June 18, at 7 p. m., the heads and bodies were no longer
flesh-colored but were well enough covered to appear dark. The eyes
were open. At a cluck from me their mouths flew open. Both
parents fed them with green-colored larvae. When the male rested
a moment on a brier above the nest, the female flew down and drove
him away, fed the young, re-appearing with excrement in her beak,
which was carried in an opposite direction from the regular approach
via maple bough and poplar sapling. The male fed young from a
mouthful of very minute larvae or eggs, which were gathered from
the silken nests in the unfolding leaves of a nearby poplar; after
this (7.30 p. m.) the female covered the young for the night.
"On June 20, at from 6.50 to 7.35 p. m., the young had been
seven days in the nest. They were well feathered and of a yellowish-
green cast, the short tails being tipped with yellow. The parents were
more suspicious. The female came to the maple bough with some-
thing in her beak and flew down to the briers and back again several
times before she dropped to the edge of the nest and fed her young.
The male appeared immediately but swallowed a green grub himself
upon discovery of me twenty-five feet away. The female came
again in five minutes with a brownish object in her bill, but appeared
more timid and refused to drop to the nest until the male set her
an example of courage.
"On June 21, at 6.12 p. m., the young were fully fledged in green
plumage above and dirty yellow beneath. They showed fear of
me for the first time, eyeing me in the same manner as the parent
bird when on the nest. They were evidently ready to vacate at a
moment's notice or hasty movement on my part. The parents appeared,
scolding rapidly. The female fed the young as soon as I retired
to my old stand under a bush, with a rather large green grub (6.20
p.m.) and flew out to the top of a blackberry bush, followed imme-
diately bv the topmost fledgeling. It could do little more than run.
The adults flew to within a yard of my head, making a great outcry,
and in the midst of the excitement the remainder of the young
vacated the nest with feeble chips. The male gave his attention
to them, while the female followed me as I beat a hasty retreat to
70 BLUE-WINGED WARBLER ' '
enable them to collect their little family before dark. Eight days
had elapsed since incubation was completed, and it is not at all
unusual for the young of this species to leave the nest while so
tiny and ragged."
Song. — The strong suggestion of inhaling and exhaling which
characterizes the simple and most common song of this species, has
been noted by many observers.
"The ordinary call song of this species has a decided insect
quality. He seems to inhale a shrill sre-e-e-e-e-e and immediately
exhale a buzzing swe-e-e-e-e-e, the whole performance comprising a
perfect double run through about half an octave of the scale. Often
it seems to be a simple zwe-e-e-e-e-e ze-e-e-e-e-e, the latter part
merely a sputter. At its best the song is a drowsy locust-like shrill,
belonging rather to mid-summer than to spring.
"There is another song which is usually given during the early
summer months, but which I have heard shortly after the arrival of
the bird in the last days of April or the first days of May. This song
is far more varied and has a far better claim to be called a song.
Mr. Chapman renders it wee, chi-chi-chi-chi, chur, ckee-chur.
"There are two definite song periods, the first beginning with the
bird's arrival and ending about the middle of June, during which
time the insect song is given almost entirely ; the second one beginning
late in July or early in August and continuing to the third week in
August, this period being characterized by the more varied song, but
not to the entire exclusion of the other." (Jones.)
"A drowsy, locust-like, swe-e-e-e-e ze-e-e-c-e, the first apparently
inhaled and the last exhaled. * * * Another song heard on the
first day of arrival, on one occasion, uttered by several males in com-
pany, possibly transients here, and maybe the mating song, suggests
the Chickadee's che-de-dc-e, che-dee-e, and che-de-de-dee, uttered
repeatedly in one form or other in some excitement, and while run-
ning out on the branchlets. The call and alarm note is a rather weak
chip, uttered more or less rapidly and not distinguishable from that
of several other of our local Warblers. The male sings upon arrival
up to about the i6th of June (June 11-24 in a series of years)
marking the end of the breeding season. A second period of song
in 1902 occurred July 2-7, perhaps a belated breeder. I have not
recognized the female as a singer." (Burns, MS.)
Nesting Site. — On the ground sometimes in a bunch of weeds,
goldenrod being frequently chosen, but often placed independently of
its immediate surroundings. A favorite locality is the bushy border
BLUE-WINGED WARBLER
71
of woods or second growths or partly grown clearings, but I have
found nests in the heart of heavy forests and also well out in the
fields near hedge-rows.
"Never far from a grove, thicket or woods; sometimes nesting
on, but usually just above, the ground in a clump of grass, golden-
rod, or wild aster, raspberry or blackberry sprouts, or at the foot of
a small sapling or wild rose-bush. The nest is always surrounded
by grass, weeds, briars, wild grapevine, etc. One nest was placed
within a foot of the wheel track of a much frequented public road.
The bird to the best of my knowledge, does not use the same site
or even within a few feet of it the second time; but apparently the
same individuals return to the same tract regularly and nest in some
part of it." (Burns, MS.)
Nest. — "Outwardly composed of the broad blades of a coarse
grass, the dead leaves of the maple, beech, chestnut, cherry and oak
trees ; the leaf points curving upward and inward forming a deep
cup-like nest in which the bird's head and tail seem almost to meet
over her back. Occasionally grass stems coarse strips of wild grape-
vine bark, shreds of corn fodder, and fragments of beech and wild
cherry bark appear in the make-up. Lined most frequently with
wild grapevine bark laid across, instead of bent around in a circle,
shredded finest on top, to which is added an occasional long black
horse-hair or split grass stem, with now and then a final lining of
split grass stems in place of fine bark. The shape varies in accord-
ance to situation, outwardly a short cornucopia, a round basket, and
once a wall-pocket affair, would best describe the shapes I have
noticed." {Burns, MS.)
Eggs. — 4 or 5, nearly always 5. Ground color white to slightly
creamy; the variations in markings range from entirely unmarked to
as heavily marked as some eggs of the Northern Yellow-throat, but
in all cases the markings are most delicate specks and spots of burnt
umber, seal brown, chestnut, lavender, and rich purplish shades,
mostly at the larger end, but in some examples, sparingly distributed
over the entire egg. Shape, rounded oval; one of the daintiest eggs
of all our Warblers. Size; average, .64X.51 ; extremes, .68X.53,
.59X.46. (Figs. 12-14.)
Nesting Dates.— West Chester, Pa., May 27-June 10 (Jackson) ;
New York City, May 23-June 19 (F. M. C.) ; New Haven, Conn.,
May 20- June 16 (Bishop) ; Oberlin, O., May lo-June 10 (Jones) ;
De Kalb County, Ind., May 26 (Gault).
72 LAWRENCE'S WARBLER
Biographical References
(i) F. T. Jenks, The Blue-winged Warbler; Its Nesting Habits, Orn. and
051., VI, 1881, 57. (2) J. N. Clark, The Blue-winged Warbler, Orn. and
Ool, VIII, 1883, Zl- (3) I- S. Reiff, a Few Days among the Blue-winged
Warblers [near Philadelphia?], Orn. and 051., XVIII, 1893, 6. (4) E. H.
Eames, Notes on the Blue-winged Warbler and Its Allies, Auk, VI, 1889,
305. (5) B. S. BowDiSH, Some Breeding Warblers of Demarest, N. J., Auk,
XXIII, 1906, 16.
Intermediates Between
HELMINTHOPHILA CHRYSOPTERA and H. PINUS
Distinguishing Characters. — Between the Golden-winged and
Blue-winged Warblers there exists a series of intergrades known
variously as Lawrence's Warbler (Helniinthophila lawrencei) and
Brewster's Warbler {Helminthophila leucohronchialis). Typical
lawrencei is a yellow bird with a black throat and auriculars, in
short, pinus with the black markings of chrysoptera. Typical leuco-
hronchialis, meaning the extreme development of the leucohronchialis
type, is white below, gray above with the forehead and
wing-bars yellow. A discussion of the status of these interesting
birds follows a description of their plumages.
LAWRENCE'S Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA LAWRENCEI (Herrick) Plate V
Adult S, Spring. — Crown yellow; lores and upper part of auriculars black;
back bright olive-green ; tail grayish, inner vanes of the three outer feathers
largely white, fourth with much less white; wings grayish, inner feathers
edged with olive-green; wing-bars as in H. pinus or chrysoptera or white
but as broad as in chrysoptera; chin and sides of the throat yellow, throat
and upper breast black, rest of underparts yellow, the sides greener. A speci-
men in the Bishop collection has the chin yellow, the sides of the throat white.
Adult 2, Spring. — Cheek stripe and throat dusky olive, rest of plumage as
in 9 pinus but wing-bars sometimes as in chrysoptera; another specimen
resembles $ chrysoptera but is greener above and more yellow below.
Nestling. — Like similar plumage of pinus but cheek-stripe and throat-patch
dusky.
General Distrihution. — Northern New Jersey, lower Hudson
valley, eastward to the Connecticut valley in Connecticut.
Summer Range. — Specimens have been taken or observed near
Chatham, N. J. (Herrick), Hoboken, N. J. (Lawrence), Morristown,
N. J. (Brewster), Englewood, N. J. (Dzvight), Bronx Park, New
York City (Bildersee, Beehe), Rye, N. Y. (Voorhees), Stamford
Plate V
1. Blue-winged Warbler, Male.
2. Blue-winged Warbler, Female.
3. Lawrence's Warbler, Male.
4. Brewster's Warbler, Male.
5. Golden-winged Warbler, Male.
6. Golden-winged Warbler, Female
(one-half natural size.1
BREWSTER'S WARBLER
73
Conn. (Bishop), Bridgeport, Conn. {Eames), New Haven, Conn.
(Bishop), Portland, Conn. {Sage).
Winter Range. — Unknown.
Spring Migration. — Bridgeport, Conn., May i6; Portland, Conn.,
May 14.
The Bird in its Haunts. — Observations on the song, etc., of this
species are given under Brewster's Warbler.
BREWSTER'S Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA LEUCOBRONCHIALIS (Brewst.) Plate V
Adult ^, Spring. — Crown yellow, a black or blackish line from bill to or
through the eye, back gray with, as the bird tends towards pinus, more or
less greenish ; tail as in pinus, wings externally grayish, the inner feathers
edged with greenish, wing-bars generally broadly yellow as in chrysoptera, but
not infrequently white as in pinus and often variously intermediate between
the two; underparts white rarely without more or less yellow tinge on the
breast increasing in intensity and extent as the bird approaches pinus.
Adult ?, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but crown duller, eye-stripe
duskier, back with more green, breast with more yellow.
Nestling. — Unknown ; all the nestlings taken or described having leucobron-
chialis for c? or $ parent, being, singularly enough, like the nestling of pinus.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States, north to Connecti-
cut and, rarely Massachusetts, west to Michigan.
Summer Range. — The bird has been found breeding at Engle-
wood, N. J., {Chapman), Bridgeport, Conn. {Eames), North Haven,
Conn. (Bishop), Bethel, Conn. (Meeker), Portland, Conn. (Sage))
there are also records in the breeding season for Ossining, N. Y.
(Fw/i^r), various places in Connecticut (Bishop et al), Newtonville,
Mass. (Brewster), Hudson, Mass. (Purdie), (the only Massachu-
setts records) Oberlin, O. (Jones), Ottawa Co., Mich. (Gibbs.)
Winter Range. — During its migrations this species has been
taken near Philadelphia and Washington, and New Orleans. There
are no winter records.
Spring Migration. — Washington, D. C, May i, and 8; Clifton,
Pa., May 12; Maplewood, N. J., May 11 ; Englewood, N. J. May 15;
Parkville, L. I., May 16; Bridgeport, Conn., May 6; Portland, Conn.,
May 10; Oberlin, O., May 23.
Fall Migration.— Ossining, N. Y., Aug. 24; Chester Co., Pa.,
Aug 31.
The Bird and its Haunts.— The haunts and general habits of
Lawrence's and Brewster's Warblers do not appear to differ from
those of the Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers.
74 BREWSTER'S WARBLER
So)ig. — As the following records show some individuals of these
birds sing like H. pinus, some like H. chrysoptera while the song of
others is intermediate in character.
From Bridgeport, Conn., Eames^ writes: "Seven birds, typical of
H. leucobronchialis, expressed their good spirits by precisely the song
of the preceding {H. chrysoptera) except in one trifling point.
Another, with a bright yellow breast-patch, had, in addition, a few
original variations of its own. Still another, with a close resemblance
to H. pinus, repeated songs of H. chrysoptera only, but they were all
harsh and disagreeable in comparison. * * * A perfectly typical
bird repeated but one style of song. This surprised me greatly, it
being precisely the same as the commoner song of H. pinus. I heard
this many times on two different occasions before shooting the bird,
and it was always the same. But one more bird, with a faint greenish
color on the back, a strong patch of yellow on the breast, and a
wash elsewhere on the under parts, used the latter song exclusively.
"The only H. lazvrencei I ever knowingly listened to, as before
mentioned, favored me with its song for nearly two hours, and dur-
ing the several hundred repetitions, it never varied in the least
particular from the characteristic song of H. pinus, its song consist-
ing of two drawling notes, see-e-e e, sivee-e-e-e-e, with a very decided
s sound. The first series is somewhat higher pitched than the last
and hardly as long continued."
"Continued experience leads me to think that the song of this
puzzling bird {H. leucobronchialis) is not, as has been stated, any
criterion by which to distinguish it. Sometimes they sing exactly like
chrysoptera, again like pinus, and often have notes peculiar to them-
selves." (Sage'^^.)
"During the ten or fifteen minutes which the bird (H. leucobron-
chialis) was under observation I had the pleasure of hearing it sing
many times, even seeing it open its bill in the act of song. This song
exactly resembled the rising and falling tse notes of H. pinus but was
slightly weaker than the average song of that species." (Chapman^.)
From a male Lawrence's Warbler which was nesting with a
Blue-winged Warbler, Bildersee^^ records the following three songs
and the observation is independently confirmed by Beebe^''' :
"(a) Shrec-c-e, zive-e-e-e, the first syllable like that of the song
of the Golden-winged Warbler, the second like that of the song of the
Blue-wing. This was the song most frequently heard.
(b) Shree-e, shree, shree, shree, the typical song of the Golden-
winged Warbler.
BREWSTER'S WARBLER y^
(c) Chip-a-chip-a-chip-a-shree, the first phrase of this song is
exactly Hke the song heard during the second song period of the
Blue-winged Warbler, the second being a typical Golden-wing syl-
lable.
Besides these three songs we heard a sharp call-note — tzip — and
a thin scolding note when we came too near the nest."
Nesting Habits. — The more significant discoveries in regard to
the breeding of Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers are scheduled
below :
Englewood, N. J. H. Pinits 9 , feeds two young, both were taken,
one proving to be pinus the other lawrencei (Divight^^) .
Englewood, N. J. H. leucobronchialis 5 evidently mated with
H. pinus S the three of their offspring taken were typical of pinus.
(Chapman*).
Englewood, N. J. H. leucobronchialis 9 , with strong yellow
wash on breast, mated with typical pinus $ ; eggs destroyed. {Chap-
man^).
New York City. H. lazvrencei $ , mated with pinus 9 . The six
young were apparently typical of pinus. {Bildersee^^ ; Beebe ^'').
Ossining, N. Y . H. chrysoptera 9 feeds two young, one of
which collected, is typical of pinus; the other, which escaped, was seen
to resemble the mother and had no yellow on the breast. (Fisher^).
Bethel, Conn. H. chrysoptera c?, breeds with H. pinus 9, the
only one of the five young secured was typical of H. pinus.
(Meeker^^).
Bridgeport, Conn. H. leucobronchialis $ , and H. pinus 9 , feed
young showing "a marked general similarity to the young of pinus."
(Eames^).
North Haven, Conn. H. leucobronchialis feeds two young, one
typical of pinus, the other like pinus but with yellow wing-bars.
(Bishop'^).
Portland, Conn. H. pinus $ breeds with H. chrysoptera 9 , the
five young resemble those of pinus. (Sage^^).
Portland, Conn. H. leucobronchialis 9 breeds with H. chrys-
optera $ ; nest and eggs taken. (Sage'^^).
Discussion of Status. — The relationships of these Warblers have
been the subject of much discussion. It has been stated of one or
the other or both, that they were distinct species, hybrids, color
phases, and mutants, but, to some extent at least, we have passed the
purely theoretical stage in our study of these birds, incontrovertible
observations and large series of specimens furnishing us with defin-
•jd BREWSTER'S WARBLER
itely ascertained facts. The interbreeding of leucobronchialis with
pinus, and with chrysoptera, of pinus with chrysoptera, and of lawrencci
with pinus is recorded on unquestionable evidence. Here alone, there-
fore, we have indisputable knowledge of sets of relations which in
their subsequent stages are bound to produce the most varied results,
accounting for every phase of plumage of the lawrencei type of which
we have any knowledge.
It is difficult, however, to understand how the interbreeding of
a yellow-breasted (piims) with a black-breasted bird (chryso-
ptera) can, even ultimately, produce a white-breasted bird (leucobron-
chialis). Though I at one time believed this to be probable, fresh
evidence has led me to accept the theory of dichromatism as satisfac-
torily accounting for those birds which are pinus minus yellow. Such
specimens have the wing-bar virtually white, and, as above stated,
differ from typical pinus only in the absence of yellow. In the collec-
tion of Dr. L. B. Bishop, there is a series of these birds in which this
leucochroic phase of pinus is connected with the typical yellow bird
by a perfectly graduated set of intergrades. (See Bishop's^^ admir-
able presentation of the case.)
H. chrysoptera, as we have seen, breeds with pinus in either its
yellow (true pinus) or white (leucobronchialis) phase, in the latter
case, doubtless producing the results which have made it difficult to
accept the theory of dichromatism ; as, for example, when a specimen
is a leucochroic pinus in all parts except the wing-bars, which,
reversing the change from yellow and olive-green to white and gray
throughout the rest of the plumage, turn from white to yellow.
The great variability of this character, however, may safely be
attributed to the effects of hybridization. Thus we have otherwise
typical specimens of pinus with the broad yellow wing-band of chrys-
optera, while chrysoptera may show the two white bars of pinus. In
H. lawrencei, similar conditions may be found and, as has just been
said, they also exist in the bird known as leucobronchialis.
A strong argument for the theory of hybridity among these
Warblers, is that they have been found breeding only where their
ranges overlap. This same fact, it is true, may be presented as evi-
dence against the theory of dichromatism. Dichromatism, however,
does not necessarily occur throughout the range of a species, nor
does the absence of leucochroic breeding specimens of pinus from a
part of its range where chrysoptera does not occur, prove that they
do not exist.
BACHMAN'S WARBLER 77
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, On the Relationship of Helminthophaga leucobron-
chialis Brewster, and Helminthophaga lawrencei, Herrick, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club,
VI, 1880, 218. (2) R. RiDGWAY, Helminthophila leucobronchialis, (and H.
lawrencei; a discussion of their relationships). Auk, II, 1885, 359. (3) A. K.
Fisher, Evidence Concerning the Interbreeding of Helminthophila chrysoptera
and H. pinus (at Sing Sing, N. Y.), Auk, II, 1885, 378. (4) F. M. Chapman,
Additional Captures of Helminthophila leucobronchialis (at Englewood, N. J.),
Auk, IV, 1887. 348. (s) The Song of Helminthophila leucobronchialis. Auk,
VII, 1890, 291. (6) On the Breeding of Helminthophila pinus with H.
leucobronchialis at Englewood, N. J., Auk, IX, 1892, 302. (7) E. H. Fames,
Notes on Helminthophila leucobronchialis (in Conn.), Auk, V, 1888, 427. (8)
Notes on the Blue-winged Warbler and its Allies, (Helminthophila pinus, H.
leucobronchialis, H. lawrencei, and H. chrysoptera) in Connecticut, Auk, VI,
1889, 305. (9) L. B. Bishop, Helminthophila pinus, H. chrysoptera, H. leuco-
bronchialis, H. lawrencei, in Connecticut in the Spring of 1888, Auk, VI, i88g,
192. (10) Helminthophila leucobronchialis (breeding in Conn.), Auk, XI,
1894, 79- (11) The Status of Helminthophila leucobronchialis and Helmintho-
phila lawrencei. Auk, XXII, 1905, 21. (12) J. H. Sage, The Interbreeding of
Helminthophila pinus and H. chrysoptera, (at Portland, Conn.), Auk VI, 1899,
299. (13) Notes on Helminthophila chrysoptera, pinus, leucobronchialis and
lawrencei in Connecticut, Auk, X, 1893, 208. (14) Nesting of Helminthophila
leucobronchialis in Connecticut, Auk, XII, 1895, 307. (15) G. H. Thayer, The
Coloration and Relationships of Brewster's Warbler, Auk, XIX, 1902, 401. (16)
I. Bildersee, Notes on the Nesting of Lawrence's Warbler, Bird-Lore, VI, 1904,
131. (17) C. Wm. Beebe, Breeding of Lawrence's Warbler in New York City,
Auk, XXI, 1904, 387. Relates to the same bird as No. 16. (18) W. E. D. Scott,
Of the Probable Origin of Certain Birds, Science, XXII, 1905, 271. (19) J. A.
Allen, The Probable Origin of Certain Birds, Science, XXII, 1905, 431. (A
reply to Scott.) (20) J. Dwight, Jr., Plumages and Molts of the Passerine Birds
of New York, 1900, 246. (21) J. C. A. Meeker, A Male Golden-winged Warb-
ler mated with a female Blue-winged Warbler, Auk, XXIII, 1906, 104. (22)
C. J. Maynard, (Discussion of status of Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers)
Warblers of New England, 1905, 83.
BACHMAN'S Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA BACHMANI (Aud.) Plate IV
Distinguishing Characters. — Bill slightly decurved ; d* with the forehead,
throat, or, at least, chin yellow, the breast black ; $ with forehead more or less
tinged with yellow, the feathers of the crown wholly gray. The young ?, with
but little yellow below, resembles the young of the Orange-crowned and Ten-
nessee Warblers. It differs from the former chiefly in the yellowish frontlet,
entirely gray crown-feathers, and white crissum ; while the Tennessee Warbler
is greener above with the head the same color as the back. The c? apparently
does not acquire mature plumage until the second year. Length (skin), 4.40;
wing, 2.40; tail, 1.80; bill, .48.
78 BACHMAN'S WARBLER
Adult c?. Spring. — Forehead broadly yellow, bordered by a black band
across the crown ; eye-ring yellow ; hindhead and nape gray ; back olive-green ;
tail fuscous, the outer three, and sometimes all but the middle pair of feathers,
with white patches on the inner web near the tip ; wings margined with gray
on primaries, olive-green on other feathers ; lesser coverts and bend of wing
bright yellow, no white bars; chin, sides and, sometimes, upper part of throat
yellow; lower throat and breast black, belly yellow usually becoming brownish
white on the lower belly and crissum.
Adult <$, Fall. — Similar to adult (^ in Spring, but black of crown widely
tipped with gray, black breast narrowly tipped with yellow and grayish.
Young c?. Fall. — Throat-patch smaller than in adult ^, less black or none on
the head ; throat-patch tipped with yellowish or grayish ; less white, or none,
in the tail.
Young (S, Spring. — Not appreciably different from young ^ in Fall, the full
black breast-patch and frontlet evidently not being acquired the first year.
Adult ?, Spring. — Forehead and eye-ring yellowish; crown and nape gray;
back olive-green; tail fuscous with little or no white on inner vanes of outer
feathers ; wings as in <S, but lesser coverts olive-green ; underparts yellow, fading
to brownish white on the lower belly and crissum; a dusky wash on the breast,
where, in some specimens, there is a more or less well-developed black patch.
Adult $, Fall. — Resembles adult $ in Spring.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring, but with less yellow on fore-
head and underparts; back grayer; below dusky yellowish.
Young $, Spring. — Similar to young $ in Fall.
Nestling. — A 3, passing from nestling to first Fall plumage, taken by A. T.
Wayne near Charleston, S. C, is described by William Brewster as follows :
"Top and sides of head and forepart of back faded hair brown with a
trace of ashy on the middle of crown ; remainder of upper parts dull olive-green ;
wings and tail (which are fully grown) as in the first winter plumage except-
ing that the greater and middle wing-coverts are rather more broadly tipped
with light brown, forming two well-marked wing-bars ; chin and throat
brownish white tinged with yellow; sides of jugulum smoke gray, its center
yellowish ; sides of breast gamboge yellow shading into olive on the flanks ;
middle of breast, with most of abdomen, yellowish white ; under tail-coverts
ashy white. All the feathers on the under parts which are strongly yellow or
olive, and those on the upper parts, which are decidedly ashy, or greenish,
appear to belong to the autumnal plumage or, as it is now called, the first
winter plumage, but all the other feathers on the head and body are evidently
those of the first plumage." (The Auk, 1905, p. 393.)
General Distribution. — Southeastern United States, north to
Missouri and North Carolina; south in winter to West Indies.
Summer Range. — This Warbler has been secured in the breed-
ing season in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas
and Missouri; as a young of the year in Virginia; during migration
in Florida and Louisiana. Accidental in Indiana.
Winter Range. — So far as know^n, Cuba.
BACHMAN'S WARBLER
79
Spring Migration. — One of the earliest migrants ; it crosses to the
United States in March ; Sombrero Key, Fla., March 3, 1899,
Suwanee River, Fla., March 12, 1890, Branford, Fla., March 14,
1892, Old Town, Fla., March 10, 1893, Wacissa River, Fla., March
13, 1894, Leon County, Fla., March 22, 1904; Bay St. Louis, Miss.,
March 26, 1902; Lake Pontchartrain, La., February 27 to March 14,
1 891.
Fall Migration. — The southward migration begins so early that
in July many individuals reach their winter quarters. Earliest record
at Key West, Fla., July 17, 1889; latest September 5, 1888.
The Bird and its Haunts. — In many respects the history of
Bachman's Warbler is not unlike that of Swainson's. Both were
discovered near Charleston, S. C, by that keen naturalist. Dr. Bach-
man, and both remained virtually unknown for the succeeding half
century. Bachman procured "a few specimens" of this bird in the
summer of 1833 and sent them to Audubon, who described the species
the following year in the second volume of his Ornithological
Biographies.
With the exception of its occurrence in Cuba, the Warbler
remained unknown to naturalists until October, 1886, when Charles
S. Galbraith, a millinery collector, brought to George N. Lawrence
a specimen which he had secured the preceding spring near Lake
Pontchartrain, La. This specimen, now in the American Museum of
Natural History, is prepared for a hat-piece. The feet are missing,
the wings are stififly distended, the head bent backward in typical
bonnet pose, and, had it not been for an interest in ornithology which
led Galbraith to take his unknown birds to Mr. Lawrence for identifi-
cation, this rara avis might have become an unappreciated victim on
Fashion's altar.
In any event, it was decreed that Bachman's Warbler should no
longer remain among the Most species' and the following spring it
was brought to the attention of ornithologists, again in an unconven-
tional manner, through an individual which struck the Sombrero Key
lighthouse, off southern Florida, March 21 (Merriam^).
Galbraith^. also, procured six additional specimens in Louisiana,
and the efforts of collectors being now especially directed toward this
species, it proved to be an abundant migrant in Florida and southern
Louisiana. Atkins* reported it from Key West in late July and early
August, Chapman® from Brevard County, Florida, in March, and
Brewster'' and Chapman from the lower Suwanee River in the same
month.
8o BACHMAN'S WARBLER
Eleven years passed after the re-discovery of this Warbler before
its nest was found when, as related beyond, the well-directed
researches of Otto Widmann^ established the species as breeding com-
monly in the St. Francis River region of Missouri and Arkansas.
As with most Warblers the character of the haunts of Bachman's
Warbler during migration depends upon the nature of the country
through which it is passing. At Key West, where the forest is low
and with undergrowth, Atkins^ found it "alike in trees, low bushes,
and shrubbery, sometimes on, or quite near the ground," but it seemed
"to prefer the heavy and more thickly grown woods to trees or
bushes more in the open." But on the banks of the Suwanee, where
the trees were exceptionally high and with little or no undergrowth,
the bird was rarely found below the upper branches, usually of
cypress trees, where it was associated with other migrating Warblers.
Very different are the bird's breeding haunts in the wet, forested
bottom-lands of the St. Francis River region, as described by Wid-
mann^, with their "blackberry brambles among a medley of half-
decayed and lately felled tree-tops, lying in pools of water."
Atkins^, writing of southbound migrants at Key West, speaks of
them as "active and constantly in motion," but Mr. Brewster'' and I
found the many individuals which we saw in March, on the Suwanee,
to be rather deliberate in their movements, resembling, in this respect,
the Blue-winged Warbler. At times they hung back downward,
titmouse-like, as they explored the under surface of a leaf, or, again,
they penetrated a bunch of hanging leaves.
Widmann^, writing of the species on its breeding ground, says
it may be "easily overlooked, even in a region where it is common.
Its small size, its protective coloration, and its quiet ways, combine
to make it next to invisible among the heavy foliage of its habitat.
* * * Even if in song it takes minutes to find the bird, though he
is generally seated on a dry, or thinly-leafed branch at a height of
twenty to forty feet from the ground. The reason why it is so
difficult to locate him is his habit of pouring out his song into
different directions, now to the right, then to the left, even turning
entirely around on his perch. When he leaves he is liable to fly quite
a distance, far enough to get lost out of sight for the moment, and in
the wildness of his home, it takes several minutes to follow him over
fallen trees, and around impenetrable thickets or pools of water."
Wayne^2 writes : "Bachman's Warbler is a high-ranging bird, like
the Yellow-throated Warbler, and generally sings from the top of
a sweet gum or cypress. It appears to have regular singing stations
BACHMAN'S WARBLER gl
during the breeding season, and upon leaving a tree, it flies a long
distance before alighting. * * * j jj^y^ occasionally seen the
males in low gall-berry bushes within six or eight inches of the
ground, but their usual resorts are among the topmost branches of
the tallest trees."
Song. — "The song is unlike that of any other species of Helmin-
thophila with which I am acquainted, and most resembles the song of
the Parula Warbler. It is of the same length and of nearly the same
quality or tone, but eight notes being given in the same key and with
equal emphasis. Despite these differences it would be possible to
mistake the performance, especially at a distance, for that of a Parula
singing listlessly. The voice, though neither loud nor musical, is
penetrating and seems to carry as far as most Warblers'. Besides
the song the only note which we certainly identified was a low, hissing
zee-e-eep, very like that of the Black-and-White Warbler."
{BrewsterJ)
Mr, Otto Widmann^ writes of a male under his observation for
eight hours "the bird kept singing nearly all the time at the rate of
ten times a minute with the regularity of clockwork, and the sharp
rattling notes reminded me of an alarm clock. In this regard it recalls
one of the performances of Parula, whose rattle is of the same length
and quality, except that it has a certain rise at the end, by which it is
easily distinguished. To my ear the Bachman's song comes nearest
to that of the Worm-eating Warbler, which is fortunately not found
in swampland, but the Chipping Sparrow is, and, if the presence of
the Bachman's Warbler is not suspected, it is indeed possible to
mistake its song for a shrill variety of the Chippy's well-known ditty."
"The song is wiry or insect-like, and resembles the song of the
Worm-eating Warbler very closely, while it also bears a strong
resemblance to the song of the Parula Warbler and Chipping Spar-
row" ( Wayne^^). Embody," also, compares the song to that of a Chip-
ping Sparrow.
Nesting Site. — Bailey's description of the supposed nesting site
and eggs of this species (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VIII, 1883, 38) is
evidently based on a collector's error and credit for the discovery of
the nest and eggs of Bachman's Warbler belongs to Otto Widmann^
who found them on May 14, 1897 in Dunklin County, Missouri.
The nest was two feet from the ground and "was tied very slightly
to a vertical blackberry vine of fresh growth and rested lightly on
another which crossed the former at a nearly right angle. From
82 BACHMAN'S WARBLER
above it was entirely hidden by branchlets of latest growth and the
hand could not be inserted without first cutting several vines." A
second nest, was taken by Mr. Widmann, in Dunklin County, May
13, 1898 and is recorded by Short^*^ as similar in structure to the type
nest and like it placed in a blackberry bush, where it was not "attached
to the branches but simply supported between half a dozen of them."
Since the above was written Bachman's Warbler has been found
breeding by Wayne on April 17, 1906 and later dates, near Charles-
ton, S. C, and by Embody, on May 14, 1906, in Logan County, Ky.
In both instances the birds inhabited heavily timbered, swampy land
with more or less stagnant water. The nests were in low bushes,
briers, or canes and were one to three feet from the ground.
Nest. — The first nest found by Widmann is described by Ridg-
way^ as a "somewhat compressed, compact mass composed externally
of dried weed and grass-stalks and dead leaves, many of the latter
partly skeletonized ; internally composed of rather fine weed and
grass-stalks, lined with black fibers, apparently dead threads of the
black pendant lichens {Ramalina, species?) which hang in beard-like
tufts from button-bushes (Cephalanthus), and other shrubs growing
in wetter portions of the western bottom lands. The height of the
nest is about three and one-half inches ; the greatest breadth is about
four inches, its width in the opposite direction being about three inches.
The cavity is about one and one-half inches deep and one and one-
half by two inches wide." Six nests found by Wayne are described as
being chiefly constructed of fine grass, cane leaves, and skeletonized
leaves of other kinds, and some contained Spanish 'moss'.
Eggs. — Both the nests discovered by Widmann contained three
eggs which, as they were left until the bird began to sit, evidently
constituted a complete set. Wayne, however, found two nests each
with four eggs. The eggs of Widmann's first set are described by
Ridgway^ as "of very regular ovate form and entirely pure white
in color." They measured .63X.48; .64X.49; .63X.49. The eggs of
the second set are described by Short* as "pure china white and
glossy." In size they agreed with those of the first set.
Nesting Dates. — Dunklin County, Mo., May 13 and 17 (Wid-
mann) ; Logan Co., Ky., May 14 (Embody) ; Charleston, S. C,
April 17; May 13, two young, juvenal plumage (Wayne).
Biographical References
(i) Geo. N. Lawrence, The Rediscovery of Bachman's Warbler in the
TENNESSEE WARBLER 83
United States, Auk, IV, 1887, 35. (2) Ibid., 262. (3) C. Hart Merriam,
Another Specimen of Bachman's Warbler, Auk, IV, 1887, 262. (4) W. E. D.
Scott, Bachman's Warbler at Key West, Florida, in July and August, Auk,
V, 1888, 428; also (5) ibid., VII, 1890, 313. (6) Frank M. Chapman, Hel-
minthophila bachmani on the East coast of Florida, Auk, VI, 1889, 278. (7)
Wm. Brewster, Notes on Bachman's Warbler [in Florida], Auk, VIII, 1891,
149. (8) O. WiDMANN, The Summer Home of Bachman's Warbler No
Longer Unknown. A Common Breeder in the St. Francis River Region of
Southeastern Missouri and Northeastern' Arkansas, Auk, XIV, 1897, 305. (9)
R. RiDGWAY, Description of the Nest and Eggs of Bachman's Warbler, Auk,
XIV, 1897, 309. (10) E. H. Short, Bachman's Warbler, Oologist, XXII,
1905, 103. (II) Geo. C. Embody, Bachman's Warbler Breeding in Logan
County, Kentucky, The Auk, XXIV, Jan. 1907. (12) A. T. Wayne, The
Nest and Eggs of Bachman's Warbler taken near Charleston, S. C, Auk,
XXIV, Jan. 1907.
Tennessee Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA PEREGRINA (Wils.) Plate VII
Distinguishing Characters. — No conspicuous wing-bars ; adult d" grayish
white below, crown and nape bluish gray; adult ? with crown greener, and
tinged with yellow below; young greenish yellow below, above entirely yellow
olive-green. Length (skin), 4.40; wing, 2.60; tail, 1.70; bill, .40.
Adult (^, Spring. — Crown and nape grayish blue the former rarely with
traces of chestnut, a whitish line above the eye and, usually, a dusky line
through it; back bright olive-green; tail edged with olive-green, the two outer
feathers usually with more or less dull white at the end of the inner vane;
secondaries edged with olive-green, the median and greater coverts narrowly
tipped with paler green or greenish white; underparts grayish white, the
breast often tinged with bufif or yellowish, the sides with greenish.
Adult d". Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring, but crown tipped with olive-
green, underparts with more buflfy or greenish.
Young (S, Fall. — No gray on crown, upper parts entirely bright olive-green ;
line over eye yellowish ; underparts greenish yellow, whiter on the belly and
crissum; wings and tail as in the adult.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult d* in Spring, but crown washed with
olive-green, underparts more yellowish; closely resembling, therefore, the adult
c? in Fall.
Adult 2, Fall. — No gray on crown; upperparts entirely bright olive-green,
below white washed with yellow; resembles young d" in Fall but averages less
bright above and less yellow below.
Young 2, Fall. — Resembles adult $ in Fall but brighter above and yellower
below; not always distinguishable from young d* in Fall but averaging yellower
below.
Nestling. — Dusky olive-green above, duskj- yellowish white below; greater
and median coverts rather broadly tipped with whitish.
84
TENNESSEE WARBLER
General Distribution. — North America; north to Labrador and
Alaska; west to the Rocky Mountains and British Columbia.
Summer Range. — New Hampshire (White Mountains, Lake
Umbagog) ; Maine (Androscoggin, Penobscot, Piscataquis and
Washington Counties) ; northern New York (Lewis County) ; north-
eastern Minnesota; eastern British Columbia (Carpenter Mountain),
and north to the upper Yukon Valley, Labrador, and the
Gulf of St. Lawrence. Accidental in California (Pasadena, Septem-
ber 27, 1897).
The species is most common in the Mississippi Valley in its
migrations, and extends west rarely to Colorado ; it is not common
anywhere east of Allegheny Mountains, but occurs rarely throughout
all of eastern United States. Accidental in West Indies.
Winter Range. — Southern Mexico to Venezuela.
Spring Migration. —
PI,ACE
Rising Fawn, Ga
Beaver, Pa
Central New York
Eastern Massachusetts .
Corpus Christi, Texas . .
San Antonio, Texas ....
St. Louis, Mo
Brookville, Ind
Chicago, 111
Southern Wisconsin . . . .
Southern Michigan
Ottawa, Ont
Grinnell, Iowa
Lanesboro, Minn
Lincoln, Neb
Aweme, Manitoba
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie
Caribou, B. C
No. of
years'
record
Average
date of
Earliest date of
spring arrival
spring arrival
April 26, 1885
4
May
9
May
5, 1902
4
May
13
May
8, 1887
2
May
14
May
April
April
13, 1900
3, 1891
21, 1891
7
April
27
April
24, 1886
3
May
4
April
20, 1884
10
May
9
April
30, 1897
6
May
16
May
14, 1885
7
May
15
May
12, 1894
6
May
16
May
12, 1901
6
May
5
May
I, 1887
6
May
II
May
7, 188s
3
May
7
May
13, 1903
2
May
29
May
May
26, i860
22, igor
Fall Migration. —
PLACE
Hallock, Minn
Mackinac Island, Mich
Chicago, 111
Englewood, N. J
Washington, D. C. . .
Key West, Fla
New Orleans, La. . .
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
first one seen
August 20
September 21
Earliest date of
first one seen
August 2, 1899
August 8, 1889
August 13, 1896
August 26, 1887
August 31, 1890
October 5, 1887
September 18, 1899
I
TENNESSEE WARBLER
85
PI.ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
I,atest date of last
one seen
Aweme, Manitoba
5
4
6
October 2
September 30
October 28
October 3, 190 1
October i 1886
Grinnell, Iowa
Ottawa, Ont
September 30, 1889
October 9, 1894
October 11, 1890
October 12, 1890
October 20, 1885
October 29, 1894
November 3, 1900
Chicago, 111
Beaver, Pa
Washington, D. C
St. Louis, Mo
Asheville, N. C
New Orleans, La
The Bird and its Haunts. — The Tennessee Warbler awaits a
biographer. We know that generally it is rather rare in spring but
sometimes not uncommon in fall, and that during its migrations it is
associated with other arboreal Warblers.
In the summer Maynard^ found it to be very common in wooded
localities about Umbagog, the male, while singing being perched on
some high dead branch. Faxon* who found a singing male of this
species in a "thick growth of black spruce, balsam fir, and mountain
ash" on Graylock Peak, Mass., on July 15,1888, quotes Brewster as
saying that he found it "in a white spruce and larch swamp in
Anticosti" and that at Lake Umbagog he observed it in "larch swamps,
but sometimes on mountain sides — always among coniferous trees."
Merriam^, however, writes that in the Adirondack region it "generally
prefers hardwood areas."
In British Columbia Brooks, as recorded by Norris^, found the
bird breeding in "clumps of aspen trees and Norway pines, where the
ground was covered with a thick growth of dry pine grass."
About Monadnock, Gerald Thayer writes that the Tennessee
Warbler is "very rare, and seemingly irregular. It haunts blossoming
apple trees, big elms, and roadside copses of mixed deciduous second
growth. This most un-warbler-colored little Warbler seems to have
pretty nearly the same general habits and demeanor as the nervous,
yellow-breasted Nashville, — though it is perhaps a little less restless,
— and the only one of its call-notes I have heard is almost exactly
like the Nashville's least peculiar call." {Thayer, MS.)
Song. — "Its song begins with a note like chipiti, chipiti repeated a
dozen or more times, with increasing rapidity, then suddenly changed
into a mere twitter." (Seton'^.)
"Often sings in migration a very loud song, beginning with a
sawing two-noted trill, rather harsh and very staccato, but hesitating
86 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
in character, increasing to a rapid trill, almost exactly like a Chip-
ping Sparrow's. A noticeable but not musical song." {Farwell, MS.)
"The Tennessee is easily discovered and identified by its peculiar
song; — a twittering, semi-trilled, rather prolonged utterance of three
parts, not very unlike some of the weaker and buzzier strains of the
American Goldfinch's song. Its tone is ambiguous — hard to place
between full and feeble, wheezy and clear. On the whole, however,
the song is a decidedly noticeable one. Having heard the Tennes-
see but seldom, I know only one main song, with no important varia-
tions, and cannot even describe that one very closely." (Thayer, MS.)
Nesting Site. — Little appears to be known about the nesting
habits of this Warbler. Norris^ recording the observations of Allan
Brooks in British Columbia, writes: "The nests were always on the
ground, sometimes at the foot of a small service berry bush or twig.
They were all arched over by the dry pine grass of the preceeding
year; this year's growth having just commenced."
Nest. — "The nest is small and loosely constructed, being quite
flat. It is composed outwardly of a few leaves, a little moss, and a
good deal of fine grass, lined only with the latter material." (Morris^.)
Eggs. — 4. "The eggs seem to differ in appearance from any of the
same genus that I have seen, and may be thus described: Creamy
white, finely speckled all over the surface with reddish brown, and
also marked with larger spots of the same color, more heavily at the
larger end. There are also a number of spots of light lilac which are
not conspicuous. They measure .57x48; .65X.46; .59X.47 ; .6TX.46."
(iVorm.5)
Nesting Dates. — Bangor, Me., June 4 (Knight) ; Caribou, B. C,
June 15, newly hatched young (N orris).
Biographical References
(i) C. J. Maynard. Birds of Coos Co.. N. H., and Oxford Co.. Me.,
Proc. Bost. Soc, N. H.. XIV, 1871, 7. (2) C. Hart Merriam, Birds of the
Adirondack Region, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI, 1881, 227. (3") Ernest Thomp-
son Seton, Birds of Manitoba, Proc. U. S. N. M., 1891, 617. (4) W. Faxon,
On the Summer Birds of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Auk, VI, 1889, 102.
(5) J. Parker Norris, Jr., Nesting of the Tennessee Warbler in British Colum-
bia, Auk, XIX, 1902, 88.
Orange-crowned Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA CELATA CELATA (Say) Plats VII
Distinguishing Characters. — General color dusky olive-green, the under-
parts obscurely streaked ; adult c?, and often $, with an orange-brown crown-
Plate VI 1
1. Tennessee Warbler, Male.
2. Tennessee Warbler, Female.
3. Orange-crowned Warbler. Male.
4. Orange-crowned Warbler, Female.
5. Nashville Warbler, Male.
6. Nashville Warbler, Female.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER 87
patch ; virtually no white in wings or tail. For comparison with young of
Bachman's Warbler see under that species. Length (skin), 4.50; wing, 2.45;
tail, 1.90; bill, .40.
Adult (S, Spring. — Upper parts olive-green tipped with grayish, except on
rump ; an orange-brown crown-patch tipped with olive-green and gray ; eye-
ring and a narrow line from bill to above eye, yellow or yellowish; tail exter-
nally olive-green, inner margin of inner vane of outer feathers often white-
edged ; wings edged with olive-green, their bend yellow ; underparts dusky
greenish yellow indistinctly streaked.
Adult (^, Fall. — Similar to above, but grayish tips to feathers above and
below longer, making the bird duskier.
Young ^, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Fall, but crown-patch very small or
entirely absent.
Adult 9, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring, but crown-patch smaller
or wanting.
Adult 9, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring, but grayish tips to feathers
above and below longer, making the bird duskier.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Fall, but crown-patch always ( ?)
absent.
Nestling. — "Above dull olive, or grayish olive, becoming more olive-green-
ish or russet-olive on rump and upper tail-coverts; middle and greater wing-
coverts tipped, more or less distinctly, with paler olive or dull buffy; throat,
chest, sides of breast, sides and flanks pale brownish gray; tinged with dull
buflfy, especially on chest; abdomen white; otherwise like adults, but without
trace of tawny-ochraceous on crown". (Ridgw.)
General Distribution. — Eastern United States and northwestward
to Alaska.
Summer Range. — Not uncommon breeder in Manitoba and
northwestward to Alaska, except coast region north to Cook
Inlet. Probably breeds locally and rarely in Wisconsin and occurs
sparingly east to New England; once found breeding at Brunswick,
Maine. There are no breeding records for Canada in Ontario or
eastward, though the species is a rare migrant from southern Ontario
to New Brunswick and south to the Gulf of Mexico.
Winter Range. — Florida and Gulf coast, and rarely north to
Charleston, S. C. A specimen was taken January i, 1875, at Lynn,
Massachusetts.
Spring Migration. — This species winters in the south Atlantic
states as far north as southern South Carolina, but northward is so
rare east of the Allegheny mountains that its normal times of migra-
tion in the north Atlantic states cannot be stated with any degree of
accuracy. Some of the following data refer to the western races of
this bird.
88
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
PIvACE
No. of
years'
record
Onaga, Kan
St. Louis, Mo
Chicago, 111
Southern Ontario
Ottawa, Ont
Lanesboro, Minn
Aweme, Manitoba
Loveland, Colo
Columbia Falls, Mont
Red Deer, Alberta
Fort Resolution, Mackenzie
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie .
Kowak River, Alaska
Central California
Northern Oregon
Chilliwack, B. C
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 24
April 27
May 6
May 13
May 18
May 2
May 7
May 3
May 5
March 12
March 23
April 17, 1892
April 22, 1885
May I, 1899
May II, 1889
May 17, 1890
April 27, 1888
May I, 1901
May 2, 1889
April 30, 1897
May 14, 1892
May 22, i860
May 21, 1904
May 25, 1899
March 7, 188=
March 19, 188=
April 17, 1889'
Fall Migration. —
PI^ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
l^atest date of last
one seen
Near Fort Rae, Mackenzie
Chilliwack, B. C
2
5
September 27
October i
November 18
August 16, 1903
September 5, 1888
September 12, 1895
October 3, 1901
October 6, 1891
Columbia Falls, Mont
Aweme Manitoba
Lanesboro, Minn
Ottawa, Ont
September 30, 1889
October i, 1896
November 28, 1901
October 12, 1894
Chicago, 111
Cambridge, Mass
Berwyn, Pa
The Bird and its Haunts. — During the winter I have found the
Orange-crowned Warbler a not uncommon inhabitant of the live-oaks
in middle Florida where its sharp chip soon becomes recognizable.
In Mississippi, at this season, Allison (MS.) says that "its favorite
haunts are usually wooded yards or parks, where the evergreen live
oak and magnolia can be found; but I have seen it most commonly
among the small trees on the border of rich mixed woods, above an
undergrowth of switch cane. Coniferous trees it seems not to care for,
though I have seen it in the cypress swamps."
The bird's migration route in the spring appears to pass through
the Mississippi valley and it is rare or unknown at this time of the
year in the north Atlantic States. During the fall, however, it is not
infrequently found there, Brewster's' records of nine individuals seen
in his garden in Cambridge, in November, showing that it is both
more common and later than was previously supposed.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ORANGE-CROWN
89
Very little appears to have been written about the habits of this
form of the Orange-crown in its summer home. Near Carberry,
Manitoba, Seton^ says it is a common summer resident in the wooded
sections, "moving about continually among the topmost twigs of the
trees and uttering its little ditty about once every half minute." About
the Great Slave Lake, Kennicott (B. B. & R., I., 204) found the bird
nesting among clumps of low bushes. In northern Alaska, Nelson^
states that the Orange-crown is a common summer resident of wooded
regions, straggling southward as an autumn migrant to the shores
of Behring Sea and Kotzebue Sound.
Song. — "Its song is much like that of the Chipping Sparrow, but
more musical and in a higher key." (Seton.)
"Their song, only heard during the mating and breeding season,
is a simple lay — a few sweet trills uttered in a spirited manner, and
abruptly ending on a rising scale." (Goss, Birds of Kansas.)
"The only note heard is a sharp, persistent, chipping, many times
repeated, as the bird moves about the tree, often moving its wings
restlessly, like a Kinglet." (Allison, MS.)
"The song is full and strong, not very high pitched, and ends
abruptly on a rising scale. My note book renders it chee chee chee
clizv' chw'. The first three syllables rapidly uttered, the last two more
slowly. One heard late in the season sang more nearly like Mr.
Thompson's description: chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, but with
the first vowel changed to e, thus eliminating what would appear
to be a marked similarity to the song of Chippy. Even in this song
the ending is retained." (Jones.)
Eggs. — "Average size .64x46, white or creamy white, finely
specked chiefly on the larger end with reddish or chestnut brown."
(Davie.)
The eggs undoubtedly closely resemble those of the Lutescent
Warbler.
Biographical References
(i) E. W. Nelson, Report on Natural History Collections made in
Alaska, 200. (2) Ernest Thompson Seton, Birds of Manitoba, Proc. U. S.
N. M., 1891, 616. (3) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 324.
Rocky Mountain Orange-crown
HELMINTHOPHILA CELATA ORESTERA (Ober.)
SuhspeciHc C/torac/^r^.— Intermediate in color between Helminthophila
celata celata and H. c. lutescens; yellower than former, not so yellow as the
latter; in size larger than lutescens, and virtually agreeing with celata.
90
LUTESCENT WARBLER
Average measurements of the three forms, given by Oberholser are as
follows :
Wing. Tail. Exposed Tarsus.
culmen.
H. c. celata 2.42 1.93 .38 .69
H. c. orestera 2.49 1.98 .40 .72
H. c. lutes cens 2.34 1.84 .38 .69
General Distribution. — Rocky Mountain region west to the
Sierras.
Summer Range. — Breeds in the mountains from Arizona (Mt.
Graham), southern California (Panamint Mts.), north to British
Columbia.
Winter Range. — Southward to Lower California and southern
Mexico. In migration casually eastward to Minnesota (Ft. Snelling)
and Pennsylvania (Williamsport), (cf. Oberholser) .
LuTESCENT Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA CELATA LUTESCENS (Ridgw.)
SuhspeciHc Characters. †” Similar to H. c. orestera, but smaller and decid-
edly yellower. In life, breeding birds impress one as being yellow rather than
olive-green birds ; the underparts being strong, if somewhat dusky, yellow.
Nestling. — Brownish olive above ; dusky yellow-olive below ; wing-coverts
with ochraceous tips forming two bars.
General Distribution. — Pacific Coast region.
Summer Range. — Mountains of southern California (Los
Angeles Co.) north through the Sierras and coast ranges to Cook
Inlet, Alaska.
Winter Range. — From southern California and Arizona south-
ward into Mexico.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Compared with our eastern Orange-
crown, the Pacific coast form is distinctly a yellow bird, and is con-
sequently much more conspicuous than true celata. Walter Fisher
(MS.) contributes the following sketch of it in its haunts: "Chaparral
hillsides and brushy open woods are the favorite haunts of the Lutes-
cent Warbler. Its nest is built on or near the ground, usually in
a bramble tangle or under a rooty bank, and the bird itself hunts near
the ground, flitting here and there through the miniature jungle of
wild lilacs, baccharis and hazel bushes. Its dull greenish color har-
monizes with the dusty summer foliage of our California chaparral,
and with the fallen leaves and tangle of stems that constitute its normal
background. It impresses one chiefly by its lack of any distinctive
markings, and the young of the year, particularly, approach that tint
DUSKY WARBLER
91
which has been facetiously called 'museum color'. Ordinarily the
crown-patch is invisible as the little fellow fidgets among the under-
growth, but at a distance of three feet Mr. W. L. Finley was able to
distinguish it when the bird ruffled its feathers in alarm."
Song. — "In March they begin to sing their simple trill, which is
rather musical and audible for a long distance." (Finley^.)
Nesting Site. — "Nests on the ground, on dry hillsides overgrown
with brush." (Bozvles, MS.) Finley^ mentions nests found "under
some dry ferns in the bank of a little hollow. * * * on a hillside
under a fir tree, placed on the ground in a tangle of grass and brier.
* * * In an arrow-wood bush three feet from the ground and amid
a bunch of sprouts, and in a bush two feet up."
A^est. — "Loosely made of dry leaves and grasses lined with fine
grass and a little hair" (Carriger, Sonoma County, California,
C. W. C).
^Sg^- — 3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color white to creamy white
spotted and specked with reddish brown and lilac-gray more heavily
at the larger end, slightly tending to wreathe, with very few specimens
showing blotches. Size; average, .66X.51. The eggs of this bird show
very little variation in size, one set of four showing the remarkable
variation of only i-ioo of an inch in length and none in breadth, three
eggs measuring .64X.50 and one .63X.50. (Figs. 26-28.)
Nesting Dates. — Dublin, Alameda Co., Calif., April 5 ; Sonoma,
Calif., June 7 (C. W. C.) ; Tacoma, Wash., May 3-May 28 (Bowles).
Biographical References
(i) W. L. Finley, The Lutescent Warbler [in Oregon], Condor, VI,
1904, 131.
Dusky "Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA CELATA SORDIDA (Towns.)
SuhspeciHc Characters. — Similar to H. c. lutescens but darker more heavily
tipped above, duskier more strongly streaked below:; wing averaging slightly
shorter, the bill and tail slightly longer. Wing, 2.20; tail, 2.00; bill, .40.
General Distribution. — Santa Barbara Islands, California, and
adjoining mainland.
Summer Range. — Santa Barbara Islands.
Winter Range. — Santa Barbara Islands and adjoining mainland.
{Grinnell^.)
The Bird and its Haunts. — In their summer home on San Qemente
Island, GrinnelP says: "Dusky Warblers were quite numerous in the
weed-patches and brush along the ravines nearly to the beaches. But
92
NASHVILLE WARBLER
later, when most of the plants were dry and dead, they were confined
to the cherry thickets along the canons. Their song and habits were
similar to those of the Lutescent Warbler of the mainland."
According to the same author- the Dusky Warbler "appears in the
vicinity of Pasadena in the oak regions and along the arroyos in
large numbers during August, and even by the middle of July. Re-
mains in diminishing numbers through the winter; the latest speci-
men noted in the spring was secured by me, Feb, 29, '96."
Eggs. — The eggs of this race resemble those of the Lutescent
Warbler.
Biographical References
(i) J. Grinnell, Publication I, Pasadena Acad. Sci., 20. (2) Ibid., II, 44.
Nashville Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA RUBRICAPILLA RUBRICAPILLA (Wil«.) Plate VII
Distinguishing Characters. — Adults with the head gray, the d", and often $,
with a partially concealed chestnut crown-patch ; no white tail-patches or wing-
bars. Length (skin), 4.30; wing, 2.35; tail, 1.80; bill, .36.
Adult <S, Spring. — Head and nape gray; a large chestnut crown-patch tipped
with gray; eye-ring white, loral region white or, at times, yellow; back olive-
green, the rump brighter; tail, externally, olive-green, without white patches
but inner web of outer feathers sometimes margined with white; wings, exter-
nally, olive-green, no wing-bars, the bend yellow; under-parts and crissum
yellow, the lower belly whitish.
Adult <S, Fall. — Similar to last but head browner, crown-patch more broadly
tipped, back grayer, breast with a brownish tinge; belly with whitish tips to
feathers.
Young c?. Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Fall, but chestnut crown-patch much
smaller or wanting entirely.
Adult ?, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring, but with chestnut in crown
less in extent or entirely wanting (absent in half the specimens examined) ;
underparts paler.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to last, but crown browner, the chestnut patch,
when present, more broadly tipped, the back grayer, the breast tinged with
brown, the feathers of belly tipped with white.
Young ?, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Fall, but chestnut crown-patch rarely
present.
Nestling. — Above dusky olive-green, sometimes broadly edged with dark
brown ; wing-coverts tipped with buflF, forming two well-marked wing-bands ;
breast and flanks dusky brownish-yellow, belly clear pale yellow.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America, but rare or lack-
ing in the southeastern states.
Summer Range. — The Nashville Warbler breeds more commonly
in New England than elsewhere ; less commonly north to Nova Scotia
NASHVILLE WARBLER
93
(Cape Breton Island), Quebec (Gaspe Bay), central Ontario, and
Athabasca (Cumberland House) ; the southern limit of the breed-
ing range is found in New Jersey (Englewood, casual), Pennsylvania
(Dingman's Ferry, Pike County), northern Illinois, Nebraska
(Nebraska City). East of the Allegheny Mountains it is scarcely
known south of Maryland, nor in the Gulf states east of Texas,
Accidental in Greenland.
Winter Range. — Southern Texas to southern Mexico and possibly
Guatemala.
Spring Migration. — Wintering principally in Mexico, the Nash-
ville Warblers of New England seem to reach their summer home by
a migration route that shuns the lowlands of the southeastern United
States. The species is almost unknown in this district south of
Virginia. Records for the western form of this species are here
included.
PI.ACE
Atlantic Coast —
French Creek, W. Va
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Southeastern New York . . .
Portland, Conn
Boston, Mass
Randolph, Vt
Southern New Hampshire .
Lewiston, Me
Montreal, Can
Quebec, Can
St. John, New Brunswick . .
Petitcodiac, New Brunswick
Mississippi Valley —
San Antonio, Texas
St. Louis, Mo
Chicago, 111
Brookville, Ind
Northern Ohio
Petersburg, Mich
Southern Ontario
Ottawa, Ont
Keokuk, Iowa
Lanesboro, Minn
Minneapolis, Minn
Pacitic Slope —
Yuma, Ariz
Huachuca Mountains, Ariz.
Dunlap, Cal
Revelstoke, B. C
No. of
years'
record
5
7
6
12
5
9
6
7
II
Average date of
spring arrival
April 28
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May 16
March 25
April 26
May 3
May 5
May 7
May 6
May 14
May 6
May 9
May 14
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April
May
April
April
May
May
May
April
May
May
May
May
May
23, 1891
4, 1887
25, 1891
30, 1900
5, 1894
I, 1896
3, 1894
30, 1902
7, 1897
10, 1890
14, 1890
6, 1895
5, 1886
March 21, i88g
April 20, 1885
April 27, 1897
April 15, 1887
May 2, 1895
May I, 1887
May 2, 1898
May 5, 1902
April 28, 1896
May I, 1888
May 13, 1888
March 11, 1902
April I, 1902
April 23, 1891
May 9. 1890
94
NASHVILLE WARBLER
Fall Migration. — The arrival of migrants south of their breeding
grounds has been noted at Chicago, 111., August i6, 1896; Beaver, Pa.,
September 5, 1903; Ossining, N. Y., August 11; Englewood, N. J.,
August 26, 1887; Washington, D. C, September 5; French Creek,
W. Va., September 7, 1890; St. Louis, Mo., September 17, 1885, and
at Gainesville, Texas, October 11, 1885.
PIvACE
Lanesboro, Minn
Grinnell, Iowa
Ottawa, Ont
Mackinac Island, Mich
North River, Prince Edward Island.
St. John, New Brunswick
Southern Maine
Renovo, Pa
Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y
Cooney, N. Mex
Dunlap, Cal
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
September
September
September
September
September
October 3
l,atest date of last
one seen
September 29, 1889
October i, 1886
October 10, 1900
September 24, 1889
August 10, 1887
September 5, 1895
September 27, 1902
October 3, 1902
October 7, 1888
September 30, 1889
October 12, 1890
The Bird and its Haunts. — Wilson, the discoverer of this species,
found only the three specimens, taken near Nashville, Tennessee, on
which his description was based ; and, in the early part of the last
century it was considered a rare bird. Brewster^, quoting Samuel
Cabot, says that soon after 1836 "a few birds began to appear every
season. They increased in numbers, gradually but steadily, until they
had become so common that in 1842 he obtained ten specimens in the
course of a single morning."
Recounting his own experience in the Cambridge region,
Brewster' adds: "In 1868, and for some fifteen years later, I found
Nashville Warblers breeding rather numerously in Waltham, Lexing-
ton, Arlington and Belmont, usually in dry and somewhat barren
tracts sparsely covered with gray birches, oaks or red cedars, or with
scattered pitch pines. A few birds continued to occupy certain of
these stations, but in all of the towns just mentioned the Nashville
Warbler is less common and decidedly less generally distributed in
summer now than it was twenty-five or thirty years ago."
Gerald Thayer writes: "'Birch Warbler' would be a good name
for this bird as it appears in the Monadnock region where it breeds
abundantly. For here it is nowhere so common as in abandoned fields
and mountain pastures half smothered by small gray birches. From
the airy upper story of these low and often dense birch copses the
Nashvilles sing; and among the club-mosses and ferns, and the hard-
NASHVILLE WARBLER 95
hacks and other scrubby bushes at their bases and around their borders,
the Nashvilles build their nests. But such is merely their most char-
acteristic home. They are so common and widespread that it is hard
to get out of earshot of their song during the breeding season. Dark
spruce woods they do not favor, nor big, mixed virgin timber; but
even in these places, one is likely to find them wherever there is a
little 'oasis' of sunlight and smaller deciduous growth. They are
fairly common among the scanty spruces, mountain ashes and white
birches of the rocky upper ridge of Mt. Monadnock, almost to the
top — 3,169 feet.
"The Nashville's proper domain or 'beat', during the breeding
season, lies between the ground and the tops of the lower trees —
mainly deciduous trees. He is a little, active, foliage-colored Warbler,
un-showily yellow-breasted, inconspicuously gray-headed (except for
a yellow throat, and a rufous crown-spot which scarcely shows at all)
with a dim white eye-ring, but without white tail-spots, wing-bars or
any other bold markings. In demeanor it is one of the most nervously
agile and restless of the gleaning Warblers." {Thayer, MS.)
Song. — "The Nashville has at least two main perch-songs, and
a flight-song, all subject to a good deal of variation. It belongs decid-
edly among the full-voiced Warblers ; — the Yellow, Magnolia, Black-
throated Green, Chestnut-side, Hooded, Canadian, etc., on the one
hand, as compared with the Parula, Blackburnian, Cape May,
Black and White, Blackpoll, Bay-breast, etc., on the other. Its com-
moner perch-song consists of a string of six or eight or more, lively,
rapid notes, suddenly congested into a pleasant, rolling twitter, lower
in key than the first part of the song, and about half as long. In the
other perch-song, the notes of what correspond to the rolling twitter
are separate and richer, and the second part of the song is longer and
more noticeable than the first, whose notes are few and slurred, while
the whole is more languidly delivered. The diflFerences are hard to
describe intelligibly ; but in reality they are pronounced and constant.
The flight-song, a fairly common performance in late summer, is sung
from the height of five to forty feet above the (usually low) tree-tops.
It is like the commoner perch-songs, but more hurried, and slightly
elaborated, — often with a few chippings added, at both ends. Among
the Nashville's calls a very small, dry chip, and a more metallic, louder
chip, somewhat Water-Thrush-like, are noteworthy. It also chippers
like a young Warbler or a Black-throated Green." (Thayer, MS.)
96
NASHVILLE WARBLER
Miss Paddock sends six renderings of the Nashville's song and
writes : "The first half of the Nashville's song is sibilant, the last half
is a twitter. I cannot agree with Mr. Matthews that the first part is
always 'lame-legged', though it is often so."
.ylllegro 8 v«x
.N.^j n n r^ ^^
' V. --^
^ n ^ ' ^
muMM
^^
"A very pecuHar song, unlike the usual quality, and in leisurely
fashion, ran as follows: The tempo was regular and all the notes
seemed to utter the syllables chip, chip, chip."
^^^^^^^n m^
Nesting Site. — The nest is apparently always placed on the
ground, the character of the situation being indicated by the following
quotations: "the side of a knoll well concealed by brakes and brush.
* * * on the roots of a small bush that grew from the side of a
knoll" (MorrelP) ; "under a shrub or tree much after the fashion of
the Black and White Warbler" (Bowles*) ; "the nests I have found
have uniformly been in the side of sphagnum tussocks, and well
sunken out of sight from above, so that one must stoop to look into
them" (Preston^). Nests found by Spaulding at Lancaster, N. H.,
were in the side of grassy knolls.
CALAVERAS WARBLER
97
Nest. — After stating that in Massachusetts the site selected
resembles that chosen by the Black and White Warbler, Bowles* adds :
"the material, however, is somewhat different, consisting of moss, dry-
leaves, grass and pine-needles, and lined with pine-needles and grass,
instead of horse-hair, which is almost invariably used by Mniotilta.
Spaulding describes New Hampshire nests as made of moss and fine
grasses lined with rootlets, while nests found by Preston^ in Minne-
sota were composed of the "soft stems of a slender Juncus and some
were lined with deer's hair."
Eggs. — 4 or 5. Ground color white to creamy white specked
and spotted with reddish brown and lilac of varying shades forming
a more or less distinct wreath about large end. This egg and that of
the Pileolated Warbler approach each other closely. Size; a typical
set of five measures .62x46, .63X.46, .65x48, .62X.47 and .63X.46;
other specimens measure the same. (Figs. 23-25.)
Nesting Dates. — New Haven, Conn., May 30- June 8 (Bishop) ;
Cambridge, Mass., full sets, first laying, May 25-June i (Brezvster) ;
Lancaster, N. H., May 25-June 8 (Spaulding) ; Bangor, Maine, June
3- June 6; Fort Kent, Maine, July 10 (Knight) ; Detroit, Mich., May
30 (/. P. N.).
Biographical References
(i) J. P. N [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Nashville Warbler, Orn. and
061., XV, 1890, 23. (2) J. W. Preston, A Glimpse of the Nashville Warbler
[in Minn.], Orn. and 051., XVI, 1891, 89. (3) C. H. Morrell, Nesting of
the Nashville Warbler [in Maine], Nidologist, III, 1896, 125. (4) J. H. Bowles,
Nesting Habits of the Nashville Warbler [in Mass.], Osprey, I, 1896, 20. (5)
Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 323.
Calaveras Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA RUBRICAPILLA GUTTURALIS (Ridjw.)
Subspecific Characters. — Similar to Helminthophila r. rubricapilla, but rump
and upper tail-coverts brighter, more yellow ; underparts richer, deeper yellow.
General Distribution. — Western United States.
Summer Range. — High mountains, from the Sierra Nevada
(Calaveras Co., Calif.) to British Columbia (Vernon, Nelson, Okan-
agan district, etc.). eastward to eastern Oregon (Fort Klamath,
northern Idaho (Fort Sherman), etc. (Ridgw.).
Winter Range. — Southern California to southern Mexico ; east in
migration to central Texas.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Although the Calaveras Warbler is
very rare or wanting in the Rocky Mountains, it is locally common in
98 VIRGIiMIA'S WARBLER
British Columbia and southward in the Sierras ; this brighter western
form having been described under the subspecific name gutturalis in
1874.
Of this bird, as it occurs in CaUfornia, Walter Fisher writes:
"The Calaveras Warbler is a characteristic denizen of the chaparral
and is found on both slopes of the Sierra Nevadas about as far south
as Mt. Whitney. It frequents the belts of the yellow, sugar, and
JeflFrey pines, and ranges up into the red fir zone. During the height
of the nesting season one may see them flitting about among thickets
of manzanita, wild cherry, huckleberry, oak and buck brush, almost
always in song; and while the female is assiduously hunting among
the dense cover of bushes, the male is often singing in a pine or fir,
far above mundane household cares.
"These Warblers are conspicuous fellows, the yellow underparts
showing in bold contrast to the gray crown and cheeks, and olive-green
upper-parts. It is likely that the brilliant mountain sunshine heightens
the color effect. I have observed this Warbler at lower altitudes on
the west slope among small black oaks, in company with Hermit
Warblers, from which it can be readily distinguished by the absence of
yellow cheeks and black throat." (Fisher, MS.)
Nesting Site. — "Nests on the ground, on the dry, open prairies
at the foot of a small bush." {Bozvles, MS.)
Eggs. — The eggs of this bird in all respects are the same as
those of the Nashville Warbler.
Nesting Dates. — Tacoma, Wash., April 28 9 building; June 24
three fresh eggs (Bozvles).
VIRGINIA'S Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA VIRGINI/E (Baird) Plate VI
Distinguishing Characters. — General color gray; crown-patch chestnut, upper
and under tail-coverts and breast-patch yellow. Length (skin), 4.20; wing, 2.40;
tail, 1.85; bill, .40.
Adult S, Spring. — Crown-patch chestnut tipped with gray; cheeks and
back brownish gray, eye-ring white ; rump and upper tail-coverts dull yellow ;
tail fuscous, outer pair of feathers usually margined with white on the inner
web ; wings margined with gray, no white bars ; below grayish white, breast-
patch and under tail-coverts yellow.
Adult ($, Fall. — Similar to above but crown-patch more broadly tipped,
underparts more bufFy.
Young <S, Fall. — Not seen.
Adult ?, Spring. — Similar to adult c^ in Spring, but chestnut and yellow
areas somewhat paler and more restricted.
Plate VI
1. Olive Warbler, Adult Male.
2. Olive Warbler, Adult Female.
3. Lucy's Warbler, Adult.
4. Lucy's Warbler, Young.
5. Virginia's Warbler, Adult.
6. Virginia's Warbler, Young.
3NE-HALF NATURAL SIZE.)
VIRGINIA'S WARBLER
99
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but slightly browner above,
crest tipped with brownish gray, yellow of breast with whitish, flanks browner.
Voung $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but crown-patch nearly obso-
lete, rump and under tail-coverts duller, under parts huffier, no yellow breast-
patch.
Nestling. — Above grayish brown ; throat and breast paler, belly whitish ;
upper and under tail-coverts saflfron ; wings and tail as in young c^, greater
and median coverts brownish gray narrowly but sharply tipped with buffy.
General Distribution. — Rocky Mountains of the United States,
north to Colorado (common), Utah (Wasatch Mts., Salt Lake City)
and Nevada (East Humboldt Mountains), Winters in Mexico.
Migration. — The first migrant was seen at Cooney, New Max.,
April lo, 1889; Huachuca, Ariz., xApril 10, 1902; Beulah, Colo., May
6, 1905 ; Monon, Colo., May 3, 1905.
The Bird and its Haunts. — "Virginia's Warbler was discovered
at Cantonment Burgwyn in New Mexico, by Dr. W. W. Anderson,
and first described, in i860, by Professor Baird who dedicated it
to the wife of the discoverer. The type specimen remained unique
until 1864, when the present writer took a second example at Fort
Whipple, on the fifteenth of August ; this was a young bird very
likely bred in the vicinity. Shortly afterward, 1869, Mr. Ridgway
ascertained that the bird was abundant in the East Humboldt and
Wahsatch Mountains, where it was breeding in thickets of scrub
oak. * * *
"Mr. C. E. Aiken shortly afterward extended the known range of
the species to include the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains in
Colorado, where it breeds. This excellent observer found it in various
parts of the State, but especially along the eastern base of the moun-
tains, where, in its favorite haunts, it sometimes outnumbers all other
Warblers put together. It is a shy and timid species, generally dart-
in?:, with its sharp note of alarm, into its place of concealment when
approached. In summer it frequents the scrub of the hillsides, at any
elevation up to about 7,500 feet, but during the migrations it is found
indifferently in the pine forests and among the cottonwoods and
willows along the streams." {Coues.^
"This species is quite common in the pine regions throughout
Arizona, but I have not seen it at a lower elevation than 5,000 feet.
Unlike other Warblers in this section, they keep almost entirely in
the underbrush, where they are continually on the move and at the
same time uttering a quick chirp as if in distress." ( Hozvard^.)
Sonc^. — "The male is very musical during the nesting season,
uttering his S7vee ditty continually as he skips through the bushes in
lOO LUCY'S WARBLER
search of his morning repast; or having satisfied his appetite, he
mounts to the top of some tree in the neighborhood of his nest, and
repeats at regular intervals a song of remarkable fullness for a bird
of such minute proportions." (Aiken.)
"Ordinary note, a sharp chip; song simple but various (decep-
tively so) ; common forms are che'-we-che'-we-che'-ive-che'-we,-wit-a-
wit-wit-wit (these terminal notes being partially characteristic
of Helminthophagce) and che-we'-che-we'-che-zve'-che'-a-che'-ache'."
(Minot.^)
Nesting Site. — Nests found by Howard and Judson were on the
ground under a bush or bunch of grass. A nest found by W. G.
Smith at Estes Park, Colorado, was "under a rocky ledge, sunken in
the ground and well hidden." (C. W. C.)
Nest. — Nests collected by Howard^ were made of "fine straws,
rootlets and fibers, loosely put together."
E'ggs. — 4 or 5, rarely 5. Ground color white lightly wreathed
around the larger end with specks and spots of reddish and purplish
brown, a few scattering specks of the same colors over rest of e^g.
Size ; average, .66X.49. A set of four, from Estes Park, Colorado,
show very regular measurements : .66X.49, .66X.49, .66X.50 and .67x49.
(Figs. 21,22.)
Nesting Dates. — Arizona, May 17 (Judson) ; Estes Park, Colo.,
June 20 (C. W. C).
Biographical References
(i) W. B. Judson, Nesting of Virginia's Warbler, Osprey, IH, 1898, 54.
(2) C. W. Howard, Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull. Cooper
Orn. Club (=Condor), I, 1899, 63. (3) H. D. Minot, Notes on Colorado
Birds, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, V, 1880, 226.
LUCY'S Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA LUCI/E (Cooptr) Plate VI
Distinguishing Characters. — General color gray, crown-patch and upper
tail-coverts chestnut. Length (skin), 3.80; wing, 2.20; tail, 1.65; bill, .38.
Adult S, Spring. — Crown largely chestnut with more or less pronounced
gray tips which wear off in the breeding season ; back gray ; upper tail-coverts
chestnut; tail fuscous, outer feathers with a dull white patch, white sometimes
extending to margin of inner vane of second feather; wings gray, no white
bars; cheeks and underparts dusky white more or less tinged with buff.
Adult (?, Fall. — Similar to last "but above tinged with brown, the chestnut
crown-patch concealed by very broad brownish gray tips to the feathers ; under-
parts pale brownish buff, becoming white, or nearly so, on the abdomen"
(Ridgw.).
Young ^, Fall. — Not seen.
LUCY'S WARBLER lOi
Adult 9, Spring. — Similar to adult d" in Spring but with the chestnut of
crown and tail-coverts averaging paler in color and less in extent.
Adult 9, Fa//.— Not seen.
Young 9, Fall. — Not seen.
Nestling. — No crown-patch ; crown and back brownish gray ; upper taii-
coverts cinnamon ; wing-coverts and tertials edged with cinnamon ; below white
washed with buffy.
General Distribution. — Western United States, breeds com-
monly in Arizona and rarely north to the lower Santa Clara Valley,
southwestern Utah. Winters in northwestern Mexico.
Migration. — Its arrival in Arizona was noted at Fort Lowell,
March 20, 1902; Oracle, April i, 1899; Fort Mojave, March 25;
Whipple Barracks, ]March 31, 1892, and in the Huachuca Mountains,
April 8. 1902.
The Bird and its Haunts. — The restricted range of this species
has brought it within the field experience of comparatively few orni-
thologists. Discovered by J. G. Cooper at Fort Mojave, Arizona,
March 25, 1861, where it was not uncommon in the mesquite chaparral,
it was taken two years later by Holden and in April, 1865, was found
by Coues at Fort W^hipple.
The nest was first found by Bendire at Tucson, Arizona, on
May 19, 1872, additional examples being discovered by Stephens, as
recorded by Brewster^, at the same locality nine years later.
Coues described the Lucy's Warblers which came imder hij
observation as ''rather timid, retiring birds, likely to be lo;\g over-
looked in the thickets and copses to which they seem to be much
attached." Stephens, however, states that "although active and rest-
less they were not at all shy." He adds that "they were more abun-
dant among the mesquites than any other species and their tseeping
could be heard on every side. They were continually in motion, flying
from tree to tree, and occasionally visiting some low brush in the
vicinity."
Howard- writes that Lucy's Warbler is fairly common along the
river bottoms throughout southern Arizona, especially in the mes-
quite and willow thickets.
Song.— The song of Lucy's Warbler does not appear to have
been described.
Nesting S/^^'.— Recording Stephens' observations on the nesting
habits of this Warbler in Arizona, Brewster^ states that the site
was "variable; the characteristic place, like that of the specimen
discovered by Captain Bendire, was behind the loosened bark of a
large tree, but use was frequently made of old Woodpecker's nests,
knot-holes, and in short, all sorts of crevices." One pair appropri-
I02 LUCY'S WARBLER
ated a deserted Verdin's nest using it without apparent repairs or
alterations. Howard^ records a similar instance and adds : "most
of the nests were in mesquite trees, in natural cavities or behind
pieces of loose bark, ranging in height from two to twenty feet, but,
as a rule, they are within easy reach."
Nest. — "The nests are very frail aflfairs and are made of fine
straws, vegetable fibers and leaves, with a lining of feathers and hair."
{Howard'^.)
Eggs. — 3 to 5, usually 3 or 4. Ground color white, handsomely
wreathed around the large end with specks, spots, and small blotches
of reddish brown, umber, and lavender; in some cases the markings
are sparingly distributed over all the egg, the rule, however, is a
well-defined wreath around the large end. Probably averaging the
smallest of North American Warblers' eggs. Size; average, .59X.44;
extremes, .61X.45, .56X.43. (Figs. 18-20.)
Nesting Dates. — Phoenix, Ariz., April 19 (C. W. C) ; Tucson,
Ariz., April 28-June 11 (Stephens).
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster. On a Collection of Birds lately made by Mr. F.
Stephens in Arizona, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VH, 1882, 82. (2) O. W. Howard.
Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club, (=Condor),
I, 1899, 37.
Genus COMPSOTHLYPIS Cabanis
Our two species of this genus are small bluish birds with a short,
wedge-shaped, sharply pointed, slightly curved, unnotched bill, of
which the upper mandible is blackish, the lower, whitish ; the rictal
bristles are short but evident ; the wing is about .70 inches longer
than the tail and has the four outer primaries of nearly equal length,
the tail-feathers are narrow and of about equal length, the outer
ones being conspicuously marked with white ; the feet are dark,
the tarsus is much longer than the middle toe and nail, the
hind toe-nail is nearly as long as the toe.
Compsothlypis contains three species, C. grapsoni of Socorro
Island, Mexico, C. pitiayumi, ranging from Brazil to the Lower Rio
Grande and separated into half a dozen geographical races, of which
our C. nigrilora is the most northern, and C. americana of the eastern
United States.
Our species nest in hanging bunches of Usnea or Tillandsia
'moss'.
1
southern parula warbler 103
Southern Parula Warbler
COMPSOTHLYPIS AMERICANA AMERICANA (Linn.)
SubspeciHc Characters. — Similar to C. a. usnece but with less black about
the lores, throat in ($ with more yellow, the blackish throat band very narrow
or poorly defined ; $ not distinguishable from $ of usnece. Smaller and with
a slightly larger bill than usnece from the North Atlantic States ; larger than
specimens of usnece from the lower Mississippi valley and Texas. Wing, 2.25 ;
tail, 1.60; bill, .38.
General Distribution. — Southeastern United States.
Slimmer Range. — Southeastern Atlantic and eastern Gulf states
west along the coast region to Alabama ; north to southern New York.
Ridgway refers to thtis form occasional specimens from as far north
as Sing Sing and Shelter Island, N. Y., and even Cape Cod, Mass.,
and as far west as Mount Carmel, Ills., and Rockwood, Tenn. A
breeding bird from Caesar's Head in the mountains of western
North Carolina is typical americana. The form as fully developed, is
frequently Austroriparian, specimens from the Carolinian fauna being
largely intermediate between it and usnece.
Winter Range. — Central Florida south to the West Indies.
The Bird and its Haunts. — About March i, in northern Florida,
when the blossoming cypress, maple and red-bud announce the com-
ing of spring the quaint sizzling trill of the newly arrived Parula
Warbler is one of the most characteristic bird voices of the season.
Possibly among these migrants there may be representatives of the
more northern form of this bird, but if the singer's drowsy little lay
appeals to you as it does to me you will not stop to inquiie the exact
shade of his coat but will greet him as the author of one of the most
welcome bits of bird music in the Florida spring.
The abundance of the Spanish 'moss' (Tillandsia) in which this
southern Parula nests is accountable for its being a more common and
uniformly distributed bird than is the northern Parula. When migrat-
ing it is often found feeding amid the blossoms of the cypress, while
the quantity of 'moss' usually pendant from these water-loving trees
makes them a favorite summer home. The Parula also frequents the
deciduous 'hammocks' but not, so far as I have observed, the pines.
Song. — I am unable to say whether there is any difference in
the song of the Northern and Southern Parulas but I imagine that the
quaint, attractive, little gurgling sizzle chip-er, chip-er chip-er, chee-
ee-ee-ee, which is first heard in Florida about March i, is uttered by
the southern form, though I do not detect in its notes any difference
from those of the northern bird.
104 PARULA WARBLER
Nesting Site. — Although specimens of Compsothlypis from
Mississippi are nearer usnece than americana, the following descrip-
tion of their nest and its site is more applicable to the later than to
the former. "The invariable nesting site is a clump of Spanish moss
where this is to be had ; I have not observed nests from beyond the
range of this plant. The nest is generally placed near the branch
from which the long filaments of the 'moss' depend, so that it is well
concealed. The height from the ground varies from about eight f.et
upwards. The site is not used a second year ; whether for a second
brood or not, I cannot say.
Mest. — The nest is nearly hemispherical in shape, opening directly
upward. The usual material, in lower Louisiana, is thistle-down,
which is abundant during the nesting season. Animal hairs are not
used, I think. A nest from Bay St. Louis was composed of the very
black horse-hair-like inner fiber resulting from the decay of Tillandsia."
(Allison, MS.)
Eggs. — 3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color white to creamy white,
somewhat glossy, marked with reddish brown, chestnut, and grayish
tints, tending to form a wreath around the large end ; the markings
are coarse and well-defined. These eggs vary in size and shape to a
marked degree. Size ; average, .67X.48. Two extreme sets of 4 eggs
each measure .75X.50, .76X.50, .77X. 50 and .65X.47, .61X.44, .64X.46.
(Figs. 31,32.)
Nesting Dates. — Bay St. Louis, Miss., May 8, young about ready
to leave nest — August newly fledged young (Allison). (Doubtless
referable to C. usneo') ; Mt. Pleasant, S. C, April 15 (Wayne).
Parula Warbler
COMPSOTHLYPIS AMERICANA USNE/E (Brewsf.) Plate VIII
Distinguishing Characters. — General color above bluish, center of back yel-
lowish; two conspicuous white wing-bars. Length (skin), 4.00; wing. 2.40;
tail, 1. 6s; bill, .38.
Adult c?. Spring. — Upperparts grayish blue, center of back yellowish green ;
lores black, eye-ring with a white spot above and another below the eye ; tail
edged with bluish, outer two or three feathers with a white patch on the inner
web near the tip ; wings edged with bluish, median and greater coverts broadly
tipped with white ; sides of the throat grayish blue much restricting the brown-
tinged yellow of chin and upper throat, lower throat with a more or less well-
defined band of bluish black often tinged with brownish and tipped with yellow,
this bordered posteriorly by a less well-defined brown, yellow-tipped area which,
in turn, is bordered by clear yellow ; belly white the sides grayish, often with
more or less brownish chestnut.
Plate VIII
1. Parula Warbler. Adult Male. 3. Parula Warbler, Adult Female.
2. Parula Warbler, Young Female. 4. Sennett's Warbler. Adult Male.
5. Sennett's Warbler, Adult Female,
(one-half natural size.)
PARULA WARBLER
105
Adult <S, Pall. — Similar to adult (^ in Spring but blue areas more or less
tipped with greenish, the throat bands with yellow ; more white about the eyes
and lores.
Young <S, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Fall but with the blue areas still
more heavily tipped with greenish, the blackish throat band less pronounced or
absent.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult S in Spring but blue areas duller and
with more or less greenish wash ; blackish throat-band usually absent, brown
breast-band much reduced, paler, or absent; sides grayish usually without chest-
nut.
Adult $. Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but blue areas greener, the
breast with still less brown.
Young 9, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Fall but with no brown on breast.
Nestling. — Above brownish gray with a tinge of green ; below grayish white ;
two white wing-bars.
General Distribution. — Eastern Texas, Mississippi Valley, and
north Atlantic States.
Summer Range. — Gulf States east to Alabama, Mississippi
Valley as far west, casually, as eastern Nebraska (Havelock, April 20,
1901), South Dakota (Black Hills), Wyoming (Cheyenne, May 30,
1888), Colorado (Fountain, May 11, 1870); north to northern Wis-
consin, northeastern Minnesota (St. Louis Co.,), Michigan (Spectacle
Reef); east through central Ontario (Ottawa, Algonquin Park),
Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick (rare orlocal). Nova Scotia,
northern Maine ; south to southern New England and casually
further and along the Alleghenies to North Carolina.
The apparent derivation of the New England birds from the
Mississippi Valley is paralleled by the distribution of GeotJilypis trichas
hrachidactyla.
Winter Range. — Mexico and Central America.
Spring Migration. — Records from the South Atlantic States
doubtless relate to both the southern Parula (Compsothlypis americana
americana) and the northern Parula (C. a. usnece) ; those from the
northern States and Mississippi Valley to the northern Parula only.
PI^ACE
No of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Atlantic Coast —
Southern Florida
3
4
13
March 5
March 23
Anril 8
March 3, 1889
Frogmore, S. C
March 5, 1889
Raleigh, N. C
Anril I. t88q
Asheville, N. C. (near)
5 \ April 15 April 9, 1893
4 April 22 April 19, 1893
8 Anril 2? Anril IQ. 1801
French Creek, W. Va
Washingon, D. C
io6
PARULA WARBLER
PJvACE
Beaver, Pa
Germantown, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Shelter Island, N. Y
Portland, Conn
Boston, Mass
Randolph, Vt
Southern New Hampshire
Southern Maine
Quebec, Can
Southern New Brunswick
Pictou, Nova Scotia
North River, Prince Edward Isl
Mississippi Valley —
New Orleans and vicinity
Helena, Ark
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo
Waterloo, Ind
Oberlin, Ohio
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont
Ottawa, Ont
Chicago, 111
Grinnell, la
Lanesboro, Minn
No. of
years'
record
4
7
7
13
7
14
ID
5
6
II
10
17
9
3
3
Average date of
spring arrival
April 30
May I
May
May
May
May
May
May
May 10
May 14
May 14
March 5
April 2
April 14
May I
May 5
May 6
May 10
May 13
May 8
May 8
May 9
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 24,
April 22,
April 27,
April 23,
May 2,
May I,
May 2,
April 30,
May 6,
May
May
May
May
10,
9,
23,
30,
1899
1886
1897
1891
1886
1896
1886
1902
1900
1905
1905
1891
1890
Feb. 22, 1893
March 30, 1897
April 10, 1897
April 27, 1902
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
I, 1900
I, 188s
7, 1896
7, 1896
3, 1899
4, 1890
6, 1890
Fall Migration. —
PLACE
Grinnell, la
Ottawa, Ont
Toronto, Ont
Glen Ellyn, 111
St. John, New Brunswick
Pittsfield, Me
Hartford, Conn
Southeastern New York .
Renovo, Pa
Berwyn, Pa
Raleigh, N. C
New Orleans and vicinity
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
September 20
September 11
September 28
September 24
October 13
October 7
October 8
October 15
October 10
October 18
I<atest date of last
one seen
September 21, 18!
September 13, i8i
September 28, i8(
October i, 1897
September 17, i8i
September 30, i8(
October 20, 1900
October 12, 1891
October 12, 1901
October 31, 1893
October 14, 1890
October 26, 1890
The Bird and its Haunts. — During its migration this is a gener-
ally distributed species preferring, however, deciduous to coniferous
trees — except as it visits cypresses — but when settled for the summer
we may look for it only where the usnea moss grows in which it
builds its nest.
PARULA WARBLER 107
Although this moss is parasitic on many kinds of trees and bushes,
it requires a moist, humid atmosphere and, in consequence, our War-
bler makes its home in wet, swampy places. The restriction of the
moss to comparatively limited areas often induces a number of pairs
of Parulas to nest near one another. Rawson^ mentions a swamp
near Norwich, Connecticut, containing seventy-five pairs.
Some difficulty may be experienced in identifying fall specimens,
but in the spring the Parula is unquestionably a blue bird and as such
likely to be confused with few other Warblers. Furthermore, its
conspicuous wing-bars allied to its small size and chickadee-like
(hence the name Parula, a diminutive of Parus, a titmouse) habit of
feeding while hanging back downward, are good field characters.
Gerald Thayer writes that the Parula is "common about the base
of Mt. Monadnock in woodland bogs where the trees — firs and spruces
and red maples, etc., — are thickly hung with usnea moss. But we
have also found several pairs of breeding Parulas in drier virgin
woods and old second growth where usnea was rare. The only nest
I have seen was in an usnea swamp, about twenty feet up in a bearded,
scrawny, two-thirds-dead fir balsam. It was not only made of usnea,
but made of a long, free-hanging usnea beard looped up and spliced
onto itself, thus forming a suspended basket-nest with a roof, — and
a small side entrance. It was big for the size of the birds,
and suggested a European Long-tailed Tit's nest. In certain views
from the ground, it showed globose and dark against the sky. The
three eggs lay on a scanty bed of wild cherry stems — the only 'imported'
building material the nest contained.
"The Parula is less nervous in its movements than most of our
Warblers, and it is also among the tamest of them. Its 'beat' lies
between the forest under-scrub and the tops of all but the very
highest trees. A blue-gray, black-cheeked Warbler, with conspicuous
white wing-marks, much white in the tail, and a transverse dusky
smudge, sometimes partly reddish brown, on its yellow breast — such is
the adult male Parula. His greenish yellow saddle being almost of one
shade with the encompassing blue-gray, is very inconspicuous in life."
(Thayer, MS.)
Song. — "The Parula is weak-voiced, and its call notes, as far as I
know, are slight and barely peculiar; but it has at least three main
songs, with a great range of variations. All may be recognized, or at
least distinguished from the weak songs of the Dendroiccu, like the
Blackburnian and Bay-breast, by their beady, buzzy tone. In phrasing,
in everything but this tone-quality, certain variations of the Parula's
Io8 PARULA WARBLER
and of the Blackburnian's songs very nearly meet and overlap : but the
tell-tale tones remains unchanged, — wheezy and beady in the one,
smooth as glass in the other. Commonest of the Northern Parula's
three main songs is probably the short, unbroken buzz, uttered on
an evenly-ascending scale, and ending abruptly, with a slight accentua-
tion of the final note. Next is that which begins with several notes of
the same beady character, but clearly separated, and finishes, likewise
on an ascending scale, with a brief congested buzz. The third main
song is based on an inversion of the second — a buzz followed by a few
separate drawled notes, high-pitched like the buzz-ending of the two
other songs. All three vary and intervary perplexingly." {Thayer,
MS.) Miss Paddock describes the Parula's song as "a rapid trill end-
ing explosively" and writes it as follows :
Svn/ o
Nesting Site. — In a hanging bunch of usnea moss from three
to thirty or more feet above the ground; more rarely "at the end
of a drooping spruce branch" (Jacobs^.)
A^est. — As a rule, the bird selects a favorable bunch of moss,
gathers or weaves the bottom together, lines it scantily, or not at all,
with fine grasses and forms an entrance at one side. Brewster*', how-
ever, describes a nest taken at Stoneham, Mass., which in shape and
manner of attachment resembled a Baltimore Oriole's nest. No bunches
of Usnea- large enough for use in the usual manner, being available.
the builder had apparently gathered bits of the moss here and there
with which to construct a home.
A nest found by Jacobs^, at Blacksville, West Virginia, appears
to differ from the usual type. It was ''well concealed among twigs
at the end of a drooping spruce branch, nine feet up. * * * The
composition was chiefly of fine grasses, with a slight mixture of Usnea
moss, vegetable fiber, and small bits of wool." A second nest, simi-
larly placed, resembled the first but "contained a goodly supply of
hickory catkins and hair, as well as some fine rootlets in the lining."
Eggs. — The eggs resemble those of the Southern Parula.
Nesting Dates. — New Haven, Conn., May i8-June 14 (Bishop) ;
Lancaster, N. H., May 31-June 12 (Spaulding) ; Bangor, Me., May 31-
BENNETT'S WARBLER
109
June 17 (Knight); Ann Arbor, Mich, (near), May 12 (Wood);
Becker Co., Minn.. May 28 (C. W. C.)
Biographical References
(1) T. M. Brewer. Am. Nat., I, 1867, 117; XVII, 1875, 439. (2) Trippe,
Am. Nat., II, 1868, 177. (3) W. W. Worthington, Blue Yellow-backed
Warbler Nesting on Shelter Island, Orn. and 061., VI, 1881, 62. (4) C. H.
A.xDROS, The Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, Orn. and 061., IX, 1884, 147. (q)
J. M. W. [r^C. L. Rawson], Norwich, Conn., The Parula Warbler — Its Nest
and Eggs, Orn. and 061., XIII, 1888, i. (6) Wm. Brewster, An Unusual
Nc^t of the Parula Warbler, Orn. and 061., XIII, 1888, 46. (7) J. H. Bowles,
Notes on the Parula Warbler, Nidologist, II, 1895, 63. (8) M. L. C. Wilde,
Nf sting of the Parula Warbler {Compsothlypis americana) in Cape May County,
New Jersey, Auk, XIV, 1897, 289. (9) J. W. Jacobs, Some Notes on the
Summer Birds of Monongalia Co., West Virginia, Gleanings, (published by
author at Waynesburg, Pa.), IV, 9.
Sennett's Warbler
COMPSOTHLYPIS PITIAYUMI NIGRILORA (Coues) Plate VIII
Distinguishing Characters. — Similar to Compsothlypis a. americana but
cheeks black ; underparts yellow becoming white on the lower belly ; breast
tinged with orange brown and without black ; no white about eye ; sides of
throat, at junction of yellow and black, with traces of white. Length (skin),
3.90; wing, 2.00; tail, 1.50; bill, .38.
General Distribution. — Breeds in Northeastern Mexico and along
the lower Rio Grande in Texas. It winters in Mexico and has been
taken the last week of February, 1880, on the Rio Grande near
Hidalgo.
The Bird and its Haunts. — At the time of its discovery by Mr.
Sennett in the Rio Grande Valley, this bird was supposed to be a
distinct species; it proves, however, t) be the most northern repre-
sentative of a form of Parula Warbler which ranges over the greater
part of South America and northward through Central America and
Mexico to the lower Rio Grande. There it evidently resembles our
Southern Parula in habits, living, MerrilP says, "among thick woods
and near the edges of lagoons where there is Spanish moss."
Nesting Site. — MerrilP found a nest near Brownsville, Texas,
eight feet from the ground in a bunch of Spanish 'moss.' Sennett^
records one from Lomita, on the Rio Grande, which was placed in a
"mistletoe-like orchid" ten feet from the ground.
Nest. — Merrill's nest evidently resembles that of the Parula
Warbler in the southern states, being constructed in the Spanish moss
and lined with a few horse-hairs. Sennett describes his nest as "con
no OLIVE WARBLER
structed very simply, being formed by parting the gray leaves of the
orchid and digging into its center from the side, a cavity of some two
inches in diameter being made with an opening of one-and-a-quarter
inches. The bottom and sides are lined pretty well up with short
cottony wood fibers, forming a fine matting for the eggs to rest upon."
The identity of this nest, however, does not seem to have been satis-
factorily established.
Eggs. — Similar to those of the Parula Warbler.
Nesting Dates. — Brownesville, Texas, July 5, nest with three
young {Merrill) ; Lomita, Texas, May 17, nest with one &gg
(Sennett).
Biographical References
(i) G. B. Sennett, Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr., IV, 1878,
12. (2) Ibid., V, 1897, 384. (3) J. C. Merrill, Notes on the Ornithology of
Southern Texas, etc., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., I, 1878, 123.
Genus PEUCEDRAMUS Coues
The single species contained in this genus has, by most authors,
been placed under Dendroica, but it obviously has as much claim to
generic distinction as several other Warblers which are conceded
that rank and I follow Mr. Ridgway in recognizing Peiicedramus as
generically separable from Dendroica. From Dendroica it differs
chiefly in its slenderer, more rounded bill, proportionately longer wings
(about 1. 00 inch longer than the tail) and decidedly forked tail, the
central tail-feathers being more than .25 inches shorter than the outer
ones.
In general color and pattern of coloration Peucedramus is
markedly unlike Dendroica, from all the species of which the male
differs in requiring two years to acquire adult plumage.
Olive Warbler
PEUCEDRAMUS OLIVACEUS (Giraud) Plate VI
Distinguishing Characters. — Outer vane of outer tail-feather in part white;
adult S with whole head and neck orange-brown, a broad black band through
the eye ; young S and $ with the same parts yellowish, a dusky eye-band.
Length (skin), 4.90; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.00; bill, .45.
Adult ^, Spring. — Head, neck and breast orange-brown, a broad black
band through the eye ; back grayish olive-green ; tail black, the other pair of
feathers white on both webs except at the end, the next pair narrowly white
on the outer web and largely white on the inner web, the third usually with
some white on the inner web ; wings black, narrowly edged with olive-green ;
OLIVE WARBLER m
fourth to seventh primaries white on outer web at base, greater and median
coverts broadly tipped with white; center of belly white, sides gray.
Adult <S, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but head and neck duller,
back more olive, sides browner.
Young (S, Fall. — Not distinguishable from young $ in Fall.
Young ^, Spring. — Not distinguishable in color from adult $ in Spring,
the adult plumage evidently not being acquired until the second Fall, at least.
Adult $, Spring. — Crown and nape dull olive-yellow, a broad dusky band
through the eye; back oHve-gray; basal half of outer web of outer tail-feather
white, inner web largely white, next feather sometimes with white on the inner
web; wings as in d* but white areas smaller; throat and breast dull yellowish;
belly white, sides gray.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but crown tipped with grayish,
the throat and breast with buffy, the sides, with brownish; white tips to
greater wing-coverts with some yellowish.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Fall but crown and nape grayer;
ear-coverts duskier, throat and breast paler.
Nestling. — Above dusky olive-brown, a buffy postocular mark passes behind
the auriculars to the side of the throat; greater wing-coverts tipped with yel-
lowish, median coverts, with white ; throat and breast buffy or pale greenish ;
belly white, sides brownish gray.
General Distribution. — Breeds from Guatemala north to southern
Arizona. Winters in the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala. A
few may winter in southern Arizona, as one was taken there February
21.
Migration. — The arrival of the first was noted April 6, 1902, in
the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This species was first definitely
recorded from the United States by H. W. Henshaw who secured
three specimens, on Mt. Graham, Arizona, in September, 1874.
In March, 1880, Stephens, as quoted by Brewster\ found it
apparently not uncommon in the Chiricahua Mountains, where, four-
teen years later, Price'^ first discovered it nesting. Three nests were
subsequently taken by Howard^ in the Huachuca Mountains, making
a total of four which have thus far been recorded.
The Olive Warbler is a bird of open pine forests where in general
habits it reminds one strongly of the Pine Warbler. During the last
week in April, 1897, I found it to be an abundant inhabitant of the
pines at Las Vigas, in the state of Vera Cruz, Mexico, at an altitude
of 8,000 feet. Young of the year were already on the wing. It fed
leisurely among the terminal branches creeping or hopping along
the twigs without displaying the activity of the fluttering Warblers.
Occasionally it descended to the ground for food, but I do not recall
seeing it cling to the trunk of a tree as a Pine Warbler does at times.
112 OLIVE WARBLER
Song. — "A liquid, quirt, quirt, quirt, in a descending scale."
(Price-). The call-note of the Olive Warbler as I heard at Las Vigas,
Vera Cruz, Mexico, late in April when the birds were feeding young
out of the nest, is a rapid whistled pcto closely resembling the call of
the Tufted Titmouse.
Nesting Site. — Our knowledge of the nesting habits of this species
is based on the studies of Price and Howard in the mountains of
southern Arizona, where four nests have been found in pines saddled
on a limb from thirty to fifty feet from the ground, and in a red fir
in the fork of a large limb about thirty feet up.
A'est. — "The nests are very beautiful affairs and are built very
much like those of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and are composed of
bits of moss, lichens, fir blossoms and spider webs with a lining of fine
rootlets." (Howard^.)
Eggs. — 4. "The eggs are ovate in shape, the shell is fine grained
and without lustre. The ground color is sage green and the eggs
are heavily blotched and spotted, especially about the larger end,
with clove and sepia brown, and lighter shades of drab and
olive gray. They bear no resemblance to the known eggs of any of
our Warblers. They measure .65X.49, .65X.49, .65X.48, .63X.48."
(Price.) (Figs. 37,38, Childs Coll.)
Nesting Date. — Huachuca Mts., Arizona. Jime 12 (Hozvard).
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, On a Collection of Birds lately made bv Mr. F. Ste-
phens in Arizona, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VII, 1882, 135. (2) W. W. Price. Nest
and Eggs of the Olive Warbler, Auk, XII, 1895, 17. (3) O. W. Howard,
Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club (=Condor),
I, 1899, 37-
Genus DENDROICA Gray
This, the largest genus of the family, contains the true Wood
Warblers. Among so many species there is, as might be expected,
much variation and the extremes in Dendroica, could one dispose
of the intermediates, might readily be placed in different genera.
As a whole, however, Dendroica may be known by its com-
paratively short (except in D. dominica) rounded, notched bill with
slightly curved culmen, and short, but evident rictal bristles. The
wing is generally less than .80 inches longer than the tail ; the four
outer primaries are of about equal length. The tarsus is longer than
the middle toe and nail the nail of the hind-toe is nearly as long as
the toe.
Plate IX
1. BLArK-THROATED BlUE WaRBLER. AduLT MaLE.
2. Black-throated Blue Warbler, Adult Female.
3. Black-throated Blue Warbler, Young Male.
4. Cerulean Warbler, Adult Male.
5. Cerulean Warbler, Adult Female.
6. Cerulean Warbler, Young Male.
(one-half natural size.)
YELLOW WARBLER 1 13
There is no pronounced type of color in Dcndroica but nearly
all the species have wing-bars and all have white patches in the tail,
except D. ccstiva and its allies which have the tail marked with yellow.
As a rule, the sexes are unlike in color but in doininica, gracicc, kirt-
landi, and discolor there is little sexual difference in plumage and in
palmaruin the sexes cannot be distinguished with certainty.
All but kirtlandi and palniaritin nest in trees or bushes, these two
species alone nesting on the ground ; a habit which may account for
the strong brown or gray tone of their dorsal plumage.
Dendroica contains some thirty-four species of which twenty-
three enter our limits, the remainder inhabiting Mexico, Central
America, and chiefly, the West Indies. Eastern North America has by
far the larger number of these brightly colored birds, no less than fifteen
of the twenty-three species occurring in the Atlantic States but not in
the Pacific States.
Six species are western, and only one, D. ccstiva, ( which in its
more or less closely related forms is found wherever Dendroica occurs)
ranges from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Yellow Warbler
DENDROICA /ESTIVA ESTIVA (Gmel.) Plate I
Distinguishing Characters. — A yellow bird ; no white anywhere, inner webs
of nearly all the tail-feathers largely yellow. Young females are obscure
olive birds but may be known by the yellow tail markings. Length (skin),
4.60; wing, 2.45; tail, 1.90; bill, .40.
Adult S, Spring. — Crown rich golden yellow sometimes with traces of
reddish brown ; back greenish yellow, rump yellower ; tail blackish margined
with yellow, inner webs of all but central feathers yellow, except at tip ; wings
blackish edged with yellow, the coverts widely margined with yellow ; under-
parts rich golden yellow, breast and sides conspicuously streaked with reddish
brown.
Adult c?, Fall. — Resembling adult d" in Spring but crown but little brighter
than back, underparts less heavily streaked, the streaks at times wholly absent.
Young d", Fall. — Resembling adult d* in Fall but without streaks below.
Adult 2, Spring. — Much less yellow than d*; above yellowish olive-green,
upper tail-coverts brighter; tail-feathers with yellow on inner webs as in c?*;
wings margined with yellow ; below uniform yellow with few if any streaks.
Adult ?, Fall. — Not distinguishable from young (^ in Fall.
Young $, Fall. — Less yellow above than adult $ in Fall, only two or three
outer tail-feathers with yellow on inner web ; underparts pale dusky yellow, ,
unstreaked.
Nestling. — Above brownish olive, below whitish tinged with pale yellow.
General Distribution. — North America, except southwestern part,
British Columbia, Alaska, Florida, southern Georgia, the upper por-
114
YELLOW WARBLER
tions of the eastern mountains, such parts of the western mountains
as are above 6,000 to 8,000 feet, and the barren grounds of the Arctic.
Summer Range. — Breeds throughout its range in the United
States and Canada.
Winter Range. — Southern Mexico to Peru and northeastern
Brazil; no West Indian record.
Spring Migration. — More notes have been contributed by the
observers on the Yellow Warbler than on any other species of Warbler,
and the following records are an epitome of about two thousand obser-
vations during a period of more than twenty years. The winter range
of the Yellow Warbler and its subspecies extends from western
Mexico to Dutch Guiana, a longitudinal winter range equalled by
few species. But, though occuring throughout Central America, it
is absent from the West India Islands, and reaches the eastern United
States in the spring by a roundabout course across the Gulf of Mexico,
and is one of the later Warblers to arrive in the Gulf States.
PI^ACE
Atlantic Coast —
Greensboro, Ala
Savannah, Ga
Atlanta, Ga. (near)
Frogmore, S. C
Raleigh, N. C
Asheville, N. C
New Market, Va
White Sulphur Springs, W. Va
Washington, D. C
Waynesburg, Pa ,
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Englewood, N. J ,
Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y
Shelter Island, N. Y
Ballston Spa, N. Y
Branchport, N. Y
Alfred, N. Y
Center Lisle, N. Y
Buflfalo, N. Y
Jewett City, Conn
Hadlyme, Conn
Hartford, Conn
Providence, R. I
Framingham, Mass
Randolph, Vt
Southern New Hampshire
Orono, Me
Plymouth, Me
Montreal, Can
Quebec, Can
No. of
years'
record
14
4
14
7
7
S
7
II
12
ID
17
13
5
16
8
10
6
10
II
II
4
12
II
Average date of
s-priug arrival
April 17
April 13
April 15
April 22
April 23
April 20
April 24
April 23
April 30
May I
May I
May 4
May 5
Arpil 29
Alay 2
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May 10
May II
May 14
May ID
May 15
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 14,
April 16,
April 10,
April 17,
April 5,
April 12,
April 17,
April 16,
April 15,
April 17,
April 18,
April 24,
April 26,
April 28,
April 18,
April 29,
April 23,
April 26,
April 30,
April 26,
May I ,
April 30,
May 3,
April 29,
April 25,
May 4,
May 4,
May 9,
May 10,
May 7,
May 10,
1888
1894
1900
1885
1888
1893
1896
1896
1888
1896
1891
1896
1902
1891
1891
1897
1896
1897
1897
1889
1891
1902
1903
1899
1897
1887
1887
1896
1894
1887
1902
YELLOW WARBLER
115
PI.ACE
Atlantic Coast —
St. John, N. B
Scotch Lake, N. B
Pictou, N. S
Halifax, N. S
North River, Prince Edward Isl.
Hamilton River, Que
Mississippi Valley —
New Orleans, La. . ,
Helena, Ark ,
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo ,
Brookville, Ind
Waterloo, Ind
Columbus, Ohio . . . .
Wauseon, Ohio . . . .
Cleveland, Ohio . . . .
Morgan Park, 111. . .
Rockford, 111
Southern Wisconsin
Petersburg, Mich. . .
Strathow, Ont
Listowel, Ont
Ottawa, Ont
Keokuk, la
Davenport, la
Lanesboro, Minn. . .
Elk River, Minn. . . .
Aweme, Manitoba . .
Corpus Christi, Tex.
San Antonio, Tex. .
Bonham, Tex
Onaga, Kans
Lincoln, Neb
Western United States —
Pueblo, Colo
Loveland, Colo
Cheyenne, Wyo
Great Falls, Mont
Rathdrum, Idaho
Osier, Saskatchewan
Red Deer, Alberta
Fort Chippewyan, Alberta . .
Fort Resolution, Mackenzie
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie . . ,
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie . .
Southern California
Chilliwack, B. C
Kowak, Alaska
No. of
years'
record
12
5
6
7
8
II
6
10
8
6
8
10
13
10
14
17
13
10
9
7
5
Average date of
spring arrival
May 24
May 14
May 14
May 25
April 6
April 18
April 16
April 19
April 15
April 25
April 22
April 26
April 28
May I
May 8
May 6
April 26
I
2
7
May
May
May
April 30
May I
May 7
May 12
May 14
April II
April 25
April 28
May II
May 16
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 7
May 21, 1893
May 13, 1901
May 10, 1895
May 12, 1896
May 20, 1890
May 31
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
May
May
April
April
April
May
April
I, 1892
14, 1901
12, 1889
15, 1888
II, 1897
18, 1891
25, 1886
18, 1889
20, 1889
28, 1900
1, 1887
2, 1890
19, 1894
25, 1897
24, 188s
3, 1895
25, 1897
April 28, 1888
May 9, 1888
May 9, 1902
April 22, 1891
April 15, 1890
April 8, 1889
April 22, 1900
April 25, 1891
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
6, 1894
7, 1890
9. 1889
II, 1891
15, 1903
17. 1893
16, 1893
May 24, 1893
May 25, i860
May 26, 1861
21, 1904
5, 1889
April 27, 1889
June 9, 1899
May
April
ii6
YELLOW WARBLER
Fall Migration. — The Yellow Warbler begins its southward mi-
gration among the very earliest of the family, and fall migrants have
been noted in central Florida July 20 and at Key West Jul}- 26. So
rapid is the southward journey that the arrival of the first in the
fall has been noted in southeastern Nicaragua August 9, 1892 ; San
Jose, Costa Rica, Aug. 25, 1889, and Aug. 24, 1890; Bonda, Colombia,
August 2y. 1898.
PLACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
Latest date of
last one seen
Newport, Ore
Berkeley, Cal
Great Falls, Mont
Latitude 64°, Mackenzie
Aweme, Manitoba
Lanesboro, Minn
Ottawa, Ontario
Southern Ontario
Glen Ellyn, 111
Wauseon, Ohio
North River, Prince Edward Island
St. John, New Brunswick
Montreal, Can
Lewiston, Me
Renovo, Pa
Beaver. Pa
Washington, D. C
Raleigh, N. C
St. Louis, Mo
Onaga, Kans
Bonham, Tex
New Orleans, La
October 5
September
August 14
August 20
August 23
September
September
August 21
August 26
September i
September 6
August 27
September 18, 1900
October 9, 1888
September 13, 1889
August ID, 1903
September 10, 1889
September 7, 1901
September 5, 1902
September 6, 1899
September 26, 1891
September 2, 1890
September 3, 1890
September 5, 1898
September 17, 1894
September 30,
September 28,
August 28, i88«
September 3, li
August 24. 1894
September 12, li
October 27, 1893
1890
The Bird and its Haunts. — The Yellow Warbler is a bit of
feathered sunshine. In his plumes dwells the gold of the sun, in his
voice its brightness and good cheer. We have not to seek him in the
depths of the forest, the haunt of nearly all his congeners, he comes
to us and makes his home near ours. And so because of his beauty
and sociability, the Yellow Warbler has become the best known mem-
ber of his family. Known, indeed, to many who are not aware that
he has a large number of near relatives some of whom are even more
attractive.
The habit of nesting in fruit and shade trees and lawn or garden
shrubbery is, of course, of recent origin, and the bird is by no means
so abundant in growth of this type as it is in willows near water,
where the Yellow Warbler seems as much a part of the tree as its
own foliage. In smaller numbers it frequents also other open growths
YELLOW WARBLER II7
and, indeed, one may find it in almost any trees except those of the
deep woods.
Walter Fisher writes that "in CaUfornia the Yellow Warbler is
common during Spring and early Summer among the willows, poplars,
and alders that line most of the streams and dry water-courses of the
lowlands ; and it is found also at lower altitudes in the mountains,
about as high as the black oak ranges. Its song and characteristic
chip are heard almost continually in willow thickets of bottom lands,
where the birds move busily to and fro in the tree tops." (Fisher, MS.)
It is remarkable that although Warblers are imposed upon by
the Cowbird more than any other birds, the Yellow Warbler alone
appears to resent the intrusion of the strange egg, so unlike that of
any other Warbler, and to have a definite method of avoiding its incu-
bation. The building of a platform or second nest-bottom over the
unwelcome egg may with this species be called a habit and numerous
cases are on record where the unfortunate Warbler has been visited
three times by the Cowbird and has built as many floors to its home,
sealing, as it were, the unwelcome contribution.
Song. — "While there is no little variability there is little likelihood
of confounding any of the variations with other species. Now it is szi'eet
szveet sweet szveet sweeter sweeter, now szveet sweet szveet siveetie,
again zvee-chee, zve-chee, zvee-i-u; once more zvee-chee, chee, chee,
chur-zvee. Over all presides the bird's distinct individuality. In all
the variations I have heard the penultimate syllable is at a higher pitch,
if the last phrase be three syllabled, lower if the last phrase be two
syllabled. There is also a tendency to an increase in cadence to the
last. The whole song is forcible and loud, but smooth and pleasing.
It will be seen that in each variation there are two parts, though
the last may be but a double syllable.
"There is no second song period, because singing does not cease
until the last of July or the first week in August. It should be
remarked, however, that there is a marked decrease in singing after
the middle of July, at least in northern Ohio. Sometimes individuals
are heard singing after the middle of August for a few days" (Jones.)
"There are two common call-notes used in the fall. The song
is more often heard in spring than the call-notes, and is rarely or
never uttered in the fall. The commoner of these two notes is the dst
uttered by many Warblers ; the other is a softer, less decisive
chip, much like that uttered by the Parula and Prairie Warblers.
The song is generally uttered while the singer moves slowly about
among the branches ; it is simple, but lively and pleasing, resembling
Il8 YELLOW WARBLER
the following, with a descending intonation: Tsweet, tsweet, tsweet-
tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee. The only note I have heard uttered in
flight is the sibilant chirp mentioned above, one of the characteristic
sounds of late summer." {Allison, MS.)
Two songs are thus written by Miss Paddock :
^/..Fj.Fj'^ I ^
v*: ^
Nesting Site. — Usually in bushes, saplings, or briers three to
eight feet up, but not infrequently in trees as high as forty feet up.
Nest. — Compact, symmetrical, and well-woven, of silver-gray
hempen fibers and fine grasses with a conspicuous amount of plant-
down; lined with cottony plant-down, fine grasses, sometimes hair or
a few feathers. Bowles states that nests of this species found at
Tacoma, Washington, often have a heavy lining of feathers. This
is the only bird that has the habit of building a second and, when the
necessity arises, a third story to its nest to cover the unwelcome &gg of
the Cowbird.
Eggs. — 4 or 5, usually 4, in a large series of sets, one contain-
ing 6 eggs occurs, but two-thirds have four eggs each. Ground color
ranges from grayish and greenish white to a rich green shade, over
this are markings of umber brown, blackish, lilac-gray, and purplish-
brown in all varieties of spots, splashes, and blotches, always tending
to wreathe around the large end, but many are heavily marked all
over. Size ; average, .68X.50 ; extremes, .75X.52, .60X.48. .73X.53,
.62X.47. (Figs. 39-41.)
Nesting Dates. — Burning Springs, W. Va., May 14 (C. W. C.) ;
Waynesburg, Pa., May 14- June 10 (Jacobs) ; New York City, May
20- July 4 (building) (F. M. C.) ; New Haven, Conn., May 20- June
30 (Bishop) ; Cambridge,Mass., full sets, first laying, May 23-30
(Brezvster) ; Lancaster, N. H., June 7 (Spaulding) ; Bangor, Me.,
May 29-June 30 (Knight) ; Listowel, Ont., June i-June 22 (Kelts) ;
Plate X
1. Myrtle Warbler, Adult Male.
2. Myrtle Warbler, Adult Female.
3. Myrtle Warbler, Young.
4. Audubon',s Warbler, Adult Male.
5. Audubon's Warbler, Adult Female.
6 Audubon's Warbler, Young.
(One- half natural size. J
SONORA YELLOW WARBLER II9
Oberlin, O., May i-June i {Jones) ; Jasper Co., la., May 16
(C. IV. C.) ; Boulder, Colo., June 5 (C. IV. C.) ; Denver, Colo., June
6 (Dille) ; San Jose, Calif., April 5 (C. PV. C.) ; Tacoma, Wash., May
24- June 17 (Bowles); Ann Arbor, Mich., May 5, Ypsilanti, Mich.,
June 23 (Wood).
Biographical References
(i) C. J. Morrison, Yellow Warbler vs. Cowbird. Orn. and Ool., IX,
1884, 124. (2) J. P. N. [orris]. Eggs of the Western Yellow (=Yellow)
Warbler, Orn. and Ool., XII, 1887, 185. (3) A. B. Dunning, Yellow Warbler
(in E. Mass.), Oologist, IX, 1892, 35. (4) N. F. Posson, Incessancy of the
Yellow Warbler's Song, Ibid., IX, 1892, 65. (5) Morris Gibbs, The Blossom-
Eater, Nidologist, II, 1894, 48.
SoNORA Yellow Warbler
DENDROICA ESTIVA SONORANA Brewst.
SubspeciHc Characters. — Resembles Dendroica cestiva cestiva but adult <?
paler above, the back yellower, the feathers usually with dark shaft
streaks ; the tail with more yellow, all the feathers, including the central pair
being yellow at the base on both webs ; streaks below finer, less numerous,
sometimes barely evident.
Adult ? grayer above and below than adult ? astiva, the underparts some-
times grayish tinged with green.
General Distribution. — Southwestern United States and north-
western Mexico.
Summer Range. — Western Texas (Frontera, Fort Hancock,
etc.,) southern New Mexico, southern Arizona, and southward into
northwestern Mexico (Ridgw.).
Winter Range. — Mexico southward to Nicaragua.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This southwestern form of the Yellow
Warbler resembles the eastern bird in habits and, like it, shows a
marked preference for willows. Owing to the aridity of the country
in which it lives, suitable haunts are less common than in the east
and the bird is proportionately less numerous.
Nesting Site. — Along the San Pedro River in southern Arizona,
Howard^ found "several nests placed in willow and mesquite trees,
generally in upright forks from ten to twenty-five feet up."
Nest. — "'The nests are very much like those of the Yellow War-
bler." (HoivardK)
^SS^- — Usually 4. Ground color, in the sets T have examined,
has been paler than in eggs of the Yellow Warbler, but the markings
are the same. Size; a typical set of four measures, .70X.51, .70X.50,
.68x52. .69X.51.
120 ALASKAN YELLOW WARBLER
Biographical References
(i) O. W. Howard, Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull. Cooper
Orn. Club (=Condor), I, 1899, 39.
Alaskan Yellow Warbler
DENDROICA /ESTIVA RUBIGINOSA (Pall.)
Subspecific Characters. — Similar to Dendroica cestiva cestiva but slightly
smaller, adult c? darker above, the crown of nearly the same color as the back,
only the forehead yellower ; the rump more nearly the color of the back than
in cestiva.
Adult $ and young darker (greener, less yellow) above than those of
(estiva. Wing, 2.40; tail, 170; bill, .40.
General Distribution. — British Columbia and Alaska.
Summer Range. — Vancouver Island northward through British
Columbia and Alaska, both on the coast and in the interior.
Winter Range. — Migrates southv^^ard through California and
winters in Mexico and Central America.
The Bird and its Haunts. — In his admirable work on Alaskan
birds Nelson^ writes, "This is perhaps the most abundant Warbler
throughout Alaska. It is found everywhere in the wooded interior,
or the bushy borders of the water-courses, or frequenting the scat-
tered clumps of stunted alders. * * * j^g lively presence, even
among the pleasant surroundings of the south, lends animation to the
scene, and even more impressive is its presence under the dismal skies
and in the damp, depressing climate of the north, where such visitants
are only too rare."
Nesting Site. — "Breeds on the shores of the Arctic Ocean
wherever it can find a willow or alder patch wherein to place its nest
and shelter its young. * * * It is the only Warbler, with the
exception of the Black-capped Flj^catcher (Sylvania pusilla pileolata),
which nests in the alder-thickets in the vicinity of St. Michaels."
(Nelson^.)
Nest. — The nest does not appear to have been described. Doubt-
less it resembles that of Dendroica (estiva crstiva.
Eggs. — No authentic sets of this bird's eggs are recorded, but
doubtless they resemble those of the Yellow Warbler.
Biographical References
(i) E. W. Nelson, Natural History Collections made in Alaska, 1887, 201.
(These notes are given under the name Dendroica cestiva, the Alaskan form
not being recognized until 1897.)
mangrove warbler 121
Mangrove Warbler
DENDROICA BRYANTI CASTANEICEPS Ridgw. Plate I
Distinguishing Characters.— Adult d" with head all around and throat red-
dish chestnut; both sexes with yellow on inner webs of two or more tail-
feathers. Length (skin), 4.65; wing, 2.40; tail, 1.80; bill, .45.
Adult 3, Spring.— Ht&d all around and throat reddish chestnut; back
yellow olive-green, the rump brighter ; inner webs of all but central tail-feathers
largely yellow; wings black margined with yellow; underparts, except throat,
rich yellow faintly streaked with reddish brown.
Adult S, Fall. — Not seen.
Young c?. — Not seen.
Adult $, Spring. — Above olive-green, much darker and greener than in
c?; tail black the two outer feathers with large yellow patches on the inner
web near the tip ; wings black margined with greenish yellow ; below uniform
pale, dull yellow.
Adult $, Fall. — Not distinguishable from adult $ in Spring.
Young $. — Above grayish olive-green, rump brighter ; tail blackish, exter-
nally greenish, webs of all but central feathers narrowly margined with yellow;
wings and their coverts blackish, quills margined, coverts tipped with dull
greenish; below whitish more or less washed or obscurely streaked with
yellow, the under tail-coverts pale yellow.
Nestling. — Not seen.
General Distribution. — A non-migratory species resident in
western Mexico and Lower California north to Magdalena Bay.
The Bird and its Haunts. — The observations of Belding^, Bryant-,
and Frazar^ show that in Lower Cahfornia this Pacific Coast form
is found only in the red mangroves {Rhizophora mangle) and it is,
consequently, of local distribution.
Belding records it from La Paz, Pichalinque Bay and Espiritu
Island where he considered it resident. At La Paz he found it to be
common, but in IMarch, 1889, Frazar could secure only eight specimens
there. Bryant observed it in Magdalena Bay and on Santa Mar-
garita Island.
Biographical References
(i) L. Belding, Catalogue of a Collection of Birds made at Various Points
along the Western Coast of Lower California, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. V,
1883, 536. (2) W. Bryant, A Catalogue of the Birds of Lower California,
Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci.. 2nd Ser. II, 1889, 309. (3) Wm. Brewster, Birds of
the Cape Region of Lower California, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoology, XLI, 1902,
181.
Magnolia Warbler
DENDROICA MACULOSA (Gmel.) Plate XI
Distinguishing Characters. — Adults of both sexes have the crown and
nape gray, a white stripe behind the eye. the rump yellow, the white patches
122 MAGNOLIA WARBLER
of the tail near the center, instead of at the end of the feather. The black
bases of the tail feathers are concealed by the crissum and, seen from below,
the tail appears to be white broadly tipped with black. In young birds the
white is much decreased in extent but its position in the tail, together with
the yellow rump, is diagnostic. Length (skin), 4.50; wing, 2.30; tail, 1.95;
bill, .35-
Adult S, Spring. — Crown and nape bluish gray, a white line behind the
eye and a white mark on the lower part of eye-ring; frontlet, cheeks and
back black, the latter sometimes with olive and becoming greenish towards the
yellow rump ; upper tail-coverts black ; tail black, all but the central part of
feathers with a white patch on the inner half of the web about half-way to the
tip ; wings blackish edged with gray, the median and greater coverts broadly
marked with white forming a conspicuous white wing-patch ; below yellow
becoming white on the crissum, the throat unmarked, a black band on the
upper breast from which run rows of heavy black streaks on the sides.
Adult S, Fall. — Quite unlike adult d* in Spring; crown and nape brownish
gray ; eye-ring whitish ; back olive-green more or less indistinctly streaked
with black ; rump yellow ; tail as in Spring ; wing-coverts tipped with white
forming two white bars ; below yellow, sides with partly concealed black streaks,
upper breast with a faint dusky band.
Young S, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Fall and not always distinguishable
from it, but black streaks of back and sides averaging lighter.
Adult 9, Spring. — Similar to adult d* in Spring but crown not so bluish
gray or cheeks so pronouncedly black ; back olive-green spotted with black ; yel-
low of rump paler ; upper tail-coverts broadly tipped with gray ; wing-coverts
with less white, at times merely tipped not margined ; black streaks below lighter,
less apt to form a band on the upper breast.
Adult ?, Fall. — Crown browner than that of adult $ in Spring, a whitish
eye-ring but no white stripe behind eye ; cheeks much like crown ; back brown-
ish olive-green with a few partly concealed black streaks posteriorly; white on
wing-coverts less pronounced and with a brownish tinge; sides with a few
partly concealed black streaks; the dusky band on upper breast well developed.
In this plumage resembling young d" in Fall but wing-coverts browner and with
less white.
Young $, Fall. — Resembling adult $ in Fall but the crown and back browner,
the black streaks above usually wanting, the rump less clearly yellow, the
streaks on the sides finer, less prominent.
Nestling. — Above brown, sometimes ruddy in tone, indistinctly streaked
with black ; breast dusky brown ; belly whitish streaked with blackish ; wing-
coverts tipped with buffy.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America; north to New-
foundland and the Mackenzie; west to the Plains.
Summer Ran^e. — The higher parts of Massachusetts (Berk-
shire Co.), northern New York (Oneida Co.), northern Michigan,
northern Minnesota and southern Assiniboia northward. It also breeds
not uncommonly in the higher portions of the Alleghenies of eastern
Pennsylvania and on the highest mountains of western Maryland. It is
MAGNOLIA WARBLER
123
a rare migrant west to eastern Nebraska and has occurred accidentally
in Colorado (Denver, May 17, 1873, Fort Lyon, May 17, 1884, Denver,
May 17, 1888), California (Santa Barbara Island, May 15, 1897, Los
Atigeles, October 21, 1897, and October 5, 1901), and several times in
British Columbia.
Winter Range. — Mexico to Panama; casual in the West Indies.
Spring Migration. —
PI.ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Atlantic Coast —
Atlanta, Ga. (near)
Washington, D. C ,
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa ,
Ballston Spa, N. Y
Hartford, Conn
Central Massachusetts
Southern Maine
Quebec, Can
St. John, N. B
Godbout, Que
North River, P. E. I
Mississippi Valley —
Lower Rio Grande, Tex. ,
New Orleans and vicinity .
St. Louis, Mo
Morgan Park, 111
Rockford, 111
Oberlin, Ohio
Southern Wisconsin
Detroit, Michigan
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont,
Ottawa, Ont
Lanesboro, Minn
Aweme, Man
Qu'Appelle, Atha
Chippewyan, Alberta . . . . ,
Fort Simpson, Mack
Denver, Colo
Santa Barbara, Cal
Fall Mis^ration. —
6
5
9
II
ID
17
13
21
8
9
April 25
May 4
May 5
May 7
May 9
May 10
May II
May 10
May 9
May 16
May 22
May 26
April 20, 1900
April 22, 1891
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
2, i»99
2, 1903
4, 1891
9, 1892
4, 1890
6, 1899
4, 1900
ID, 1895
21, 1884
May 23, 1887
May
May
May
May
May
May ID
May 5
May II
May 13
May 13
May 9
May 16
April
April
May
May
May
April
May
April
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
20, 1887
26, 1903
I, 1904
I, 1895
5, 1888
30, 1905
7, 1897
30, 1902
4, 1902-
6, 1895
8, 1896
6, 1888
II, 1900
18, 1899
23, 1901
23, i860
10, 1897
15, 1897
PI.ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
first one seen
Earliest date of
first one seen
Lanesboro, Minn
6
3
4
3
4
August 22
August 23
August 22
September 13
September 19
August 12, 1887
Glen Ellvn, 111
August 12, 1896
Englewood, N. J
Washington, D. C
August 16, 1887
August 16, 1886
Raleigh, N. C
September 11, 1889
New Orleans and vicinity
September 13, 1899
124
MAGNOLIA WARBLER
PI,ACE
yearb
record
Average date of
last one seen
I,atest date of
last one seen
Aweme, Man
Ottawa, Ont
Detroit, Mich
Glen Ellyn, 111
North River, P. E. I. . .
St. John, N. B
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Washington, D. C
New Orleans and vicinity
3
12
7
4
4
5
6
4
4
September 17
September 26
September 29
August 21
September 3
September 24
September 26
October 2
October 24
September 17, 1900
September 19, 1895
October 5, 1905
October 9, 1894
September 8, 1890
September 7, 1890
October 3, 1891
October 5, 1902
October 10,
November i, 1895
Tlie Bird and its Haunts. — In this day of numerous bird man-
uals, keys, etc. book knowledge of a bird usually precedes our actual
meeting with the species in life and we are more or less prepared for
the encounter; but before the day of these publications the embryo
ornithologist was sometimes thrilled by the 'discovery' of birds which,
as far as he was aware, no one had ever seen before.
William Brewster's'- monograph of the Magnolia Warbler con-
tains a description of such an experience which we are sure will
appeal to every bird lover, whether or not it has been his good
fortune to begin his study of birds in a similarly memorable manner.
Mr. Brewster writes : "Entering a grove of thickly growing young
spruces, I sat down to rest on a mossy log. I had been there but a
short time when I became conscious of faint sounds in the trees above
and around me, — chirpings, twitterings, and occasionally a modest
little effort at song. Watching attentively, I soon spied a movement
among the branches, and a tiny bird hopped out into the light, pre-
senting a bright yellow breast and throat for just a moment before
flying into the next tree. Here was a revelation ! I already knew
a few of the most familiar birds, — the Robin, the Bluebird, the Sparrow,
the Oriole, and some others ; but it had never occurred to me that
dark forests like these might be tenanted by such delicate and beauti-
ful forms. Only the tropics surely could boast such gems."
This was before the day of 'keys' ; the opera-glass had not sup-
planted the gun and "with enthusiasm now fairly aroused and animated
with the spirit of the explorer" the young ornithologist "went at
once to work to investigate, and in the course of an hour or two,
my ammunition was nearly exhausted, and quite a line of poor life-
less, mutilated little birds lay along the old log. * * * Scarcely
any two of my specimens were alike, and as I contemplated in amaze-
ment their varied forms and coloring. T felt like the discoverer of a
MAGNOLIA WARBLER 125
new world, and doubted whether human eyes had ever beheld the
Hke before. 'â– ' * * j ^-^^ recall with sufficient distinctness for
identification but a single bird of them all, — a fine adult male Black
and Yellow Warbler [as this species was then called], which at the
time I considered the handsomest and which I still think cannot be
surpassed in beauty by any New England representative of the
family."
Later, in the same paper this author states that as a spring mi-
grant in eastern ]\Iassachusettts the JMagnoUa Warbler is abundant,
frequenting "willow thickets near streams, ponds, and other damp
places. * * * It is also not unusual to find many in the upland
woods, especially where young pines or other evergreens grow
thickly." In the autumn, he adds, it is less common and its haunts
are then "somewhat different from those which it affects during its
northward journey. We now find it most commonly on hillsides,
among scrub-oaks and scattered birches and in company with such
birds as the Yellow-rump (Dciidroica coronata) and the Blackpoll
(D. striata)."
About Monadnock, Gerald Thayer writes : "This most beautiful
Warbler is a common summer bird between 2,800 and 1,000 feet,
wherever there are second growth spruce woods, and especially such
woods combined with bits of upland pasture. 'Spruce Warbler' would
be an appropriate name for it in this region — quite as appropriate
as 'Birch Warbler' for the Nashville. These two birds may often
be found almost together on the same pasture -border ; but the Magnolia
keeps to the spruces (and other conifers) at least as strictly as the
Nashville keeps to the birches (and other broad-leaf trees).
"The feeding-range or 'beat' of this Warbler in its chosen sum-
mer w^oodlands about Monadnock, lies between the tip-tops of second
growth spruce trees and their lowest branches. Although not shy,
it is apt to stick rather closely to the inner recesses of spruce clumps,
less often showing itself on the outermost twigs than do the Black-
burnian and Black-throated Green. In its movements it is fidgety and
quick, and it often partly spreads its broadly and centrally white-banded
tail, distinctive of the species in all plumages." (Thayer, MS.)
Song. — "The Magnolia belongs among the full-voiced Warblers,
and is a versatile singer, having at least two main songs, both subject to
much and notable variation. The typical form of the commoner
song is peculiar and easily remembered : Weeto weeto zveeetee-eet, — or
IVifchi, ivitchi, zvitchi tit, — the first four notes deliberate and even and
comparatively low in tone, the last three hurried and higher pitched,
126 MAGNOLIA WARBLER
with decided emphasis on the antepenult weet or ivitch. The other
song has the same general character, and begins with nearly the same
notes, but instead of ending with the sprightly, high-pitched zveetee-
eet" , it falls off in a single perfunctory-sounding though emphatic
note, of loiver tone than the rest. In syllables it is like Witti witti
wet," — or weetee weetee zvur. This duller song seems much less
subject to variation than the sprightly one. Some of the aberrant
songs, though, are as near to one type as another. One such variant I
have fixed in my own recollection by the syllables Ter-ivhiz wee-it;
and another, almost unrecognizable, by the syllables Wee-yer wee-
yer wee-yer. Still another beginning like Weechi zveech, ended
with a hurried confusion of small notes, some low, some high.
But throughout these and all the many other surprising variations I
have heard about Monadnock, the characteristic tone-quality was
preserved unchanged, and so were certain minor tricks, scarcely
describable, of emphasis and phrasing. The tone is much like the
Yellow Warbler's and also the Chestnut-side's, though distinctly differ-
ent from either. In loudness it averages lower than the Yellow's, and
about equal to the Chestnut-side's. In addition to several barely
characteristic 'chips' the Magnolia has a most peculiar call-note.
It is soft, almost song-toned, with a slight metallic ring, and
at the same time sounds lisped; — tlep, tlep, reminding one of certain
notes both of the American Siskin and (as Dr. G. M. Allen says) of
Henslow's Sparrow." {Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock gives four variations of the Magnolia's song, and
writes :
"The song usually ends with the falling inflection. It may always
do so when the two records ending on the high note were where I failed
to catch the very last note."
"This last preceded by three or four 'chips' like the chatter of the
Chickadee."
Plate XI
1. Magnolia Warbler, Male. 3. Magnolia Warbler, Young and Adult in Fall.
2. Magnolia Warbler, Female. 4. Kirtland's Warbler, Male.
5. Kirtland's Warbler, Female,
(one-half natural size.)
MAGNOLIA WARBLER
127
i!^)r
n=^ i Jj Q s l^ti
Nesti)ig Site. — "The nest is usually placed in a small fir or spruce
and rarely at a greater elevation than five or six feet. The average
height would probably not exceed four feet, and I have found some
barely twelve inches above the ground. It is usually laid somewhat
loosely among the horizontal twigs from which it can in most cases
be lifted intact * * * Exceptional situations are the interior of
the woods, where, in some cases, the nest is placed in the top of a
young hemlock ten or fifteen feet up. In one instance I found a nest
on a horizontal spruce limb in the very heart of the forest, and at least
thirty-five feet above the ground." (Brewster-.)
A large amount of data from northern New England confirms
Brewster's observations in regard to the normal nesting site of this
species in that region, but Simpson^ states that in the mountains of
Pennsylvania, at Warren, the great majority of nests are built about
ten to twelve feet up in the tops of small hemlocks or out on the
branches of larger trees.
At Branchport, New York, Burtch (MS.) finds the nest "in
hemlocks usually on a horizontal Hmb from eight to twenty feet up and
over an opening in the woods. Several nests were found in the top of
little hemlock saplings from one to five feet from the ground. One
nest was found by Mr. C. F. Stone in a birch sapling, this being the
only instance to my knowledge of its nesting in a tree other than a hem-
lock."
Nest. — Nests in Mr. Brewster's collection from northern New
England are made of small coniferous twigs, which project over the
edges in irregular fashion, pine needles, grasses, bits of down or
spider's webbing, lined with fine, dull black, hair-like rootlets, often
so abundantly as to make the nest interiorly black in marked contrast
to the brown exterior.
Burtch (MS.) describes the nest as "loosely constructed of fine
hemlock twigs, with sometimes a few weeds, lined with fine black root-
lets, hair, or fine dead grass, usually decorated with fern down."
^SS^- — 3 to 6, usually 4. Ground color of average specimen is
dull creamy white, over this are spots and blotches of many shades of
reddish brown, hazel, and chestnut, in some specimens purplish and
pale lavender, but in nearly all cases the egg is heavily marked on
the large end in form of a well defined wreath. Size ; average, .65X.48 ;
extremes measure .61X.45, .72X.45, .66x. 51. (Figs. 52-54.)
128 CAPE MAY WARBLER
Nesting Dates. — Warren, Pa., first week in June (Simpson) ;
Branchport, N. Y., June 2-June 24 (Burtch) ; Lancaster, N. H., May
24-June 20 (Spaulding) ; Bangor, Me., May 30-June 16 (Knight) ;
Grand Menan, N. B., June 8 (/. P. A'.) -July 'i (C. W. C).
Biographical References
(i) C. J. Maynard, a Catalogue of the Birds of Coos Co., N. H., and
Oxford Co., Maine, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XIV, 1871, 367. (2) Wm.
Brewster, The Black-and- Yellow Warbler (in New England), Bull. Nutt.
Orn. Club, II, 1877, i. (3) J. P. N[orris], A Series of Eggs of Dendroica
maculosa, Orn. and Ool., XII, 1887, 177. (4) C. H. Andros, The Black and
Yellow Warbler at Grand Menan, Orn. and Ool., XII, 1887, 182. (5) S. E.
White, Birds Observed on Mackinac Island, Michigan, Auk, X, 1893, 228.
(6) R. B. Simpson, The Magnolia Warbler (at Warren, Pa.), Nidologist, II,
1895, 164. (7) L. M. Terrill, Summer Warblers in Compton County, Quebec,
Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, 1904, 150. (8) B. Hoag, Nesting of the Magnolia
Warbler (in N. Y.), Nidologist, I, 1894, 87. (See also Higgins, Ibid., 106.)
Cape May Warbler
DENDROICA TIGRINA (Gmel.) Plate XVI
Distinguishing Characters. — Adult c? with chestnut ear-patches ; adult 9
and young grayish olive above, the rump much brighter, below whitish, streaked,
the breast more or less yellow. Length (skin), 4.50; wing, 2.55; tail, 1.90;
bill, .40.
Adult (S, Spring. — Crown black more or less edged with olive and often
with traces of chestnut on the forehead ; ear-coverts chestnut, this color some-
times tinging the well-marked yellow superciliary line ; sides of the neck
yellow with a tendency to spread to the nape ; back olive-green spotted with
black, rump clear yellow or greenish yellow ; tail black edged with olive the
inner webs of two to three outer feathers with white patches near the tip ;
wings black edged with olive-green, median coverts white except at base, outer
margins of greater coverts usually white or greenish gray; below yellow,
heavily streaked with black, fading to white on the lower belly, the throat
generally tinged with chestnut.
Adult (^, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Spring but widely margined with
grayish above, and with whitish below.
Young (S, Fall. — No chestnut ear-patches or black crown ; crown and back
grayish olive-green with some more or less concealed black spots, rump dusky
yellow; tail as in adult; median wing-coverts grayish white, outer margins of
greater coverts greenish gray; yellow below less bright than in adult, streaks
less pronounced, all the feathers margined with whitish.
Adult $, Spring. — Above grayish olive, grayer than in young (S, forehead
usually with black spots, line over eye yellowish; rump olive-green; tail with
less white than in S; median and greater wing-coverts margined with grayish
white, not forming conspicuous bars; below whitish, breast tinged with yellow
and, with the sides, conspicuously streaked with black.
CAPE MAY WARBLER
129
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but yellow of rump and
breast stronger, the black streaks obscured by whitish edgings.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Fall but with less yellow; streaks
below less sharply defined.
Nestling. — Dusky olive-brown above, dusky grayish below, faintl\- tinged
with bufify on breast and sides.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America ; north to Nova
Scotia and Hudson Bay ; west to the Mississippi.
Summer Range. — The greater number summer in Canada north
to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Hudson Bay and almost to Great
Slave Lake ; a smaller number nest in the northern United States, in
Maine (Oxford and Washington Counties), New Hampshire (Umba-
gog), northern Michigan, northern ^finnesota, Manitoba, and Assini-
boia (Yorktown). A few are said to breed in the Island of Jamaica.
The western limit of the usual range of the species can be marked
approximately by a line drawn from Florida to southern Missouri and
up the Mississippi River to Minnesota. West of this district it has
been taken casually in Louisiana (New Orleans, April 1890), Missis-
sippi (Tishomingo County, May 4, 1904), Nebraska (Alda, May 12,
1883, Omaha, May 24, 1893), Iowa, (Iowa City, November 27).
Spring Migration. —
PI..A.CE
Atlantic Coast —
Southern Florida
Northern Florida
Atlanta, Ga. (near) ....
Washington, D. C
Southeastern New York
Eastern Massachusetts .
Montreal, Can
Quebec. Can
Scotch Lake. N. B
Mississipf^i J 'alley —
Brookville, Ind
Chicago, 111
Oberlin, Ohio
Southern Wisconsin . . .
Southern Michigan . . . .
Ottawa, Ont
Lancsboro. Minn
Elk River. IVIinn
Aweme, Manitoba
No. of
years'
Averag:e
date of
Earliest date of
record
spring arrival
sprin
e: arrival
3
April
8
-March 3. 1887
3
April
14
April
3. I9OI
6
April
25
April
18, 1902
3
Mav
8
May
2. 1888
4
Mav
12
May
II, 1893
5
May
12
May
May
May
10, 1897
14, 1890
16, 1902
4
May
18
May
16. 1903
3
May
5
Mav
4, 1899
8
May
6
April
30. 1899
8
May
II
May
5. 1895
6
May
II
May
6. 1888
6
May
15
May
II. 1890
15
May
16
May
II, 1900
7
May
16
May
8. 1887
3
May
20
May
May
17. 1889
14. 1900
I30
CAPE MAY WARBLER
Fall Migration. —
PlvACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
first one seen
Earliest date of
first one seen
Aweme, Manitoba
August 23, 1901
August 20, 1896
August 22,, 1904
August 25, 1890
September 8, 1898
September 17, 1887
Chicago, III
Guelph, Ont
Washington, D. C
Mt. Pleasant, S. C
Southern Florida
PI<ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
I^atest date of
last one seen
Grinnell, Iowa
September 17, 1886
September 21, 1896
September 24, 1889
October 14, 1888
October 21, 1891
November 7, 1891
Chicago, 111
Beaver, Pa
Washington, D. C
French Creek, W. Va
Southern Florida
Winter Range. — West Indies ; accidental in Yucatan and Central
America.
The Bird and Its Haunts. — The beauty and rarity of the Cape
May Warbler make it one of the most eagerly sought for members
of its family. To have seen a 'Cape May' stamps the day's outing
with a memorable distinction. I still recall the particular tree and
hour in which, over twenty years ago, I discovered with uncontrolled
exultation my first Cape May — a fully adult male. One sees the dull
plumaged fall birds with no little satisfaction but they never receive
the enthusiastic welcome of the exquisitely colored spring male.
In early May in Florida, I have seen this species actually com-
mon, feeding in weedy patches among a rank growth of poke-
berries. It seemed like wanton extravagance on the part of nature
to bring so many of these generally rare creatures within one's
experience in a single morning. Both on the east and west coasts of
the State the bird is at times a common migrant, possibly bound for
its summer home by way of the Mississippi Valley, where it is more
numerous than in the north Atlantic States.
Butler^ writes that some years in Indiana, "they are found upon
the drier uplands, among the oak woods, where they generally keep
among the lower branches or upon the high bushes and smaller trees.
They are not very active, but keep persistently hunting insects. At
CAPE MAY WARBLER
131
Other times, we find them among our orchards, even coming into towns
where they occupy themselves catching insects among the fohage and
about the blossoms of all kinds of fruit and shade trees."
Brewster* states that about Cambridge the Cape May is "one of
the very rarest of Warblers which visit us with any degree of regular-
ity, especially if we also consider (i) that it is one of the most strik-
ingly colored and easily identified of them all; (2) that it is a rather
loud and very persistent singer; and (3) that, when with us, it is given
to frequenting isolated trees near houses."
The last-named habit is confirmed by Gerald Thayer's observa-
tions at Scarborough, in the lower Hudson Valley, where he writes
that migrant Cape Mays "haunted a few big Norway spruces on our
home lawn for two or three days, acting about like Blackburnians,
but sticking strangely close to one or two special trees."
We know comparatively little about the Cape May on its nesting
grounds. Maynard^ writes that in northwestern Maine "they lived
in the tops of the high coniferous trees." It was in this region, in
1871, that H. B. Bailey first found a nest, which was, however, des-
troyed before the set was completed, and J. W, Banks, as recorded by
Chamberlain^, appears to have first secured the Cape May's nest and
eggs.
Mr. Chamberlain^ writes, "The birds seen at Edmundton [New
Brunswick] were invariably on the topmost branches of the tallest
evergreens (usually spruces) growing in the neighborhood. * * *
As the birds were constantly singing, their general whereabouts was
easily discovered, but no small amount of patient searching was
required to catch sight of them." Subsequently, however, as quoted
beyond, the bird was found to nest in a low cedar.
The reported breeding of this species in Jamaica and San
Domingo remains unconfirmed.
Song. — "Two, at least, of the Cape May's songs, as I heard them
freely uttered by three or four migrant males on the east bank of the
Hudson River in the spring of 1900, are of a thin and penetrating tone,
much like the Black and White Warbler's. Nor does the resemblance
stop there : the whole utterance, in tone, phrasing, and accentuation,
strongly suggests the Black and White's shorter song; and in their
most kindred variations the two might be hard to distinguish. Hence
the rule, if you hear a queer-sounding Black and White, in spring,
or in the North Woods, by all means look him up. On the other
hand, the Cape May's singing is near akin to the Blackpoll's, — very
near to some forms of it. But the notes are shorter, a little louder, less
132 CAPE MAY WARBLER
'thin", and more run-together. They have also a slightly 'impure', or
double tone, — a quality from which the fine-spun notes of the Black-
poll are peculiarly free. Again, the 'swell and fall', so characteristic
of the Blackpoll's common song, is lacking in the Cape May's, which
is merely accelerated a little toward the end. All this applies to one
of the Cape May's two (or more?) main songs. The other, more like
the Black and White's, has each of the six or eight main syllables
longer-drawn-out, and split into barely-severed halves" {Thayer, MS.).
"I have only heard them sing one or two springs ; a
thin, rather sweet squeak repeated several times. In May, 1897, it
impressed me as one of the thinnest and least musical of the Warbler
songs." (Farzvell, MS.)
Nesting Site. — Too little is known about the nesting habits of
this species to warrant general statements. A nest found by Banks^
at St. Johns, N. B.. was placed near the tip of a branch of a low
cedar less than three feet from the ground and was "well-screened
from observation."
Nest. — The walls of the nest above mentioned are "composed of
minute twigs of dried spruce, grasses, and strawberry vines, with
spider's webbing interwoven with coarse fabrics and knotted with
numerous little balls, which are bound upon the surface. * * *The
exterior is rather roughly made, but is more compact, and bears
evidence of more art than is shown in the nest of the Magnolia
Warbler which it somewhat resembles. The interior, however, is
much more neatly and artistically formed in the Cape May's than in
its congener's. The lining is composed entirely of horse-hair, and
this is laid with precision, and shaped into a prettily formed cup,
the brim being turned with exquisite grace. The dimensions of the
nest are, outside, 21-4 inches high and 2 3-4 to 3 inches across the
mouth; inside, i 1-4 inches deep and i 3-4 inches wide." (Chamber-
lain'^.)
Eggs. — 4. "The eggs are of much the same dull white ground-
color, of a slightly ashen hue, as that of the Magnolia. The form
of the egg is different, however, the Cape May's being less pyriform
— the point less acute. The markings are of light and dark lilac,
and yellowish and reddish tints of brown ; the brown being on the
surface and the lilac underneath the coatings of the shell producing
the various shades. As a rule the spots are circular and very small —
many being quite minute — and are irregularly distributed, no tvro
eggs bearing the same pattern, though in all four there is decided
tendency to concentration in a ring near the large end ; but on some
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER 133
there are spots over the larger part of the entire shell while the
small end of others is immaculate. The measurements are .69x49,
.65X.49, .66x49, .66X.48." (Chamberlain.) (Figs. 35,36. Childs Coll.)
A^csting Dates. — St. Johns, N. B., June 16 (Chamberlain).
Biographical References
(i) M. Chamberlain, Nesting Habits of the Cape May Warbler [in New
Brunswick], Auk, H, 1885, 33. (2) A. W. Butler, Birds of Indiana, 1043.
(3) C. J. Maynard, Warblers of New England, 15. (4) Wm. Brewster,
Birds of the Cambridge Region, 331.
Black-throated Blue Warbler
DENDROICA C^ERULESCENS C^RULESCENS (Gmel.) Plate IX
Distinguishing Characters. — The c?, whether adult or young may always
be known by its black throat and blue back. In the adult $ the white spot on
the primaries above the primary coverts, is diagnostic. In the young $ this
spot is much reduced and at times not evident and such specimens possess no
obvious distinguishing mark. The bird in the hand, however, may be identified
by the bluish tone of the tail feathers in connection with other features
described beyond. Length (skin), 4.50; wing. 2.50; tail, 2.00; bill, .35.
Adult ^, Spring. — Upperparts dark grayish blue, the back and inner tail-
coverts at times with more or less black ; tail black edged with blue, the three
outer feathers with large white patches near the tip of the inner web, the
next two usually with more or less white on the margin of the inner web ;
wings black edged with blue; all but the outer primary with more or less
white basally, this on the second to seventh or eighth primaries appears as a
conspicuous white spot at the end of the primary coverts; cheeks, throat, and
sides black, rest of underparts white.
Adult c?. Fall. — Only slightly different from above; the back very nar-
rowly tipped with greenish, the throat and sides with white; black of throat
apparently somewhat less in extent.
Young <$, Spring. — Young of the previous year may be distinguished from
fully mature males by remains of the greenish edgings generally to be found
on the upperparts, and particularly by the browner green-edged wing feathers,
which are evidently worn for one year.
Adult 9, Spring. — Above dusky olive-green with a more or less evident
bluish tinge strongest on crown and upper tail-coverts ; a narrow whitish line
from bill over eye, lower and upper part of eye-ring whitish ; tail fuscous
margined with grayish blue, the outer feathers usually with white patches ;
wings fuscous margined with greenish ; a white spot at the base of the primaries
at the end of the primary coverts generally evident but sometimes (in immature
specimens?) barely visible; underparts pale buffy yellowish or whitish, the
sides darker, the throat and sides of the breast rarely dusky.
Adult 2, Fall. — Indistinguishable in color from adult ? in Spring.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Fall but greener above, where
without trace of blue, dingy yellowish below, Hne over eye yellowish, white
wing-spot never large and conspicuous and sometimes concealed by the primary
coverts ; white in tail much reduced.
134
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER
Nestling 3- — Above brownish olive-green, lores black, auriculars blackish,
a whitish superciliary line ; throat and breast somewhat paler than back or
dusky yellowish, belly whitish or yellowish white ; tail as in young d", black
edged with blue and marked with white ; wings as in young S, black the
feathers edged with blue or greenish with a white patch at the base of the
primaries ; wing-coverts like back, edged with brownish.
Nestling ?. — Paler than nestling <S, no black in lores or auriculars ; below as
in nestling c?, wings and tail as in young Fall ?, greater and median wing-
coverts like back, edged with brownish.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America; north to New-
foundland and Hudson Bay ; west to the Mississippi River.
Summer Range. — Common as a breeder in the southern portion
of Quebec and south in the mountains to Maryland ; less common
north to Newfoundland, northeastern Quebec, and northern Ontario,
Outside of the mountains it breeds south through northern New
England to Massachusetts (Berkshire) and Connecticut (Eastford),
to New York (Oneida and Hamilton Counties), southern Michigan
(Detroit), northwestern Michigan (Porcupine Mountains), and
northern Minnesota.
South of the breeding range it occurs rarely west of the
Mississippi in Iowa and Missouri; accidentally in Nebraska (Lincoln,
Omaha, West Point), Kansas (Finney Co., October 17, 1891), Colo-
rado (Denver, May 24, 1888, Yuma, September 19, 1904), New
Mexico (Gallinas Mountains, October 8, 1904,) and California (Faral-
lones, November 17, 1886).
Winter Range. — The West Indies north to Florida (Key West).
Accidental in Guatemala and Colombia.
Spring Migration. —
PIPAGE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Atlantic Coast —
Southern Florida
Mt. Pleasant, S. C
Asheville, N. C. (near)
Raleigh, N. C
French Creek, W. Va.
Washington, D. C
Germantown, Pa
Renovo, Pa.
New Providence, N. J.
Holland Patent, N. Y.
Hartford, Conn
Central Massachusetts
St. Johnsbury, Vt. . . .
6
II
4
7
7
9
6
7
5
II
6
April 24
April 27
April 29
May
May
May
May
May
May 10
May 8
May 9
March 9, 1886
April 16, 1890
April 19, 1893
April 6, 1888
April 18, 1889
April 27, 1888
May I, 1888
April 27, 1902
May I, 1894
April 28, 1891
April 29, 1894
May 5, 1895
May 5, 1897
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER
135
PI,ACE
Lewiston, Me
Quebec, Can
Central New Brunswick .
Mississippi Valley —
Brookville, Ind
Waterloo, Ind
Oberlin, Ohio
Detroit, Mich ,
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont
Ottawa, Ont
Lake Forest, 111 ,
Chicago, 111
Milwaukee, Wis ,
No of
years'
record
6
9
7
ID
15
12
20
6
12
9
Average date of
spring arrival
May
13
May
II
May
14
April
30
May
5
May
2
May
4
May
8
May
10
May
II
May
6
May
7
May
9
Earliest date of
spring arrival
May 7, 1900
May 7, 1900
May 9, 1904
April 26, 1894
May I, 1895
April 27, 1896
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
1, 1094
2, 1887
6, 1899
6, 1890
2, 1905
2, 1902
2, 1892
Fall Migration —
PIvACE
Lanesboro, Minn
Chicago, 111
Detroit, Mich
Oberlin, Ohio
Beaver, Pa
Germantown, Pa. (near)
Washington, D. C
Southern Florida
No of
years'
record
3
7
10
3
4
6
Average date of
first one seen
September 26
September i
September 10
September 7
September 9
September 13
Earliest date of
first one seen
September 24, 1890
August 25, 1898
September 2, 1005
September i, IQ05
August 28, 1889
September 8, 1898
August 21, 1887
September 3, 1885
Pi^ACE
No of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
I,atest date of
last one seen
Ottawa, Ont
Chicago, 111
Detroit, Mich
Petitcodiac, N. B
Montreal, Can
Renovo, Pa
Philadelphia, Pa
French Creek, W. Va.
Raleigh, N. C
Mt. Pleasant, S. C. ...
4
7
10
September 29
October i
October 3
October 6
October 10
October 9
October 17
October 7, 1900
October 10, 1897
October 15, 1905
September 5, 1886
September 24, 1887
October 11, 1897
October 21, 1888
October 15, 1890
November 19, 1885
December 6
The Bird and its Haunts. — The sharply contrasted black and
white areas and dark blue back, which characterize the male Black-
throated Blue, are so unlike the colors of any other Warbler that
the bird may be known at a glance. Fortunately the adult wears his
plumage throughout the year and, contrary to the usual rule, the
young male closely resembles him. The female, however, is as
136 BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER
obscure as the male is conspicuous and were it not for the white spot
at the base of the primaries, would have no prominent distinguish-
ing mark. But in the young female even this is sometimes so small
as to be concealed by the primary coverts and, in this plumage, the
Black-throated Blue is one of the most difficult Warblers to identify.
Where the range of this species penetrates the Canadian life-zone
with its coniferous forests it nests in growth of this character but
south of these limits its summer home is in deciduous woods.
Gerald Thayer writes that about Monadnock the Black-throated
Blue is "a bird of the ampler deciduous undergrowth in deep, moist
woods — mixed virgin timber or very old second growth. It is pecu-
liarly partial to these woodland conditions, and is common wherever
they occur, especially between the altitudes of 1,000 and 2,500 feet.
Creeping yew is almost always common in woods where these War-
blers breed, and they sometimes, perhaps often, nest in a clump of it.
"In its movements the Black-throated Blue is more deliberate than
many of its relatives, but it has at the same time a somewhat Red-
start-like way of 'spiriting' itself from one perch to another, and,
while perched, of partly opening its white-mooned wings ; — a habit
and a marking shared by the boldly blue-and-black-and-white- males
and the dimly green and yellowish females and young. It is among
the tamest of our Warblers." (Thayer, MS.)
Egbert Bagg, of Utica, writes : "This bird is a common summer
resident in the southwestern part of our New York wilderness and it
is there, both in the wilderness and along its outskirts, that I have
come to know it as one of my bird friends. In these fastnesses of the
woods birds appear to be scarce. The wilderness is so great and so
impassable that the number of birds seen is small, when they are
attending to their duties in breeding season. Quite the contrary is
the fact when they are migrating, and I have seen birds in as great
numbers, during May, in the wilderness, as I ever saw them anywhere ;
hundreds, I presume thousands, passing our camp for several days at
a time. But a month later in the same locality hardly a bird will be
seen. But even at this time a careful observer will find the species of
which I am writing not uncommon in these woods. The males will
be seen rather high up in the trees, but the females are but little in
evidence.
"It was a long time after I discovered that these birds were com-
mon summer residents before I found my first nest, and when I did
find it, its location was so uncommon, (as later discoveries showed)
that it actually hindered rather than helped the discovery of others.
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER 137
It was on a high bluff covered with spruce timber and with but Httle
underbrush and was placed in the top of an overturned and dead
spruce about eighteen inches from the ground. On June 13, it con-
tained three eggs which hatched on the next day. I never found
another nest in the spruce timber and I never found another in open
woods, that is, free from underbrush, nor in any location corres-
ponding to this dead tree-top. After several years searching with
some success, I think it is safe to say that this species builds in hard-
wood forests, where the large timber stands somewhat openly, but
where all space is grown up with dense undergrowth of hardwood
saplings and brush with large leaves. I also think that the breeding
spots are very local, and that one may pass through many miles
of forest and not find a pair of these birds; but when just the right
kind of hardwood knoll is found, several pairs may be looked for
within a short distance. My facts are rather meagre for this deduc-
tion, but this is my belief." (Bagg, MS.)
At Branchport, N. Y., Burtch says that this species is "a rare
but regular summer resident. It may be found in the mixed growths
of oaks, maple, beech, chestnut and hemlock where the undergrowth
is quite thick." (Burtch, MS.)
The first known nest of the Black-throated Blue Warbler was
discovered by John Burroughs^ early in July, 1871, at Roxbury, Dela-
ware County, N. Y. It contained four fledged young and one tgg.
The latter, with the nest, is described by Brewer (B. B. and R.,
History of N. A. Birds, I, 257) while in 'Locusts and Wild Honey'
Burroughs gives a description of the hunt for the nest which could
have been written only by a born birds' nester.
Song. — "There is not a more regularly and amply versatile
singer among our eastern Warblers than the Black-throated Blue. It
has at least four main songs, on which it is forever playing notable
variations. Of these four, two end on a sharply-ascending scale, and
two are almost monotones. Zzvee szvee zivee, is a book rendering, and
a fairly good one, of the commoner monotone song. The other, of
two notes only, has almost the form and emphasis of the Blue-winged
Warbler's explosive little shorter song, Szvee-chirrrr!, but is louder
and somewhat more languid, with the characteristic and unmistak-
able full-voiced huskiness of the Black-throated Blue. It might be
syllabled Wher weeeee. The second half, in addition to being more
emphatic, is a little bit lower in key. Of the other two songs, the
commoner one is like the syllables Wheer, zvheer, zvheeee, — rather
deliberately uttered, — the first two notes almost alike, the final drawled
138
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER
note decidedly higher pitched and also louder. This is the commonest
of the four songs in the breeding season near Monadnock. The fourth
song begins with a long string of short, hurried notes, like Hi-hi-hi-hi-
hi-hi-hi culminating at last in the high-pitched, long-drawn wheeee.
All four songs, — and, as far as my experience goes, the many varia-
tions from them and between them, have, either throughout or in
part, the tell-tale tone-quality of huskiness or beadiness in a full-
strength Warbler- voice ; — an almost peculiar characteristic of the
Black-throated Blue's. In addition to some rather non-committal small
call-notes, it has some that are peculiarly its own. The queerest of
these I have heard from the male only. It is a weak, insect-like,
grating, but low-toned Bzzz bsss hszz bzsz bzzz several times repeated
in pretty quick succession ; — an utterance which, if it came from any
other Warbler, might be taken for a song, but so totally unlike all the
Black-throated Blue's unmistakably sung performances, that it cannot
be more than a call-note or complaint." (Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock sends three notations and writes : "This song is
hard to express in musical notation. It is an insect-like buzzing note
repeated three or four times with a rising inflection. It sounds a little
like the breath sucked through the teeth ; or like one note of the Black-
throated Green's song."
. rrrtlJp-fflr^^ -
Nesting Site. — Nests found by Jones^ at Eastford, Connecticut,
were in laurel not over eighteen inches up, while, in northern New
York, Bagg' found the species nesting in little maples at about one
foot from the ground. Nests found by Burtch (MS.) at Branch-
port, New York, were built in birch saplings eighteen and twenty
inches from the ground, and in a blackberry bush fourteen inches
from the ground. Near Utica, New York, Egbert Bagg writes
that: "the nest is placed in an upright fork of some shrub, quite near
the ground, from a foot to three feet from it. The female sits close
and allows an observer every opportunity to identify her. The
male generally appears, especially if the female leaves the nest, but
seems not to be greatly troubled by his callers."
Plate XII
1. Bay-breasted Warbler, Male. 4. Chestnut-sided Warbler, Male.
2. Bay-breasted Warbler, Female. 5. Chestnut-sided Warbler, Female.
3. Bay-ereasted Warbler, Young. 6. Chestnut-sided Warbler, Young.
(one-half natural size.)
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER
139
Brewster states that in northern New England the nest is usually
built in a yew (Taxus canadensis) .
Nest. — The nest of this species may readily be distinguished
from that of other Warblers by its bulkiness, rough exterior covered
with pieces of pithy wood, inner bark fibers or birch bark. Jones/
nests were made outwardly of "what appears to be the dry bark of
the grapevine, with a few twigs and roots. This is covered in many
places with a reddish wooly substance, apparently the outer covering
of some species of cocoon. The inside is composed of small black
roots and hair."
Bagg's Utica nests are described by him as follows: "The nests
are beautiful structures, rather loosely put together on the outside but
neatly lined and finished within. All those I have seen had one
peculiarity, there entered into the outside construction considerable
rotten wood nearly white in color, so that the nest looked quite light
colored. One nest contained a few 'birch curls' giving it the same
white appearance. A typical nest, before me is composed largely of
the rotten wood held together with strips of inner bark of deciduous
trees and fibers of weed stalks and grasses. It is neatly lined with
fine black roots, entirely, and this lining seems to be almost universal,
though one nest had some of the finer quills of our common porcu-
pine (even large enough for their barbs to be visible to the naked
eye). This sort of lining might be satisfactory to the old bird, pro-
tected by her coat of feathers, but would seem to be somewhat dan-
gerous to her naked fledglings.
"The measurements of this nest are, diameter, outside, 3>^ inches,
inside, 2% inches; height, outside, 5 inches; depth, inside, i finches."
(Bagg, MS.)
The nests found by Burtch (MS.) are described by him as com-
posed of strips of partially decayed bark, and white birch or grape-
vine bark lined with fine black rootlets and vegetable fibers.
Eggs. — 3 or 4, usually 4. Ground color, buffy white to light
greenish white spotted and blotched with light and dark reddish
brown and lavender, in some specimens forming a wreath around
large end in others quite evenly marked over entire egg. Size; aver-
age of three sets, .66X.51. (Figs. 45-47.)
Nesting Dates. — Litchfield, Conn., June 8 (Bishop) ; Branchport,
N. Y., June 11 (Burtch); Lancaster, N. H., June 19 (Spaulding) ;
Bangor, Me., June 10 (Knight) ; Listowel, Ont., May 27- June 9
(Kells); Kalamazoo Co., Mich., May 29, Westnedge, (Barroivs).
I40 CAIRNS' WARBLER
Biographical References
(i) C. M. Jones, On the Breeding of the Black-throated Blue Warbler
(Dendroica ccerulescens) in Connecticut, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, I, 1876, 11;
Orn. and 051., VI, 1881, 49; IX, 1884, 30. (2) W. L. Kells, Nesting of the
Black-throated Blue Warbler (in Ontario), Orn. and Ool.. XII, 1887, 76; XIV,
1869, 170; Ottawa Nat., XVI, 1902, 181. (3) Egbert Bagg, Nesting of the
Black-throated Blue Warbler ( in N. N. Y.). Orn. and 051., XII, 1887, 90.
(4) O. W. Knight, Contributions to the Life History of the Black-throated
Blue Warbler, Journ. Maine Orn. Club, VIII, 1906, 2i3- (s) John Burroughs,
Birds' Nesting, in Locusts and Wild Honey, Riverside Edition, 1895, 181.
Cairns' Warbler
DENDROICA C.'ERULESCENS CAIRNSI Coues
Suhspeciiic Characters. — Similar to Dendroica c. ccerulescens but S with
the back always more or less spotted with black, sometimes the center of the
back being entirely black. Adult ? generally darker. While specimens of
true ccerulescens ccerulescens not infrequently show more or less black in the
back cairnsi is very rarely without this character.
General Distribution. — Higher parts of the southern Alleghenies.
Summer Range. — Higher parts of the Alleghenies northward to
Pennysylvania. (Bhie Knob, Sugar Loaf, Mt. Rainsburg), south to
Georgia.
Winter Range. — West Indies.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This southern Alleghenian form of the
Black-throated Blue Warbler was named by Dr. Coues for the late John
S. Cairns to whom we are chiefly indebted for our knowledge of its
life history. Cairns'- writes: "High up on the heavily timbered moun-
tain ranges of western North Carolina is the summer home of the
Black-throated Blue Warbler. [The bird had not been subspecifically
separated when Cairns wrote.] Here, in precipitous ravines, amid
tangled vines and moss-covered logs, where the sun's rays never pene-
trate the rank vegetation and the air is always cool, dwells the happy
little creature, filling the woods from dawn to twilight with its song.
* * * These birds are a local race ; breeding from one generation
to another. They arrive from the south nearly ten days earlier than
those that pass through the valleys on their northward migration. It
is common to observe migrants through the valleys while breeders on
the higher mountains are already nest-building and rearing their
young."
Nesting Site. — "Nesting begins early in May and continues until
the end of June. The nests are placed in various shrubs, such as
laurel, wild gooseberry, and chestnut, but the blue cohosh or papoose-
root (Caulophyllum thalictroides) seems to be the favorite. These thick
MYRTLE WARBLER
141
weeds grow rapidly to a height of from three to five feet, entirely
hiding the ground, and thus afford the birds considerable protection.
* * * "The nests are never placed over three feet from the ground ;
usually about eighteen inches ; one I examined was only six inches."
(Cairns-.)
Nest. — "The nests show little variation in their construction,
though some are more substantially built than others. Exteriorly
th€y are composed of rhododendron or grapevine bark, interwoven
with birch-bark. moss, spider-webs, and occasionally bits of rotten
wood. The interior is neatly lined with hair-like moss, resembling fine
black roots, mixed with a few sprays of bright red moss, forming a
strikingly beautiful contrast to the pearly eggs. The female gathers
all the materials, and builds rapidly, usually completing a nest in from
four to six days if the weather is favorable. She is usually accom-
panied by the male, which, however, does not assist her in any way."
(Cairns.^)
Eggs. — 3 or 4, usually 4. The eggs of this subspecies, which
have been examined, do not differ from those of the foregoing;
a typical set from Craggy Mountain, Buncombe Co., N. C, measures
.62X.53, .66X.53. .66X.53.
Nesting Date. — Buncombe Co., N. C, May 21 (C. W. C).
Biographical References
(i) S. B. Ladd, Nesting of the Black-throated Blue Warbler, in Buncombe
Co., N. C, Orn. and Ool., XVII, 1892, 129. (2) J. S. Cairns, The Summer
Home of Dendroica ccerulescens. Papers Presented to the World's Congress on
Ornithology, Chicago, i8g6, 136.
Myrtle Warbler
DENDROICA CORONATA (Linn.) Plate X
Distinguishing Characters. — In any plumage this Warbler may be distin-
guished from all other Warblers, except Audubon's Warbler, by the yellow
patches on crown, rump and both sides of the breast. In the young $ the
latter marks are sometimes obsolete but their general brown color above,
yellow crown-patch, and rump are distinctive. From Audubon's Warbler,
without regard to the color of the throat, it differs in having as a rule only
• two or three, instead of four outer tail-feathers marked with white. (But see
beyond under auduboni.) Length (skin), 5.10; wing, 2.90; tail, 2.10; bill, .35.
Adult (S, Spring. — Center of crown, rump, and sides of breast with a yellow
patch ; above bluish gray streaked with black, cheeks black a white line over
eye ; lower part of eye-ring white ; tail black edged with gray the outer three
(rarely four) feathers with white patches near tip of inner web; throat white;
breast black more or less streaked and tipped with white; center of belly
and crissum white, flanks streaked with black. This plumage begins to appear
in March and is not, as a rule, completed before late April or early May.
142 MYRTLE WARBLER
Adult (^, Fall. — Quite unlike c? in Spring; crown and back grayish brown;
the latter indistinctly streaked with black; yellow of crown more or less con-
cealed by brownish tips; rump bright yellow, upper tail-coverts and tail as in
Spring d*; median and greater wing-coverts margined with brownish; cheeks
mixed with brownish ; underparts white, the breast washed with brownish and,
with sides, with partly concealed black streaks ; yellow patches at sides of breast
less pronounced than in Spring.
Young S, Fall. — Similar to adult cT in Fall but browner above, the yellow
crown-patch sometimes nearly hidden ; the underparts less heavily streaked, the
breast patches less pronounced.
Adult $, Spring. — Generally resembling the adult c? in Fall but with the
black streaks above and below more sharply defined, the wing-bars white, the
cheeks blacker.
Adult $, Fall. — Resembles young c? in Fall but averages browner and less
streaked, the edgings to the wing-coverts browner.
Young ?, Fall. — Not always to be distinguished from the adult $ in Fall but
the yellow crown and breast-patches average smaller and the latter are some-
times barely evident or wanting.
Nestling. — Strikingly different from the nestlings of other Mniotiltidae,
except those of D. auduboni. Above brown streaked with black and edged with
buffy; below white heavily and definitely streaked with black; greater and
median wing-coverts tipped with white.
General Distribution. — North America; north to Labrador and
Alaska.
Summer Range. — Breeds commonly north almost to the
limit of tree growth from Labrador to Alaska, and thence south to
southern Maine, the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont,
and the Adirondacks ; less commonly in the Catskills and the more
elevated portions of Massachusetts ; has bred casually in the lower
districts of Massachusetts (Springfield, Winchendon), and of New
York (Utica, Buffalo) ; reported as breeding once at Havre-de-
Grace, Maryland. The regular breeding range extends westward
from the Adirondacks, through central Ontario (Ottawa) to northern
Michigan (Porcupine Mountains), northern Minnesota, Manitoba and
westward to British Columbia and northward to Alaska.
Winter Range. — Mexico and Central America to Panama; the
Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, all of southern United States and north
to southeastern Kansas, southern Illinois, southern Indiana and
northern New Jersey. Along the Atlantic coast and a few miles inland,
it occurs with more or less frequency as far north as Massachusetts
and even to Cape Elizabeth, Maine. In the western United States
the Myrtle Warbler is a common migrant on the plains and not rare at
the foothills of the Rockies. It is almost absent from the western slope
of these mountains, but reappears again on the Pacific Coast as a rare
MYRTLE WARBLER
143
migrant in Oregon and Washington, and a not uncommon winter
resident from central California to Los Angeles.
Spring Migration. —
PI,ACE
Atlantic Coast —
Germantown, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Southeastern New York . .
Central New York
Northeastern New York . .
Portland, Conn
Hartford, Conn
Central Massachusetts
West Groton, Mass
Framingham, Mass
Boston, Mass
St. Johnsbury, Vt
Southern New Hampshire .
Southern Maine
Montreal, Can
Quebec, Can
St. John, N. B
Pictou, N. S
Halifax. N. S
North River, P. E. I
Mississippi Valley —
Chicago, 111
Rockford, 111
Waterloo, Ind
Wauseon, Ohio
Oberlin, Ohio
Milwaukee, Wis
Central Wisconsin
Petersburg, Mich
Grand Rapids, Mich
Detroit, Mich
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont.
Ottawa, Ont
Keokuk, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Grinnell, Iowa
Lanesboro, Minn
Elk River, Minn
Aweme, Manitoba
Osier, Sask
Fort Providence, Mackenzie
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie . .
Terry, Mont
Southern British Columbia
Kowak River, Alaska
No of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
5
12
5
II
8
6
10
II
7
8
II
5
7
14
4
10
II
10
4
4
9
6
10
7
8
10
II
13
5
13
8
15
10
7
5
9
7
April 27
April 30
April 25
May I
May 2
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
May
1 27
1 26
1 28
1 24
1 20
1 22
1 27
1 23
1 23
7
May 6
April 23
April 30
May 2
April 26
April 16
April 15
April 23
April 29
April 24
April 18
April 19
April 25
April 16
April 28
April 29
May 2
May 2
April 20
April 20
April 18
April 16
April 16
April 23
May 6
April 15
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 10, 1886
April 27, 1902
April 2, 1890
April 24, 1 89 1
April 29, 1890
March 30, 1903
April 8, 1893
April 22, 1893
April 18, 1897
April 17, 1896
April 13, 1896
April 12, 1903
March 20, 1900
April 19, 1891
May 3, 1890
April 30, 1896
April 15, 1897
April 25, 1892
April 26, 1896
April 24, 1 89 1
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
May
May
May
May
April
May
6,
10,
II,
16,
12,
6,
13,
17,
10,
II,
19,
29,
1 23,
1 8,
1 5,
9, I
10,
21,
4,
14,
7,
2,
14,
22,
894
904
892
891
897
901
893
905
904
899
144
MYRTLE WARBLER
Fall Mis^ration.-
PI^ACE
Aweme, Manitoba
Lanesboro, Minn
Grinnell, Iowa
Southern Wisconsin . . . .
Chicago, III
Detroit, Mich
OberHn, Ohio
Waterloo, Ind
Central Massachusetts .
Central Connecticut . . . .
Southeastern New York
Renovo, Pa
Germantown, Pa
Washington, D. C
Tallahassee, Fla
No. of
years'
record
3
7
4
5
6
II
4
4
4
4
8
4
6
Average date of
first one seen
September ii
September 22
September 23
September 25
September 27
vSeptember 28
September 27
October 3
September 23
October 7
October 5
September 26
September 27
October i
Earliest date of
first one seen
September
September
September
September
September
September
September
October 2,
September
September
September
September
September
September
October 16,
7, 1902
15, 1887
6, 1885
18, 1902
25, 1899
16, 1889
2, 1901
, 1891
13, 1892
20, 1888
29, 1893
23, 1900
22, 1888
30, 1890
, 1904
PI^ACE
Nahanni River, Mackenzie
Aweme, Man
Lanesboro, Minn
Keokuk, Iowa
Detroit, Mich
Chicago, 111
Ottawa, Ont
Southern Ontario
Oberlin, Ohio
North River, P. E. I
St. John, N. B
Southern Maine
Central Massachusetts . . .
Central Connecticut
Renovo, Pa
New Providence, N. J. . .
Southeastern New York
Germantown, Pa
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
October 10
October 22
October 18
October 17
October 23
October 23
October 24
October 26
October 23
October 17
October 19
October 26
October 25
October 23
November 12
November 9
I,atest date of
last one seen
October 15, 1903
October 14, 1900
October 28, 1887
October 26, 1897
November 19, 1904
October 31, 1897
November 3, 1888
November 8, 1898
November 2, 1899
October 15, 1888
November 4, 1891
October 24, 1892
October 22, 1899
October 30, 1900
October 29, 1900
October 29, 1892
November 20, 1891
November 20, 1886
The Bird and its Haunts. — The Yellow Warbler was the first, the
Myrtle, the second member of the genus Dendroica whose acquaint-
ances I made in life. The experience is doubtless not unusual for this
Warbler is so abundant, so generally distributed, and so conspicuous,
that even as a migrant it cannot fail to attract the attention of any
one looking for birds. Furthermore, it appears to travel leisurely and,
under certain conditions, often winters in numbers far north of the
winter home of the warblers which pass this season in the United
States.
Figs. 35, 36. Cape May Warbler.
37. 38- Olive Warbler.
" 39-4I. Yellow Warbler.
42-44. Bryant's Warbler.
" 45-47. Black-throated Blue Warbler.
" 48, 49. Myrtle Warbler.
Figs. 50, 51. Audubon's Warbler.
52-54. Magnolia Warbler.
" SS. 56. Cerulean Warbler.
57- 59- Chestnut-sided \\'arbler.
60, 61. Bay-breasted Warbler.
" 63-64. Blackpoll Warbler.
MYRTLE WARBLER 145
In the spring the Myrtle Warbler is often found in the woods,
but in autumn it is rather a bird of bushy second growths, scrubs,
and hedgerows, where its characteristic tchip and the flash of its
yellow rump seem as much a part of the season as the peek of
White-throated Sparrows or twitter of Juncos. Especially is it
to be found in numbers where the myrtle or bayberries — after
which it is named — flourish; the supply of these berries gener-
ally determining the bird's presence or absence, during the winter.
At this season insects' eggs or larvae are also eaten, the bird
at times frequenting our homes to glean from the cocoons placed
in sheltered crevices about our buildings.
In the summer the Myrtle Warbler dwells in coniferous growths.
Gerald Thayer writes that it is "a regular breeder in the Monadnock
region, common among the scattered spruces on the mountain's rocky
ridge, and on the higher of the neighboring hills, but uncommon in
the intervening lower country (1,500-1000 feet). During both migra-
tions it is by long odds our most abundant Warbler, — everywhere,
high and low. A big, brisk, tame, restless Warbler ; the first to reach
Alonadnock in the spring and the last to leave in the fall. It ranges
from the ground and low bushes to tree-tops, in scrub-lands and half-
open woods, avoiding the deep forests. Recognizable even in dingiest
immature plumage by its neatly-defined bright yellow rump." ( Thayer,
MS.)
In Louisiana, in winter, Allison states that "open woods, prefer-
ably not of coniferous trees, are its typical haunts ; but the bare, open
fields, the thick roadside hedge of Cherokee rose or Osage orange — in
both of which these birds roost in large numbers — the weeds and
shrubs in neglected city lots; the trees and shrubbery of yards and
parks, all invite Myrtle Warblers. Perhaps the place where a Wood
Warbler is least to be expected is the sandy sea-beach ; but along the
shores of the Gulf I have often seen them flitting along, alighting
sometimes on the sand, sometimes on half-buried logs and posts.
They make frequent fly-catching excursions from these perches, after
the manner of the American Redstart." (Allison, MS.)
Song.— The Myrtle Warbler has an easily recognizable and
characteristic tchip or tchep, which, once learned, readily identifies the
species. (But see also under D. cerulea.)
"Two call-notes are common; the first, serving to announce the
arrival of the bird in fall, and used through much of the winter — not
at all or but little, in spring— is uttered in flight. It resembles the syl-
lable S7veet uttered with rising inflection. The second is of rather
146
MYRTLE WARBLER
deeper tone than most of our Warbler notes ; it is less used in flight, but
is probably the most familiar bird-voice with us in winter; it is some-
what difficult to render, being rather variable; perhaps the syllable
psit is the best rendering. The song is not often heard before the
end of February, never in the fall and early winter, and is ordinarily
not very frequent, even in March and April. It is uttered from a rest,
and is of rather an erratic character — not unlike that of the Sycamore
Warbler, but brighter and more varied, though not longer." {Allison,
MS.)
"The Myrtle is a full-voiced Warbler. It chips like almost all
the rest, but it also loudly tcheps, as probably no other New England
Warbler does. Its common summer song about Monadnock is a loud
and silvery 'sleigh-bell' trill, — a vivid, sprightly utterance, — often
more or less broken up into separate notes, particularly in its dimi-
nuendo termination. If it were a little fuller, and more evenly sus-
tained, it would be hard to tell from kindred variations of the Junco's
song, its commonest companion and accompaniment among the rocks
and spruce-trees of Monadnock. Sometimes, especially in spring, this
Warbler sings quite differently; a deliberate phrase of three or four
or five well-separated syllables, having the usual tone and volume, but
lacking, sometimes only in part, the jingling tremulo. Of this song
there are at least two main forms, both of which vary a good deal,
and also intergrade with the summer jingle." {Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock presents four renderings of the Myrtle Warbler's
song.
S*'^
^m
9-9— 4h-^
^^
f^rrrr^ ^
M=^
Nesting 6"i7^.— Generally about four feet up in small coniferous
trees, but sometimes as high as twenty feet. (Maynard.)
Nest.— The Myrtle Warbler builds a loosely made, bulky nest of
rather large twigs of conifers, dried grass stems, lichens, weed-stalks,
AUDUBON'S WARBLER
147
etc., lined with hair, rootlets, and a large number of feathers; this
feather lining and the coarse character of the nest apparently being
diagnostic.
Terrill- describes the nest as "very substantial and warmly built"
and "composed chiefly of dead spruce twigs with a few grasses and
rootlets, bound with spiders' silk and thickly lined with feathers and
animal hair."
^ES^- — 3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color dull white to creamy
white spotted and blotched with various shades of reddish brown,
pale lavender, and a few marks of purplish black; in most cases a
wreath around large end. Size ; average, .70X.53, extremes measure
.75X.55, .64X.51. (Figs. 48,49.)
Nesting Dates. — Lancaster, N. H., May 31 -June 7 (Spaulding) ;
Bangor, Me., May 30-June 6 (Knight) ; Listowel, Ont., June 8
(Kells) ; Porcupine Mts., Mich., July 16, adults with young, (Barrows).
Biographical References
(i) W. L. Kells, The Myrtle Warbler (in Ontario), Ottawa Nat., XVI,
1902, 144. (2) L. M. Terrill, Summer Warblers in Compton County, Quebec,
Ibid., XVIII, 1904, 151-
AUDUBON'S Warbler
DENDROICA AUDUBONI AUDUBONI (Towns.) Plate X
Distinguishing Characters. — With a general resemblance to Dendroica cor-
onata but with the throat usually yellow the outer four tail-feathers marked
with white. In some young females the yellow of throat is barely evident or
wholly absent but almost invariably they may be distinguished from D. coro-
nata by having four instead of three outer tail-feathers with white. I have
seen but one specimen of auduboni having only three outer tail-feathers
with white, but in this, a young female, the amount of white was so in excess
of that which is found in coronata of the same age and sex that the bird's
identity was unquestionable. Length (skin), 5.10; v/ing, 3.00; tail, 2.30; bill, .40.
Adult (S, Sfring. — Above bluish gray streaked with black, crown-patch
and rump bright yellow; upper and lower portions of eye-ring white, cheeks
bluish gray; tail black edged with gray the outer four or five feathers with a
white patch near the tip; wings black edged with gray the median wing-
coverts broadly tipped, the greater coverts tipped and, externally, widely mar-
gined with white forming a white patch in the wing; throat and sides of the
breast yellow; breast black more or less edged with gray, white of belly
dividing the black posteriorly; flanks white streaked with black. (This plum-
age is usually acquired in April.)
Adult c?. Fa//.— Quite unlike d" in Spring: crown and back grayish brown
the latter indistinctly streaked with black; yellow of crown more or less con-
cealed by brownish tips; rump bright yellow; tail as in Spring; margins to
wing-coverts more or less brownish; throat yellowish white tinged with buff
148
AUDUBON'S WARBLER
and spotted basally with black, a yellow tuft on each side of the breast,
flanks indistinctly streaked with black; belly white.
Young S, Ffl//.— Similar to adult S in Fall but browner above, the streaks
less pronounced; j^ellow of throat paler and with yellow on sides less pro-
nounced; breast and sides browner, the black markings less evident.
Adult ?, Spring.— ^\t\\ a general resemblance to the adult d" in Fall, but
crown-patch often tipped with black, the rump paler, the breast somewhat
blacker.
Adult $, Fall. — Not certainly distinguishable from young c? in Fall.
Young ?, Fo//.— Resembles adult ? in Fall but is browner above, the
streaks and crown-patch less evident; breast browner, throat with less yellow
or, rarely, with none at all; white in tail diminished in amount but nearly
always reaching to fourth feather.
Nestling. — Resembling nestling of Dendroica coronata; above brown
streaked with black and white; below white streaked with black; wings and
tail as in young J' in Fall, but greater coverts tipped and not margined with
whitish.
General Distribution. — Western United States ; north to British
Columbia and South Dakota; east to the Plains.
Summer Range. — This is one of the most common Warblers of
the Pacific slope; it breeds from southern California (San Bernardino
Mountains), and New Mexico (Wheeler Park, Tres Piedras), north
to British Columbia (158-Mile House), Alberta (Calgary), Montana
and South Dakota (Black Hills) ; east to northeastern Nebraska
(Sioux Co.), and western Texas (Fort Davis, Guadalupe Mountains).
Accidental in Massachusetts (Cambridge, November 15, 1876) and
in Pennsylvania (Chester Co., November 8, 1899). ,
Winter Range. — Guatemala and Mexico, north to the Rio Grande ;
through most of the valleys of California to southern Oregon and
rarely to southern British Columbia.
Spring Migration.
PL,ACE
No of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Huachuca Mts., Arizona
2
2
2
4
2
3
April 21
May 2
April 29
April 23
March 21
March 20
April 19, 1890
Cooney, New Mex
March 6, 1903
Carlisle, New Mex
April 9, 1889
Loveland, Colo
April 17, 1890
Custer City, S. D
May 2, 1896, 1897
Great Falls, Mont
April 28, 1890
Columbia Falls, Mont
April 21, 1895
Rathdrum, Idaho
Beaverton, Oreg
Newport, Oreg
April IS. 1899
March 9, 1885
February 13, 1897
Southern British Columbia
March 17
AUDUBON'S WARBLER 149
Fall Migration. — In August the mountain breeding birds begin
to descend to lower altitudes and during September reappear on the
plains. The earliest migrants move south of the breeding range in
the last week of September and enter Mexico soon after the first of
October. The northern part of the range in Montana is deserted about
the loth of October.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Audubon's Warbler is the Myrtle
Warbler of the west. It is the same hardy, active bird with a similar
characteristic tchip and conspicuously yellow-patched rump.
In Colorado, Keyser^ says "this species inhabits all the upper
mountain valleys and on the steep slopes of the western as well as on
the eastern side of the Divide, I had the Audubon Warblers often at
my elbow. In summer they make their homes at an altitude of seven
to eleven thousand feet and are partial to pine timber ; indeed, I think
I never found them elsewhere save occasionally among the quaking
asps."
Walter Fisher writes that in California "in winter, Audubon's
Warblers invade the warmer valleys of the western, and are particu-
larly abundant in the southern part of the state, where they are perhaps
more in evidence than any other birds. They take possession of
orchards, arroyos, open plains, and even hot hillsides among chamiso
and yuccas, and ply their fly-catching trade with great singleness of
purpose. They burst from sycamore tops and dash after minute
insects, hover, and zigzag as skillfully as any Flycatcher. During these
very frequent sallies the yellow rump-patch is more or less visible
and serves as a convenient mark for identification. The white mark-
ings of wings and tail are even more conspicuous and useful for this
purpose.
"During the breeding season auditboni retires to the higher moun-
tains and lives among firs and pines of the Canadian zone. The breast
now acquires two conspicuous black patches which contrast beautifully
with the yellow throat. The favorite hunting grounds of this Warbler
are among firs, pines, and incense cedars, or occasionally in willow
copses. The male is of a particularly musical disposition, providing a
rather monotonous flow of notes to which the ear is soon likely to
become insensible. Wherever Calaveras and Audubon Warblers are
abundant silence is banished from the mountains." (Fisher, MS.)
Song. — The call-note of this species resembles the characteristic
tchip of its eastern representative, the Myrtle Warbler.
Bowles* describes the song as "a short though pleasing little
warble, surprisingly feeble for so large a bird, and in no way equal
to that of its smaller relative the Yellow Warbler ( D. ccstiva),"
150 AUDUBON'S WARBLER
Nesting Site. — In Estes Park, Colorado, the nest is saddled on the
limb of a pine or spruce eight to thirty-five feet from the ground,
sometimes near the trunk, at others ten feet out. Bowles (MS.)
writes that at Tacoma, Washington, this species "nests invari-
ably in fir trees on a limb, from four to fifty feet, but usually about
twenty feet up." In Arizona, Howard^ states that a nest placed
fifteen feet up in a fir tree was unusually low for this species, and
records a second nest as fifty feet up in a sugar pine twelve feet out
from the trunk. At Fort Sherman, Idaho, however, a majority of the
nests found by MerrilF "were in deciduous trees and bushes generally
but a few feet from the ground."
Nest. — "Loosely constructed of weed-stems and tops, and strips
of bark, lined with fine weeds and horse-hair." (Estes Park, Colo.)
"The nest is a well built bulky structure, the largest of any of our
Warblers', measuring externally 3.5 inches in width by 2.5 inches in
depth. * * * It is very handsome, as a rule, being built of fir twigs,
everlasting weed, rootlets, moss, and dried grass with a thick lining of
horse-hair and feathers." (Bowles*.)
"The nests are very loosely constructed being composed almost
entirely of loose straws with a few feathers and hair for lining."
(Hozvard^.) "Such nests as were found here, while varying consider-
ably as to exterior, agree in having a lining in which black horse hairs
are conspicuous, and in which feathers are loosely attached, not well
woven in as is usual in most small nests." (MerrilP.)
Eggs. — 3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color varies from dull white
or greenish white to bluish white, spotted and blotched with olive-
brown, lilac, purplish brown and lavender, very sparingly in some
types, quite boldly in others, but usually forming more or less of a
wreath around large end. Size ; average, .72X.54, extremes measure
.74X.53, .69X.55, .72X.51, .72X.56. (Figs. 50,51.)
Nesting Dates. — Colorado, between 7,600-8,600 feet altitude, June
16 (Dille) ; Tacoma, Wash., April 22, four eggs ready to hatch — June
26 four eggs fresh. (Bozvles).
Biographical References
(i) H. W. Henshaw, Z06I. Exp. W. looth Merid., 1875, I94- (2) J. C.
Merrill, Birds of Fort Sherman, Idaho, Auk, XV, 1898, 18. (3) O. W.
Howard, Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull Cooper Orn. Club
(=Condor), I, 1899, 64. (4) J. H. Bowles, The Audubon Warbler in Wash-
ington, Condor, IV, 1902, 118. (5) L. Keyser, Birds of the Rockies, 62.
black-throated gray warbler 151
Black-fronted Warbler
DENDROICA AUDUBONI NIGRIFRONS (Brewst.)
SubspeciHc Characters. — Similar to D. a. auduboni but larger and more
widely streaked with black; the Spring c? with the forehead, cheeks, and sides
of crown black; black below extending to the belly and without gjrayish tips.
Wing, 3.10; tail, 2.35; bill, .40.
General Distribution. — High Sierras of western Mexico north to
Arizona.
Summer Range. — High Sierras of northwestern Mexico from
Durango north to the Chiricahua, Huachuca and Santa CataUna Moun-
tains, southern Arizona.
Winter Range. — Western Mexico.
Spring Migration. — Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, April 5, 1903,
May 9, 1902.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Discovered by Frazar in the Sierra
Madre of Chihuahua in 1888 (Brewster^), this subspecies was added
to our fauna in 1894 by Price who took eleven specimens in the
Huachuca and Chiricahua Mountains of southern Arizona (Loomis^).
Ridgway records an intermediate breeding male from mountains near
the head of Pecos River, New Mexico.
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, Descriptions of Supposed New Birds from Western
North America and Mexico, The Auk, VL 1889, 94. (See also colored plate,
No. 1, in Ibid., IX, 1892.) (2) L. M. Loomis, An Addition to the A. O. U.
Check-List, Auk, XVIH, 1901, no. ,
Black-throated Gray Warbler
DENDROICA NIGRESCENS (Towns.) Plate XIII
Distinguishing Characters. — The general gray color, black or black and
white throat and entire absence of yellow, except the spot before the eye
readily distinguish this species. Length (skin), 4.30; wing, 2.40; tail, 2.00;
bill, .40.
Adult 3, Spring. — Crown largely or entirely black; cheeks black bordered
by white below ; a broad white line behind the eye, a yellow spot before it ;
back gray, its center streaked with black ; tail edged with gray, the two outer
feathers largely white on both webs, third feather white on the inner web
at the end; wings edged with gray, the secondaries internally margined with
white, the greater and median coverts broadly tipped with white forming two
conspicuous bars; throat and upper breast black (rarely mottled with white)
sharply defined from rest of underparts, which are white ; sides streaked with
black.
Adult (S, Fall- — Similar to adult d" in Spring but upperparts and cheeks
more or less margined with brownish gray; throat margined with white, sides
washed with brown, the black streakings obscured.
152
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER
Young ^, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Fall but generally no black in back,
chin white, throat usually more or less mottled with white, sides browner, no
white on secondaries.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult <S in Spring and sometimes not dis-
tinguishable from it, but, as a rule, with less black on the head, back browner
and less heavily streaked ; wings and tail browner and with less white ; throat
and upper breast mottled with black and white.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but upperparts and cheeks
washed with grayish brown, black of throat margined with white, sides tinged
with brown, the black streakings obscured.
Young $, Fall.— Not certainly distinguishable from adult $ in Fall but often
with less black.
Nestling. — Above brownish gray, a broad whitish postocular stripe ; below
gray, belly white, breast lightly streaked; wings and tail as in young.
General Distribution. — Western United States.
Summer Range. — Breeds from northern Lower California,
southern CaHfornia, southern Arizona and New Mexico; north to
British Columbia and east to central Colorado (Idaho Springs).
Winter Range. — Winters in Mexico.
Spring Migration. — The species enters southern California the
first week in April and reaches southern British Columbia the third
week in the month. The earliest dates in southern Arizona and
southern New Mexico are included between April 6 and April 9;
while the species appears in the northern portion of its Colorado range
early in May.
Fall Migration. — The last birds do not leave central California
until the first week in October and the species does not desert the
State until after the middle of the month.
The Bird and its Haunts. — "These birds are very plentiful during
the breeding season in the mountains of southern Arizona. They may be
found from an altitude of 4,000 to 9,000 feet, but are more common in
the oak belt, from 4,000 to 7,000 feet altitude, where a great many of
them breed. Nevertheless, comparatively few nests are found. I be-
lieve the reason for this is, because, unlike other Warblers, these birds
do not have a note of alarm nor do they show any signs of breeding.
The birds are constantly on the jump, apparently catching insects.
Even when flushed from the nest they will hop about in their usual
unconcerned manner." (Howard^.)
Of this Warbler in California Walter Fisher writes: "The Black-
throated Gray goes about its afifairs in a quiet business-like manner
suggesting the Lutescent Warbler, and dififers, therefore, in tempera-
ment from both the Calaveras and Audubon Warblers which are
always in evidence. It lives in chaparral such as deer brush, wild lilac
Plate XIII
1 . Yellow-throated Warbler, Male.
2. Yellow-throated Warbler, Female.
3. Grace's Warbler, Male.
4. Grace's Warbler, Female.
5. Black-throated Gray Warbler, Male.
6. Black-throated Gray Warbler, Female.
(one-half natural size.)
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER
153
of various species, scrub oak, and sometimes, particularly in the humid
coast districts, among evergreens. It is fond of the neighborhood of
clearings where it works constantly and carefully among low growth.
Although it does not force itself upon one's attention it is a very
active bird and during the day must cover considerable territory."
(Fisher, MS.)
Bowles*, writing from Oregon, says that in habits the Black-
throated Gray suggests both the Black-throated Green and Prairie
Warblers. Like the former, it likes tall trees with a preference for
scattered conifers having a bushy undergrowth. Like the Prairie it
prefers high and dry places, though it does not object to a swamp if
the ground beneath the nest is dry.
Two pairs this writer watched while building "had the same way
of going about it. The male followed the female very closely, scold-
ing almost continuously, or perhaps making suggestions, as she did
not seem to mind it and gathered materials and acted very much as if
he was not there. This continuous scolding generally seems to indicate
nest-building and is apparently the only direct method of finding the
nest."
Near Pyramid Lake, in western Nevada, I found the Black-
throated Gray in stunted junipers.
Song. — "Its song is a simple Warbler lay, zee-ee-see-ee, se, ze, ze,
with the quiet woodsy quality of virens and ccerulescens, so soothing
to the ear." {Bailey.)
Nesting Site. — In Arizona Howard^ found many nests of this
species in dense thickets of scrub oak in the fork of the larger limbs
quite often within reach of the ground, while other nests were placed
high up in the pines. In the Sierras of California, Barlow^, recording
Carriger's observations, states that several nests "were found in the
deer brush at from five to nine feet up and two were placed in pines,
one twelve feet up on a small limb, and another fifty-two feet up on a
horizontal limb."
In Oregon, PrilP writes that "the nest is placed in some small fir,
generally not over five or six feet high; while Bowles* finds the nest
of this species "from three feet and three inches to twenty-five feet
from the ground, oaks seeming the favorite in southern Oregon and
fir near Tacoma."
Nest. — Howard' describes the nests as "very compact, of a deep
cup shape, much like those of the Yellow Warbler. The nesting ma-
terial varies according to locality."
Prill^ writes that the nest is "made of fine grass, profusely lined
154 TOWNSEND'S WARBLER
with feathers." Bowles* states that "the nests externally are about
3x2f inches and internally ifxif in diameter and depth. They
are composed externally of grass and weed-stalks that must be several
seasons old, being bleached, and very soft moss and feathers ; lined with
feathers (one had evidently been lined from a dead Steller Jay), horse,
cow, and rabbit hair or fur, and sometimes the very fine stems of
flowers of some kind of moss."
Eggs. — 3 or 4, usually 4. Ground color white to very pale
greenish white, delicately marked with specks and spots of red-brown,
purplish, and under shell markings of pale lavender, forming a well-
defined wreath around the large end with few spots and specks spar-
ingly distributed over rest of the egg. Size; average, .69X.50. (Figs.
69-71.)
Nesting Dates. — Mountains north of Pasadena, Calif., May 19,
four small young in nest; June 26, three eggs incubated (Grinnell) ;
FyflFe, Eldorado Co., Calif., June 5 (C. W. C.) ; Tacoma, Wash., May
14-June 24 {Bowles).
Biographical References
(1) A. G. Prill, Black-throated Gray Warbler, (in Oregon), Oologist,
IX, 1892, 128. (2) C. Barlow, The Nesting Haunts of the Black-throated
Gray Warbler (in Calif.), Bull. Cooper Orn. Club (=Condor), I, 1899, 96-
(3) O. W. Howard, Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull. Cooper Orn.
Club (==:Condor), I, 1899, 64. (4) C. W. Bowles, Notes on the Black-throated
Gray Warbler (in Oregon), Condor, IV, 1902, 82. (5) W. L. Finley, Two
Oregon Warblers, The Condor, VI, 1904, 31.
TOWNSEND'S Warbler
:r DENDROICA TOWNSENDI (Towns.) Plate XV
Distinguishing Characters. — The adult c? in Spring may be known by its
black throat and crown and black cheeks surrounded by yellow lines ; in other
plumages the yellow or yellowish throat, black spots or bases to feathers of
crown, yellow mark below eye and dusky or olive cheeks, surrounded by yel-
low, are characteristic. Length (skin), 4.60; wing, 2.60; tail, 1.95; bill, .35.
Adult ^, Spring. — Crown black, rest of upperparts olive-green spotted
with black; a black band through the cheeks bordered above by a yellow
superciliary line, below by a yellow stripe on the side of the throat which
broadens into a yellow patch on the side of the neck ; a yellow spot under
eye; tail margined with grayish, both webs of two outer feathers largely
white, the inner web of third to fourth feather with white at the
end ; wings margined with grayish ; end half of median coverts white, greater
coverts tipped with white forming two conspicuous bands; throat and upper
breast black, lower breast yellow, belly white, sides streaked with black.
Adult (S, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but black areas nearly con-
cealed by olive-green tips ; black cheeks with slight greenish tips ; black on
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER
155
throat patch, widely tipped with yellow and in part replaced by yellow; sides
less heavily streaked.
Young ^, i^o//.— Similar to adult 3 in Fall but with less black above on
throat and on sides; cheek-band more olive.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult S in Spring but crown olive-green spotted
with black, little or no black in back; less white in tail, the outer web of only
the outer feather with white; wing-bars narrower, cheeks more olive; throat
and breast obscurely marked with black which appears more clearly on the
sides of the breast, belly white.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but darker above, black mark-
ings less evident, sides tinged with brownish.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Fall but with less black on head and
throat.
Nestling. — Above brown, a broad buflfy superciliary line; breast evidently
brownish, belly white but molt too far progressed to permit of complete descrip-
tion.
General Distribution. — Western North America, north to Alaska,
east to Colorado.
Summer Range. — From mountains of southern California ( ?) and
Oregon north to Sitka, Alaska, and the upper Yukon Valley; east to
Idaho (Fort Sherman) and western Colorado; in migration it ranges to
the eastern foothills of Colorado (Loveland) and to western Texas,
(San Angelo) ; accidental in Pennsylvania (Coatesville, May 12, 1868).
Winter Range. — Mexico and Guatemala ; a few sometimes as far
north as southern California.
Spring Migration. — Migrants from Mexico begin to enter Cali-
fornia April 14 to 20. The earliest noted in 1888 at Chilliwack, B. C.,.
was on May 19, but the usual date of arrival is probably several days
earlier, for the average date of the first birds seen during five years at
Columbia Falls, Mont, is May 7, varying from May 4, 1897 to May
II, 1896. First arrivals have been noted on April 9, in the Huachuca
Mountains of Arizona; Loveland, Colo., May 11, 1889 and at Great
Falls, Mont., May 28, 1890.
Fall Migration. — None of Townsend's Warblers was seen at
Columbia Falls, Mont., after August 17, 1895, nor at Chilliwack, B. C,
later than September 12, 1888.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Very little information concerning the
habits of this bird appears to have been recorded. At Fort Sherman,
Idaho, where it evidently nests, Merrill found it haunting the tops of
large firs, flitting restlessly from tree to tree at a height which made
identification diflficult. At Glacier, Alaska, Bishops states that "it was
tolerably common in the dense woods of spruce and fir and unquestion-
ably nesting; altogether we noticed about twenty individuals during
156 TOWNSEND'S WARBLER
our stay." Macoun*, quoting Spreadborough, says they are common
on Vancouver Island and nest in the Douglas firs. Woodcock^, quoting
Anthony, says that at Beaverton, Oregon, Townsend's Warbler is not
at all rare in second growths of fir. In California, Grinnell states, it
is a "common winter visitant to the Santa Cruz district, and sparingly
elsewhere west of the Sierras; occurs more widely during migration."
Song. — "This usually consists of five notes — dee dee dee — de de
all, especially the first three, uttered in the peculiar harsh drawl of D.
virens. Later in the season the song changes somewhat at times."
{MerriW^.)
Nest and Eggs. — June 7, 1875, Bendire^ took what he believed to
be the nest and eggs of this species in southwestern Oregon. It was
placed among several willow shoots about four feet from the ground.
The identification, however, was incomplete. Spreadborough, as
quoted above, states that this Warbler nests in the Douglas firs on
Vancouver Island, but no further details are given.
The data accompanying a set of four eggs in the collection of
J. Lewis Childs, reads as follows: June 12, 1892, Collected by Walter
Raine, Vancouver, B. C, "on a branch of Willow four feet from
ground." Mr. Childs writes: "I give you herewith the information
regarding the nest and set of eggs of Townsend's Warbler, as per your
request of the 15th. The four eggs measure respectively .70X.50,
.72X.52, .70X.51, .68X.51. Color, light ashen gray, heavily blotched,
specked and marbled dull rufous-brown ; eggs showing wide variation
in extent of color, all having more or less of it on all parts with a
predominance at the large end. The color on the large end of one
tgg is almost solid, on another very sparse. The eggs may be said to
be fairly distinct, not resembling those of any other species of Warbler,
and none, excepting possibly Cape May and Hermit, show so much
color. Nest neat and firm, made entirely of fine grasses (no hair of
any sort) with some downy substance and vegetable fiber on the out-
side. Inside measurement, width 2 inches, depth, i 1-2 inches." (Figs.
97-99, Childs Coll.)
Biographical References
(i) C. E. Bendire, Notes on Some of the Birds found in Southeastern
Oregon, etc., Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., 1877, 114. (2) J. C. Merrill, Notes
on the Birds of Fort Sherman, Idaho, Auk, XV, 1898, 19. (3) L. B. Bishop,
Birds of the Yukon Region, N. A. Fauna, No. 19, 1900, 90. (4) J. Macoun,
Cat. of Canadian Birds, III, 631. (5) A. R. Woodcock, Birds of Oregon, 87.
(6) J. Grinnell, Check-List of California Birds, 65.
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER
157
Black-throated Green Warbler
DENDROICA VIRENS (Gmel.) Plate XIV
Distinguishing Characters. — The yellow cheeks, bright olive-green back with
few or no black streaks, the largely white outer web of the outer tail-feather ;
the black throat of the adult male and yellow or yellowish throat of the female
and young are the distinguishing marks of this species. Length (skin), 4.40;
wing, 2.45; tail, 1.95; bill, .40.
Adult d*. Spring. — Above bright olive-green the back often with more or
less concealed black spots; forehead yellowish, line over eye and cheeks yellow,
lores and postocular streak dusky; tail margined with grayish, both webs of
the two outer feathers largely white, third to fifth feathers with white at end of
inner web ; wings margined with grayish, end half of median coverts white,
greater coverts tipped with white forming two conspicuous bars ; throat and
breast black; belly white usually more or less tinged with yellow; sides heavily
streaked with black.
Adult c?. Fall. — Similar to adult (S in Spring but black of throat conspicu-
ously tipped, and of sides, margined with white or yellowish.
Young <$, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Fall but back more rarely with
black, chin and upper throat yellow, not black, less black on sides.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult d* in Spring but somewhat duller above,
less white in tail, in some specimens outer web of only outer tail-feathers
white, white wing-bars narrower; chin and throat yellow, breast black tipped
with white or yellowish, sides streaked with black ; belly white usually tinged
with yellow. Resembling young male in Fall but duller in color and the more
worn plumage gives the black of breast a more patchy appearance.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but somewhat brighter in color
the black of breast more evenly and widely tipped with whitish, the black
streaks on sides less evident.
Young 5, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Fall but duller above, the breast
dusky yellow with little or no black.
Nestling. — Above brown, below whitish streaked with dusky, a brownish
white line over eye; wings and tail as in young.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America ; north to New-
foundland and Athabasca ; west to the Plains.
Summer Range. — The region of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, New-
foundland, and west to northern Alberta and southwestern Alberta
marks the northern limit of the range of this species. It breeds south
to Minnesota, Wisconsin (Jefferson County), Michigan (Crawford,
Oscoda, and Iosco Counties), New York (Oneida County), Massa-
chusetts (Cambridge, Springfield, Martha's Vineyard, etc.), north-
western Connecticut and, less commonly, northern Long Island and
northern New Jersey; south in the Alleghenies, it breeds through
Pennsylvania to South Carolina. In passing to its summer home it
ranges west to western Minnesota, eastern Nebraska (Omaha, Flor-
ence, Neligh), eastern Kansas (Onaga) and eastern Texas; rare west
of the heavy forest area of the Mississippi Valley.
158
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER
Winter Range. — Mexico to Panama; casual or accidental in the
West Indies.
Spring Migration. —
PI.ACE
Atlantic Coast —
Raleigh, N. C
Asheville, N. C. (near) . . .
French Creek, W. Va
Washington, D. C
New Providence, N. J
Englewood, N. J
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Alfred, N. Y
Ballston Spa, N. Y
Portland, Conn
Hartford, Conn
Providence, R. I
Central Massachusetts
Southeastern Massachusetts
Northeastern Massachusetts
Randolph, Vt
St. Johnsbury, Vt
Southern New Hampshire .
Southern Maine
Montreal, Can
Quebec, Can
Central Nova Scotia
St. John, N. B
North River, P. E. I
Mississippi Valley —
Mouth Rio Grande, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Eubank, Ky
Chicago, 111
Rockford, 111
Oberlin, O
Brookville, Ind
Waterloo, Ind. (near)
Petersburg, Mich
Battle Creek, Mich
Northern Michigan
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont.
Ottawa, Ont
Southeastern Iowa
Lanesboro, Minn
Aweme, Man
Athabasca Lake
No. of
years'
record
9
4
4
7
7
6
6
10
15
7
6
7
4
13
12
i6
6
6
7
8
4
II
4
12
3
7
4
4
12
5
lO
5
9
10
6
2
12
9
i8
6
3
Average date of
spring arrival
March 27
April 28
April 16
April 25
April 30
April 30
April 30
April 26
May I
May 8
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May II
May 10
May 13
May 13
May 17
March 22
March 24
April II
May I
May 3
April 28
April 29
May I
May 2
May 3
May 23
May I
May 6
May 13
May 5
May 7
Earliest date of
spring arrival
March 22, 1898
April 24, 1893
April 10, 1893
April 22, 1905
April 23, 1891
April 25, 1901
April 25, 1891
April 22, 1896
April 22, 1889
April 29, 1894
April 27, 1886
April 28, 1895
May I, 1897
April 26, 1891
April 25, 1897
April 24, 1897
May 2, 1890
May 5, 1900
April 30, 1903
May 3, 1894
May 7, 1891
May 6, 1900
May 10, 1896
8, 1895
13, 1889
May
May
March 18, 1880
March 13, 1880
April 9, 1894
April 27, 1900
April 28, 1889
April 25, 1896
April 26, 1886
April 24, 1894
April 25, 1886
April 28, 1885
May 20, 1899
April 26, 1904
May 3, 1896
May I, 1905
April 30, 1895
April 30, 1888
May 13, 1898
June 3, 1901
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER
159
Fall Migration. —
PI.ACE
North River, P. E. I
St. John, N. B
Southern Maine
Fitchburg, Mass
Portland, Conn
Renovo, Pa
Southeastern New York ,
Germantown, Pa
Washington, D. C
Raleigh, N. C
Ottawa, Ont
Chicago, 111
Eubank, Ky
New Orleans, La. (near)
No. of
years'
Average date of
I,atest date of
record
last one seen
last one seen
4
September 5
September 13, 1890
6
September 13
September 25, 1891
7
September 27
October 2, 1898
October 9, 1898
October 20, 1888
5
October 4
October 15, 1887
8
October 7
October 12, 1899
5
October 8
October 18, 1888
October 20, 1890
5
October 8
October 16, 1893
7
September 27
October 8, 1887
9
September 27
October 12, 1894
October 14, 1891
October 28, 1899
Tht Bird and its Haunts. — Singing freely while he travels, one
need not follow the Black-throated Green to his northern home to hear
the delicious, little lazy drawl which, near New York, marks the open-
ing days of Warbler time. Now we may find him almost anywhere
there are trees, but, arrived on his nesting ground, he shows a marked
preference for conifers.
About Cambridge, Mass., where the Black-throated Green is
among the most abundant summer Warblers, Brewster^ writes that
its favorite haunts "are extensive, well-matured woods of white pines,
and rocky pastures growing up to pitch pines or to Virginia junipers.'^
About Monadnock, Gerald Thayer writes, the Black-throated
Green is "a very common or abundant summer bird through all the
region, high and low; ranging from the pine woods of the lowest
valleys to the half open copses of spruce and mountain ash along
Monadnock's rocky ridge, — 2,500 to 3,169 feet. High upon the moun-
tain, however, it is less common than the Myrtle, or even the Nash-
ville. Though decidedly a forest Warbler, it favors second growth,
and pasture-bordering copses, rather than the very heavy timber, and
is particularly partial to dry white pine woods. Its 'beat' lies between
the sunlit tops of middle-sized pines, spruce and other trees, and their
bottom branches on the outer borders of the groves. The deeply
shaded wood-interiors it seems rather to avoid ; and it is a great
haunter, especially while singing, of the spindling tops of fair-sized
conifers. Active, restless, but very tame, it is a noticeable little bird
wherever it occurs, particularly in the clearly-marked costume of the
adult male, whose almost fleckless yellow cheeks often lead chance
observers to describe it as yellow-headed." (Thayer, MS.)
l6o BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER
At Branchport, N. Y., Verdi Burtch says the Black-throated
Green "is found during the nesting season in all of our larger gullies.
I have found twenty or more nests during the past three seasons, and
all have been in hemlocks. The birds are close sitters and will not
leave the nest until one gets almost close enough to touch them.
When flushed from the nest they usually drop nearly to the ground,
then sail to a nearby bush, gradually coming back near one. Usually
they are quiet but sometimes they chip a little." {Burtch, MS.)
Song. — "The familiar two main songs of this common Warbler
are subject to surprising individual — or rather, idiosyncratic, — varia-
tion. Most of the individuals in a region sing nearly alike, — showing,
indeed, an unusual fixitude of song-form, but about one in forty does
queer tricks with his voice. Among the commonest of these tricks
is the introduction into all or part of the song of a pronounced quaver
or tremulo. But the phrasing as well as the tone-quality is highly
subject to these occasional vagaries. The song is sometimes disguised
almost past recognition. Although the Black-throated Green is pre-
eminently a full-voiced Warbler, its voice has a certain quality of husk-
iness, — like the Black-throated Blue's, but much less obtrusively notice-
able, and rather enhancing than marring the quiet sweetness of the
song. One of the two main utterances is remarkable for its deliberate
and highly-modulated enunciation ; the other not. The deliberate song,
of five (sometimes six or eight) notes, is the one usually described in
books ; but here about Monadnock the other is at least as often uttered,
and in mid-summer is the commoner of the two. The differences
between them are suggested, though feebly, by the two phrases : Sweer
swecrrr, swi-ni swee (the first and last accented notes the highest-
pitched), and Wi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi, wer-weee (last note highest-
pitched as well as most emphatic). The first phrase represents, of
course, the more highly modulated song. Two at least of this War-
bler's call-notes are fairly characteristic, a plainly Dendroicine but
rather loud and full-toned tsip and a reduplicated smaller chip, often
running into 'chippering', like that of many young but few other adult
Warblers." {Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock presents the following renderings:
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER i6l
"Sometimes the last note is omitted, as follows:"
V ;^
i
"Below is a second distinct song and the same bird will some-
times sing one form several times and then change to the other. The
fourth note of it has an entirely different quality from the other four ;
a harsh buzzing sound as though the breath were drawn in."
-IJiJ u
Nesting Site. — Coniferous trees are most frequently chosen by
this species but it selects also an alder or birch. The height of the
site from the ground depends largely upon the nature of the bird's
haunts; when, for example, it lives among scrubby spruces, the nest,
as might be expected, is low, at times within three feet of the ground ;
but under suitable conditions the nest may be as high as forty feet well
out on a horizontal limb.
Burtch writes that at Branchport, N. Y., he has found twenty or
more nests and all have been in hemlocks. Two were in little rudi-
mentary limbs against the body of slender trees, the others were vari-
ously situated on horizontal or drooping limbs from three to twelve
feet from the body of the tree and from ten to forty feet from the
ground. A nest found at Closter, N. J., the most southern sea-level
breeding locality recorded, was placed in a most unusual site. It is
described as "between the stems of a skunk cabbage plant and fastened
to a catbriar and the twigs of a dead bush, and was about fourteen
inches from the ground, in a very wet part of the swamp." (Bowdish^.)
Nest. — The almost woven exterior of small hemlock twigs appears
to be characteristic of the nest of this species.
"The compact and deeply cupped nest is usually composed of fine
dead hemlock twigs lined with hair and rootlets, and, sometimes,
feathers or a fine dead grass and fine strips of bark, white birch bark
occasionally being used. It sometimes has attached to the exterior
little bunches of yellowish wooly substance, and a white fluffy material
resembling spiders' silk." (Burtch, MS.)
Eggs. — Almost invariably 4 in number. Ground color ranges from
white to creamy white and grayish white, rather heavily marked with
fine specks and spots: few blotches occur of cinnamon-rufous,
l62 GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER
chestnut brown, purplish and Hlac-gray, with under shell markings
of lavender, forming well-defined wreathes around large end. Some
eggs are heavily wreathed with very few scattering spots, others have
numerous specks over entire egg. Size; average .65X.51, extremes
.70x49, .58X.53. (Figs. 74-76.)
Nesting Dates. — New Haven, Conn., May 21 -June 17 (Bishop) ;
Cambridge, Mass., full sets, first laying, June 5-10 (Brewster) ; Lan-
caster, N. H., June 2 (Spaulding) ; Bangor, Me., May 30- July i
(Knight) ; Grand Menan, N. B., June 14 (/. P. N.); Ottawa Co.,
Mich., May 15, building, (Gunn) ; July 11, feeding young, Widmann
(Barrozvs).
Biographical References
(i) John N. Clark, Nesting of the Black-throated Green Warbler (at
Saybrook, Ct.), Orn. and 051., XII, 1887, 22. (2) E. A. Capen, The Black-
throated Green Warbler at Grand Menan, Orn. and 061., XIII, 1888, 59. (3)
J. P. N [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Black-throated Green Warbler, Orn.
and 061., XVI, 52. (4) Wm. L. Kells, Nesting of Some Canadian Warblers,
Ottawa Naturalist, XVII, 1903, 68. (5) Lewis M. Terrill, Summer Warblers
in Compton County, Quebec, Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, 1904, 149. (6) B. S.
BowDiSH, Some Breeding Warblers of Demarest, N. J., Auk, XXIII, 1906, 17.
(7) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 341.
Golden-cheeked Warbler
DENDROICA CHRYSOPARIA Scl. and Salv. Plate XIV
Distinguishing Characters. — The Golden-cheeked Warbler is to be con-
fused only with the Black-throated Green Warbler. Adults of both sexes
are sufficiently unlike not to require detailed comparison. Young females may
be distinguished by the fact that in chrysoparia the belly is white while in
virens it is tinged with yellow. Length (skin), 4.60; wing, 2.50; tail, 2.10;
bill, .40.
Adult S, Spring. — Median frontal stripe yellow, rest of upperparts shining
jet black without olive markings; tail blackish two outer feathers largely white
on inner web apically, and on outer web, basally, third feather with white
on inner web only, less in extent ; wings edged with grayish the median coverts
broadly, the greater coverts more narrowly tipped with white; cheeks and
line over eye yellow ; a blackish line through eye from bill to nape ; throat
and upper breast black; sides heavily streaked with black, rest of underparts
white.
Adult S, Fall. — Not seen, doubtless not materially different from adult c? in
Spring.
Young ^, Fall. — Resembles adult $ in Spring but is more heavily streaked
above, the yellow of the sides of the head is brighter and more extended, the
throat and upper breast are black tipped with yellow or whitish.
Young S, Spring. — Similar to young c^ in Fall but tips on black of throat
and sides smaller or absent ; upperparts with narrower greenish edgings.
Plate XIV
1. Black-throated Green Warbler, Adult Male
2. Black-throated Green Warbler, Adult Female,
3. Black-throated Green Warbler, Young Female
4. Golden-cheeked Warbler, Adult Male.
5. Golden-cheeked Warbler, Adult Female.
6. Golden-cheeked Warbler, Young Female,
(one-half natural size.)
GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER 163
Between this plumage in which the back is streaked with olive-green and the
black of throat or breast tipped with yellowish or whitish and that in which
the back and breast are solidly jet black, there is, in Spring specimens, every
degree of intergradation, probably in part due to individual variation, but it
seems unlikely that the jet black back is acquired before the first post-breeding
molt.
Adult $, Spring. — Above olive-green, both crown and back streaked with
black; a partly concealed median frontal streak; a broad yellow line from
bill over eye ; cheeks and sides of neck yellow, a dusky transocular streak which
sometimes extends backward and upward to the nape ; tail with less white than
in c?, wings as in c^ but grayer; chin and throat yellow with more or less
blackish intermixed; upper breast black more or less tipped or mottled with
whitish extending into black streaks on the sides ; lower breast and belly white.
Like young d* in Fall but with less black above and on throat.
Adult 9, Fall.— Not seen.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but with few or no streaks
above, the yellow of the sides of the head duller and more restricted ; the throat
white with little or no yellow ; the breast dusky, the feathers basally more or
less blackish ; sides less heavily streaked with black and with a brownish wash.
Resembles Black-throated Green $ in Fall, but lacks yellow wash below.
Nestling. — Above dusky brownish gray, a faintly suggested grayish super-
ciliary line ; below grayish the throat and breast grayer, the sides and belly
whiter, the former obscurely streaked with dusky, wing-coverts brownish gray
narrowly tipped with whitish.
General Distribution. — Central Texas southward.
Summer Range. — South Central Texas. ( See Attwater's remarks
beyond.)
Winter Range. — Southern Mexico and Guatemala.
Spring Migration. — Its arrival near San Antonio, Texas, was
noted March 13, 1895; March 10, 1896; March 9, 1897; March 13,
1898; March 14, 1900; March 16, 1903; March 15, 1904; March 16,
1905 ; average March 13.
The Bird and its Haunts. — The limited range of the Golden-
cheeked Warbler has given few ornithologists the privilege of study-
ing it. Mr. H. P. Attwater, of Texas, when living at San Antonio,
near this bird's summer home, took advantage of this opportunity to
study its habits with such satisfactory results that, thanks to his efforts,
we have a more complete biography of this bird than of many com-
moner, more widely distributed species. The following observations
were prepared by Mr. Attwater for use in the present connection :
"The summer home of the Golden-cheeked Warbler in the United
States is confined to certain portions of the counties in south-central
Texas, embraced in the timbered parts of the 'Edwards Plateau'
region. Throughout this region numerous valleys and deep canons,
l64 GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER
with steep, rocky sides, have been cut by erosion, leaving peaks and
terraced hills, intersected with ravines, gorges and defiles, presenting
wild picturesque mountainous scenery.
"The Golden-cheek is not a bird of the forest, being seldom met
with in the tall timbered areas in the wider valleys along the rivers,
or in the tall trees which fringe the streams in the canons ; but its
favorite haunts are among the smaller growth of trees, on the rough
wooded hillsides, and which covers the slopes and 'points' leading up
from the caiions, and the boulder strewn ridges or 'divides' which
separate the heads of the creeks. The trees which compose this growth
consist chiefly of mountain cedar (juniper), Spanish or mountain oak,
black oak, and live oak on the higher ground, and live oak and Spanish
oak clumps or thickets on the lower flats among the foothills, inter-
spersed in some localities with dwarf walnut, pecan and hackberry.
All these trees grow on an average from lo to 20 feet high, the cedar
often forming almost impenetrable 'brakes'. Whatever space remains
among the oaks and cedars is generally covered with shin oak brush,
which is a characteristic feature of the region. The cedar or juniper
appears to possess some peculiar attraction for this bird for they are
seldom found at any great distance from cedar localities, and they
seem to divide the greater part of their time between the cedars an4
Spanish oaks, searching for insects, with occasional visits to other
oaks, walnuts, etc., but seldom descending as low as the shin oak
brush, which averages four to five feet. It is quite probable that
future observations will show, that some favorite insect food which
comprises a portion of their 'bill of fare', is found among the cedar
foliage.
"The song of the male is the first unmistakable notification of its
arrival and within a few days it is quite common and the females are
also observed. In the localities described the Golden-cheeked Warbler
is by no means a rare bird, and it is by far the most abundant of the
few Warblers which breed in the same region. In the shaded and
watered canons a few Kentuckys and Parulas are always found nest-
ing, and occasionally a Sycamore and Black and White Warbler, but
they are all rare breeding birds, compared with the Golden-cheek.
"Like most of the same sex of other Warblers the female of this
species is very shy, and seldom noticed except when an intruder
disturbs the nest or when feeding the young after leaving it, but the
male Golden-cheeked Warbler is by no means a shy bird. He keeps
continually flying from tree to tree in search of insects, and on fine
days uttering his song at short intervals from early dawn until after
GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER 165
sundown, and before nest building- begins shows little alarm upon
being approached. I have stood under a tree a number of times within
five or six feet of a wandering male Golden-cheek, which appeared
as pleased and interested in watching me as / was in observing him.
Seemingly he was desirous of assisting me to describe his song in
my note-book, by very obligingly repeating it frequently for my special
benefit.
"The young birds out of the nest, which are being fed by the
parents late in April and early in May, are from early nests which
have escaped destruction by 'northers' on account of their sheltered
positions and situations, and it is possible that then another nest is
built and a second brood reared. Nests with fresh eggs are seldom
found after the middle of May. During June the family groups wan-
der about together, chiefly in the caiions and along the lower hillsides,
keeping together till the young are old enough to take care of them-
selves. While being fed by the parents the 'twittering' of the young
birds is continually heard, with the cautious 'tick, tick' alarm notes
of the female when enemies approach. Early in July they begin to
scatter, as most of the young birds are then able to shift for them-
selves. By the middle of July most of the old males have stopped
singing, and by the end of July old and young have disappeared from
their usual haunts. I have noticed a few stragglers during the first
two weeks in August, and all probably leave before September first.
Song. — "It would be difficult to describe the Golden-cheek's song
with any real satisfaction. It varies somewhat, being uttered much
more rapidly by some individuals than by others. At a distance only
the louder parts are heard, so that it sounds somewhat different than
when heard at close quarters. The hurried song might be given
as tweah, tweah, tzvee-sy, with some individuals introducing an extra
note or two, and the slower or more deliberate style twee-ah, eseah,
eachy. After the young leave the nests the males gradually stop sing-
ing, and at this period sometimes only use a part of the regular song.
Nesting Site. — "Of over fifty nests of this bird which I have
examined, most of them were securely placed in perpendicular forks of
the main limbs of cedar trees, about two-thirds up in the tree; average
fifteen feet from the ground. My highest record is twenty-one feet,
and lowest six feet. I have also found them in similar positions
in small black oak, mountain oak, walnut and pecan trees. The
majority of nests are undoubtedly built in cedar trees, and resemble
the limbs on which they are placed, on account of cedar bark being
chiefly used for the outsides of the nests. The nests were all care-
l66 GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER
fully fixed, in forks or crotches, with very substantial foundations of
nest material, and are all very similar in appearance. The favorite nest-
ing haunts are isolated patches or clumps of scrubby cedars, with scant
foliage, on the summits of the scarped cafion slopes, and in the thick
cedar 'brakes'. In cedar the older growth of trees is always selected,
and no attempt at concealment is made. I have never found a nest
in a young thrifty cedar with thick foliage.
"The male is always to be heard singing in the vicinity of the nest,
and the old nesting localities, and occasionally the same tree is selected
apparently and returned to one year after another.
Nest. — "The outside of the nest is chiefly cedar bark strips, with
a few weed stalk fibers, woven with spider webs and cocoons, lined
with fine grass-tops, horse hair, goat hair and feathers, those of the
Quail and Cardinal being most commonly selected, and especially the
latter. The cavities of six nests measured average 1.60 inches across
by 1.80 inches deep.
Eggs. — "The eggs are usually 3 or 4 the latter being a full set, my
only higher record is finding one nest which contained five young.
Occasionally a nest is found which also includes a Cowbird's egg. Nest
building commences very soon after the birds arrive, and nests with
full sets of fresh eggs are found about April 15. I have early records
of four eggs hard set on April 11, 1904, and the young birds ready to
leave the nest on April 24. The cold freezing 'spells' and rough
storms, or 'northers', which frequently occur during the latter part
of March and during April must often interfere with nesting arrange-
ments, and to this cause I attribute the frequent finding in April and
early part of May of so many forsaken nests, either empty or contain-
ing I or 2 stale eggs. The trees having been thrashed for several
days at a' time by rough winds, sometimes accompanied by hail storms,
and the nests soaked and more or less disarranged no doubt causes
the birds to desert them.
"The eggs vary considerably in size, shape and markings. The
average for 31 eggs now in my collection, is .66X.51, the three
largest eggs measuring .72X.51, .70X.54, and .71X.53, and the
three smallest .61X.49, .62X.54, .62X.50. The eggs are plain white
with sometimes a slight gloss, and quite thickly splashed chiefly around
the large end with spots, specks, blotches and occasionally streaks, of
various shades of dark reddish brown, mixed with lilac and lavender."
(Attwater, MS.)
Nesting Dates.— Comal Co., Texas, March 10 (C. W. C.)-June
27 (/. P. N.).
HERMIT WARBLER
Biographical References
167
(i) J. P. N [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Golden-cheeked Warbler, Orn.
and 061., XIV, 1889, 68. (2) N. C. Brown, A Reconnoissance in Southern
Texas, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VII, 1882, 2'^. (3) H. P. Attwater, List of
Birds observed in the Vicinity of San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Auk,
IX, 1892, 341.
Hermit Warbler
DENDROICA OCCIDENTALIS (Towns.) Plate XV
Distinguishing Characters. — The adult S may be known by its yellow head,
and black throat, whitish, virtually unstreaked sides, while the latter character,
in connection with yellow cheeks and yellow or basally yellow crown feathers,
will distinguish birds in other plumage. Length (skin), 4.60; wing, 1.55; tail,
1.95; bill, .40. ,
Adult c?. Spring. — Top and sides of head yellow, hindhead and nape with
more or less black ; back black margined with grayish ; tail black mar-
gined with gray, both webs of outer feathers largely white, inner web of third
feather white at end; wings margined with gray; median coverts broadly
tipped with white the greater coverts terminally margined with whitish; throat
black, rest of underparts soiled white, the sides rarely with a few streaks.
Adult <^, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Spring but head with more black,
back more widely margined with olive, throat veiled with whitish, sides browner.
Young S, Fall. — Similar to adult c^ in Fall but with black above largely
replaced by olive-green; sides of head duskier; throat buffy instead of black;
sides browner.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but with less yellow on
head, back olive-gray often without black streaks, less white in tail, wing-bars
browner, throat usually yellow bordered posteriorly with black, sometimes
largely whitish, rarely all black, white below browner.
Adult 2j Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but greener above, yellow of
head and streaks in back (when present) more obscured, throat markings
more or less concealed with buffy.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Fall but upperparts chiefly dark,
grayish olive-green, forehead basally yellow ; sides of head and chin yellowish,
rest of underparts buffy white. Closely resembles young c? in Fall but has
less yellow and no black on head but that of shaft streaks.
Nestling. — Above brownish gray; breast grayish, belly whitish washed with
brownish and tipped with blackish ; a whitish postocular streak.
General Distribution. — Pacific Coast region.
Summer Range. — Breeds in the higher mountains of California
and north to southern British Columbia.
Winter Range. — Mexico and Guatemala.
Spring Migration. — Enters the United States in April being
reported from Oracle, Arizona, April 12, 1899, ^"d the Huachuca
Mountains, Arizona, April 9, 1902. Records of the earliest birds seen
in California are Campo, April 27, 1877, and Julian, April 25, 1884.
l68 HERMIT WARBLER
A Hermit Warbler was noted at Burrard Inlet, British Columbia,
April 20, 1885.
Fall Migration. — In the fall the species has been noted as late as
September 22, in Arizona, and October 9, in California.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Of this beautiful Warbler as it is
found in California Walter Fisher writes: "I have observed this
Warbler among dense conifers and in open glades of young black oaks
in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But it is preeminently a bird of
the coniferous forests although it may wander longer or shorter
distances from them. The yellow sides of the head, sharply con-
trasted with the black throat and that with the white underparts,
form a combination of markings which render confusion of this species
with any other well nigh impossible. The song is also different from
that of any other Warbler of the region, and has been translated by
the words seegle-seegle-zeegle, seek. It is not loud, yet carries for a
considerable distance.
"Hermit Warblers are not so abundant in a region as the Calaveras
and Audubon may be, but sometimes in the late summer, migrations of
young take place at comparatively high altitudes in the Sierra Nevada.
During these 'waves' young birds are abundant among Murray pines,
from about 6,000 to 8,000 feet, and they move along silently except for
an occasional cheep, as they search among cones and needles for their
food." {Fisher, MS.)
At Beaverton, Oregon, A. W. Anthony reports this bird not rare
in second growth firs ; and about Tacoma, Washington, Bowles^
records it as a regular but far from common summer resident. It
frequents the tops of the giant firs, where at a height of from two to
three hundred feet from the ground, it is studied with difficulty amid
the dense vegetation. 'About the middle of July both young and old
assemble in good sized flocks and frequent the water holes in the
smaller growths of timber. At such times I have never seen them
associating with any other kinds of birds."
Song. — Barlow^ records the call-note of this species, as it was
heard by him in the Sierras of Eldorado County, Calif., as a weak
tseet, while the song though not loud "would penetrate through the
woods quite a distance and very much resembled tsit, tsit, tsit, tsit,
chee chee chee, the first four syllables being uttered with a gradual
and uniform speed, ending quickly with the chee chee chee. It was
quite distinct from any of the other Warbler songs, and wherever
it was heard the little musician was usually traced to some pine tree
where he would be found nervously hopping about."
HERMIT WARBLER 169
Nesting Site. — Three nests discovered by Allen and recorded by
Brewster- were placed in 'pitch pines', from twenty-five to forty feet
above the ground, on thick, scraggy limbs, where it would have been
impossible to find them except by watching the birds. Beck^ found
a nest in Eldorado County, California, forty feet from the ground in
a slender pine at the end of the limb, and Barlow* records a nest found
by Carriger at Fyfife, California, only two-and-a-half feet up in a
cedar sapling; and another from the same locality, twelve feet up
near the top of a small cedar. Barlow^, however, found a nest forty-
five feet up in a yellow pine near the end of the limb.
A^est. — Brewster- describes a Blue Canon nest as "composed of
the fibrous stalks of herbaceous plants, fine dead twigs, lichens (Ever-
nia viilpina), and a little cotton twine, and is lined with the soft inner
bark of some coniferous tree and fine long hairs apparently from the
tail of a squirrel. The bright, yellow Evernia, sprinkled rather plenti-
fully about the rim, gives a touch of color to the otherwise cold gray
tone of the exterior and contrasts agreeably with the warm, reddish
brown lining. Although the materials are coarse, and wadded, rather
than woven, together, the general effect of the nest is neat and tasteful.
It does not resemble any other Warbler's nest that I have seen, but
rather recalls the nest of some Fringilline bird, being perhaps, most
like that of the Lark Finch. It measures externally 4.50 inches in
width by 2 inches in depth. The cavity is 1.25 inches deep by 2.50
inches wide at the top. The walls at the rim average nearly an inch
in thickness." Barlow^ describes his nest as "very prettily constructed,
the bottom layer being of light grayish weed-stems, bleached pine
needles, and other light materials held securely together by cobwebs
and woolly substances. The nest cavity is lined with strips of red
cedar bark (Libocedrus) and the ends, instead of being woven
smoothly, project out of the nest. The inner lining is of a fine
brownish fiber resembling shreds of soap-root."
Eggs. — Barlow^ describes a set of 4 eggs as spotted, chiefly in
wreaths at the large end, with varying shades of lilac, brown and
chestnut. They measure, .66X.52, .68X.53, .67X.53 and .67X.53.
Nesting Dates. — Blue Canon, Calif., June 2, two eggs (Brezvster) ;
Eldorado Co., Calif., June 10 (Beck) ; Fyffe, Calif., June 8, four eggs
badly incubated (Barlozv) ; Tacoma, Wash., June 11, 1905 — only nest
found, rather rare and very local. June 21 female seen feeding young
recently from nest (Bowles).
Biographical References
(i) L. Belding, a Partial List of the Birds of Central California, Proc.
170
CERULEAN WARBLER
U, S. N. M., I, 1878, 405. (2) Wm. Brewster, Discovery of the Nest and
Eggs of the Western Warbler (in Blue Canon, Cal.), Auk, IV, 1887, 166.
(3) R. H. Beck, Nesting of the Hermit Warbler (in Eldorado County, Cal.),
Nidologist, IV, 1897, 79. (4) C. Barlow, Another Chapter on the Nesting of
Dendroica occidentalis, and other Sierra Notes, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club
(=Condor), I, 1899, 59. (5) C. Barlow, Nesting of the Hermit Warbler in
the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, Auk, XVI, 1899, 156; Condor, III,
1901, 179. (6) J. H. Bowles, The Hermit Warbler in Washington, Condor,
VIII, 1906, 40.
Cerulean Warbler
DENDROICA CERULEA (Wils.) Plate IX
Distinguishing Characters. — The adult c^ may be known by its bright blue
upperparts and white underparts with a breast band ; the $ and young are
usually tinged with blue above, the tail always showing traces of blue ; they
have two wing-bars, a whitish or yellowish line over the eye, and the under-
parts whitish or pale lemon white. In this plumage they are to be confused
only with the young of Compsothlypis, which has the breast and back much
deeper yellow, and no line above the eye. Length (skin), 4.30; wing, 2.70; tail,
1.70; bill, .40.
Adult <^, Spring. — Above grayish cerulean, brighter on the crown, crown
and back streaked with black; upper tail-coverts black broadly tipped with
blue; cheeks grayish blue with sometimes a rather poorly defined stripe behind
the eye which rarely reaches forward to the bill ; tail black edged with grayish
blue, all but the middle feathers with white patches on the inner web near the
tip, the middle feathers there margined with white ; wings black edged with
grayish blue, median and greater coverts widely tipped with white forming two
conspicuous bars ; below white, a bluish black breast band, sides streaked
with bluish black
Adult 1$, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but breast-band incomplete,
showing only at sides of breast. (Only one specimen examined.)
Young c?, Fall. — Above dull bluish gray heavily washed with bright olive-
green ; upper tail-coverts black, as in adult c^ ; tail as in adult c? but with less
white ; wings edged with greenish and with two white bars ; underparts whitish
tinged with yellow and with a suggestion of streaks on the sides.
Adult $, Spring. — Above grayish blue brighter on the head, the back
strongly tinged with green ; a more or less distinct whitish or yellowish line
over the eye ; upper tail-coverts grayish tipped with bluish ; the wing-coverts
broadly tipped with white ; underparts whitish or pale yellowish with some-
times a suggestion of streaks on the sides. Resembles young c? in Fall but is
bluer above and has the upper tail-coverts gray instead of black.
Adult 9, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but greener above and yellow
below (?). I have not seen a Fall female of which the age had been deter-
mined and cannot, therefore, certainly distinguish between specimens of young
? and adult $ taken at this season.
Young 5, Fall. — See above.
Nestling. — "Above uniform brownish gray (deep drab-gray), the pileum
divided longitudinally by a broad median stripe of grayish white; sides of head
Plate XV
1. Hermit Warbler, Male. 3. Hermit Warbler, Young.
2. Hermit Warbler, Female. 4. Townsend's Warbler, Male.
5. Townsend's Warbler, Female,
(one-half natural size.)
CERULEAN WARBLER
171
(including a broad superciliary stripe) and entire underparts white; a narrow
postocular stripe of deep drab-gray; wings as in adults, but edgings greenish
rather than bluish." (Ridgw.).
General Distribution. — Eastern United States ; north to New
York; west nearly to the Plains.
Summer Range. — Principally the valley of the Ohio River; thence
east to Virginia (Natural Bridge), West Virginia (White Sulphur
Springs), Maryland (Baltimore), Delaware (Choptank River), Penn-
sylvania ( Williamsport, East Penn.), and central New York (Auburn,
Baldwinsville). It has occurred casually in New Jersey (Boonton,
September 1887), southeastern New York (West Point, May 17, 1875;
New York City, May 5, 1886), Connecticut (Suffield, June 12, 1875,
Seymour, May 10, 1888), and Rhode Island (Providence, May 22,
1878, Pawtucket, May 22, 1879, Lonsdale, May 14, 1893). North
of the Ohio valley, it ranges to southern Ontario (Plover Mills),
southern Alichigan, (Lansing, Detroit), southern Wisconsin (Lake
Koshkonong, Milwaukee, Racine, Two Rivers), and southern Min-
nesota (Lanesboro) ; west to eastern Nebraska (Omaha), eastern
Kansas (Onaga), and eastern Texas (Texarkana) ; accidental at
Denver, Colo., and Rio Mimbres, New Mexico. The southern
limits of its regular breeding range are the mountains of Virginia
and Tennessee ; but it has been known to breed irregularly at Greens-
boro, Ala., Franklin and St. Tammany Parishes, La., and in the Creek
and Cherokee Nations, Okla.
PIPAGE
Key West, Fla
Raleigh, N. C
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Northwestern New York
Brownsville, Texas
Northern Texas
New Orleans, La
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo.
Brookville, Ind
Oberlin, Ohio
Chicago, 111
Petersburg, Mich
Detroit, Mich
Southern Ontario
Grinnell, Iowa
Lanesboro, Minn
Onaga, Kans
No. of
Average date of
Earliest date of
record
spring arrival
.spring arrival
April 16, 1887
May 8, 1893
4
May 8
May 5, 1888
6
May I
April 28, 1890
3
May 7
May 5, 1885
April 14, 1890
3
April 19
April 15, 1887
2
April 9
April 8, 1898
5
April 15
April 5, 1892
5
April 17
April 12, 1897
6
April 27
April 19, 1889
9
May 3
April 29, 1899
4
May 14
May II, 1893
10
May 2
April 25, 1886
7
May 5
May T, 1904
6
May 7
May 3. 1889
May 3, 1888
May s, 1887
May 4, 1896
172 CERULEAN WARBLER
Winter Range. — Western South America from Panama to Peru.
Spring Migration. — In migration this species shuns the south
Atlantic States and the West Indies (except casually), passes through
Central America east of Mexico, and enters the United States prin-
cipally in the Mississippi Valley.
Fall Migration. — The Cerulean Warbler is one of the earliest to
start south and reaches the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi on dates
ranging, in different years, from July 12 to 29. The birds are most
numerous there early in August. The latest migrants have been noted
at London, Ontario, September i, 1900; Livonia, Mich., September i,
1892; Beaver, Fa., September 14, 1889; Berwyn, Pa., September
27, 1889; Eubank, Ky., September 14, 1887; Chester County, S. C,
as late as October 22.
The Bird and its Haunts. — The Cerulean Warbler is distinguished
alike by its color and by its geographical distribution. No other War-
bler resembles it in plumage, none has a similar range. Like certain
other Mississippi Valley birds it appears to be gradually extending its
range eastward through central New York and possibly it may event-
ually reach the maple groves of Vermont.
Although locally abundant as far east as central New York the
bird, true to its route of range extension, migrates southward through
the Mississippi Valley and along the Alleghenies, being so rare on the
Atlantic seaboard, except in Delaware, as to be considered almost "acci-
dental."
In Mississippi, Allison writes, the Cerulean is "a typical wood
Warbler ; it prefers rich mixed woods, its metropolis in migration being
the upland beech woods. On the coast it is common in woods of oak
and hickory, but shows no objection to pine."
Near St. Louis, Mo., where Smith'' has found upwards of forty
nests in a season, the bird frequents sycamores. In the White Water
Valley of southeastern Indiana, where Butler^ considers the bird to
be as abundant as anywhere within its range, this Warbler is found
more frequently along the river valleys and upon hillsides than upon
the upland; they prefer the more open woodland, especially that in
which the prevailing timber is sugar-maple, elm and linden. They are
not gregarious and where found appear to be evenly distributed.
They are seldom found nearer the ground than twenty feet, ranging
from this height to the tops of the tallest trees. * * * When high
in the trees they may be easily mistaken for Flycatchers, and when
lower down, among the larger branches, their habits remind one of
the Titmouse and Creeper.
CERULEAN WARBLER 173
About Branchport, N. Y., Verdi Burtch reports the Cerulean as
locally abundant in mixed growths of oak and maple with a few birch
and hickory. The female, which, as usual, incubates unaided, is a
very close sitter seldom leaving the nest before one is near to her. On
one occasion, in spite of his best efiforts to prevent her, a bird returned
to the nest three or four times while he was examining its contents.
Song. — Brewster^ compares the song to that of the Parula War-
bler but remarks "that of the latter bird has, however, at least two
regular variations ; in one, beginning low down, he rolls his guttural
little trill quickly and evenly up the scale, ending, apparently, only
when he can get no higher ; in the other, the commencement of this
trill is broken or divided into syllables, like see, zee, zee, ze-ee-ee-eep.
This latter variation is the one used by D. ccerulea, and I could
detect little or no difference in the songs of dozens of individuals. At
best it is a modest little strain. * * * jj^ addition to the song,
they utter the almost universal Dendroicine lisp, and also, the char-
acteristic tchep of D. coronata, which I had previously supposed en-
tirely peculiar to that bird."
"Six different writers agree in their descriptions of this bird's
song. It consists of two distinct parts, the first of several definite
single syllables with a comma pause between each two, followed by a
trilled syllable of about double the length of the first part. There is
thus a marked resemblance to Parula's song. The syllables tse, tse,
tse, tse, te-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e, serve to recall it to mind. The song rolls up
the scale quietly and evenly. The effect is less delicate thanParula's
song, yet not more wiry. A larger song from a larger bird.
"My notes indicate that this Warbler sings from his arrival in the
first week in May until the third week in May, and again during the
last of June and first week of July. I have never heard it sing during
the fall migrations and find no record of a song period then." (Jones.)
"The Cerulean is an incessant singer. It nests here and several
pairs are always here through June. The song is sweet, but rather
husky, and has a soft, wheeling, whirring, rolling quality to it. The
common song is of four notes all on one key, the last ones a quick,
upward, chromatic run, ending in a soft burr-r-r. May 24, 1905, I
heard a very unusual song. The form was like the Redstart's shree-
shree-shrce, but the voice was the soft one of the Cerulean. He sang
many times and never gave the upward run." (FanveU, MS.)
Nesting Site. — Smith^ records the site near St Louis as from
forty to seventy-five feet up in sycamores, saddled on a limb well out
from the trunk. In southeastern Indiana, Butler^ found the nests
174
CERULEAN WARBLER
placed "in the fork of a limb at some distance from the body (of the
tree) and at from twenty-five to fifty feet from the ground." Nests
found by Saunders'^ in the western peninsula of Ontario were in bass-
wood, maple, oak or elm trees at from thirty to fifty-five feet from
the ground. In Baltimore County, Maryland, a nest was found by
Kirkwood^ in a tulip tree, forty-eight feet six inches up and fifteen
feet out from the body of the tree.
Burtch (MS.) writes that at Branchport, N. Y., where the bird is
locally common, "the nest is usually placed on a horizontal branch or
drooping branch of an elm, ranging from twenty-five to sixty feet from
the ground, and from four, to fifteen, or eighteen feet from the body
of the tree over an opening. A nest found June 4, 1905, was in the
topmost branches of an elm over sixty feet up, and way out on the
branch. There was a nest of Red-eyed Vireo in middle of same tree
and twelve feet from the nest of Cerulean."
Nest. — "The nest very closely resembles a typical nest of Traill's
Flycatcher, only smaller, being made of precisely the same materials
both inside and out." (Sinith^.) A nest from Monroe County, N. Y.,
is "neatly and compactly built, consisting externally of fine dry grasses
of an ashen tint bound firmly together with spiders' silk, to which are
affixed a few bits of whitish lichen; it is lined with strips of bark
and fine grasses of a reddish brown color. The nest is gray extern-
ally and brown within." (Allen"^).
Saunders''' describes the nest as extremely shallow and "mainly
composed of grasses and a few bark fibers, with a scanty lining of black
horse-hairs. * * * fhe whole is covered with the same silvery
gray bark strips the Redstart uses so freely, with some intermingling
of cobwebs, both bark strips and cobwebs having the appearance of
being put on while wet."
Burtch (Branchport, N. Y.), writes that "the nest is always
saddled on a fork of a good-sized limb, much like that of a Wood
Pewee. It is well-made and very handsome, composed, of fine strips
of bark, lined with a fine red fiber, which may be very finely shredded
grapevine bark. Sometimes blossom stems or dead grass are used for
lining. The walls, where they touch the branch, are very thin, usually
nothing but the lining. The nests are usually profusely covered with
grayish lichens held in place with spiders' webs."
Eggs. — 3 or 4, usually 4. Ground color a pale bluish or greenish
white spotted and speckled with reddish brown and lavender pretty well
over entire egg. Size; a typical set of 4 measures .69X.52, .70X.52,
.69X.52 and .69X.52. (Figs. 55,56.)
BLACKBURN IAN WARBLER
175
Nesting Dates.— Ydites Co., N. Y., May 31 (C. PF. C.) ; Waynes-
burg, Pa., May 24 only record (Jacobs) ; Oberlin, O., May 15-Jnne 15
(Jones) ; Washtenaw County, May 15, Hyde — July 15, feeding young,
Covert (Barrozvs) ; London, Ont., June 11 {Saunders) ; Ann Arbor,
Mich., May 20 {Wood).
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, Some Observations on the Birds of Ritchie County,
West Virginia, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., XL 1875, 134. (2) J. A. Allen,
Nest and Eggs of the Cerulean Warbler, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, IV, 1879, 25.
(3) A. W. Butler, The Cerulean Warbler (in Indiana), Orn. and 061., IX,
1884, 27. (4) S. F. Rathbun, The Cerulean Warbler (near Auburn, N. Y.),
Orn. and 061., IX, 1884, 28. (5) E. Reinecke, Cerulean Warbler (near Buf-
falo, N. Y.), Oologist, IX, 1892, 264. (6) P. W. Smith, Jr., Nesting of the;
Cerulean Warbler (near St. Louis, Mo.), Orn. and 061., XVIII, 1893, 5. (7)
W. E. Saunders, Nesting Habits of the Cerulean Warbler (in W. Ontario),
Auk, XVII, 1900, 358. (8) F. C. KiRKwooD, The Cerulean Warbler as a
Summer Resident in Baltimore County, Maryland, Auk, XVIII, 1901, 137.
(9) Lynds Jones, The Cerulean Warbler, (in Ohio), Wilson Bull., XVI,
1904, 3.
Blackburnian Warbler
DENDROICA BLACKBURNI/E (Gmel.) Plate III
Distinguishing Characters. — The adult c? in Spring has the center of the
crown, line over eye, sides of neck and breast flaming orange; in the adult ^
in Fall and adult ? in Spring these parts are dull orange or yellowish orange,
in young birds these areas are still duller. Birds in the last-named plumage
may cause some difficulty in identifying but the marks named, in connection
with a brownish, obscurely streaked back, and generally white outer web of the
basal half of the outer tail-feather, should be diagnostic. Length (skin), 4.60;
wing, 2.65; tail, 1.95; bill, .40.
Adult d". Spring. — Center of crown, streak below eye, line over eye to a
patch on the side of the neck orange, ear-coverts and lores black ; upperparts
black, the back streaked with white which, in some specimens, is tinged with
orange ; tail black, edged with grayish, the inner web of the two to four outer
feathers largely white, the outer web white at the base, the next feather usually
with a white spot near the tip of the inner web ; wings black edged with sage ;
the median coverts white, outer greater coverts tipped with white, the inner
greater coverts with white margin or wholly white, forming a large white
patch in the wing; throat and breast flaming orange usually deeper than that
of crown, this color generally suffusing the whitish abdomen, sides streaked
with black.
Adult S, Fall. — Similar to adult c^ in Spring but the orange much paler
and veiled with huffy tips ; the black markings widely bordered with brownish ;
wings with two white bars, not forming a patch.
Young c?, Fall. — Similar to adult (^ in Fall but orange markings less pro-
nounced and still paler, becoming dull yellow ; black markings less pronounced
and mixed widely with grayish olive or olive-brown.
1/6
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER
Adult 9, Spring. — Similar to young c? in Fall but orange averaging deeper
in color and more evident in crown ; belly wrhiter.
Adult 9, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but orange areas still paler,
crown spot barely evident, upperparts browner, belly more sufifused the breast
color being less sharply defined posteriorly.
Young $, Fall. — Not certainly distinguishable from adult $ in Fall but
breast averaging paler, in some specimens nearly white; white in tail much
reduced, the base of the outer web of the outer tail-feather rarely fuscous like
the end.
Nestling. — Above brown the back streaked with black and margined with
buffy ; a broad buffy white line from the eye to the nape ; below white, the
throat and breast suffused with buff and brownish, the latter with blackish
spots extending to the sides.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America ; north to the Gulf
of St. Lawrence and Manitoba ; west to the Plains.
Summer Range. — Southern Canada from Cape Breton, through
central Ontario to Manitoba and south to Massachusetts (Berkshire,
Greenfield, Holyoke, Chester, Winchendon, Roxbury, Concord, Lexing-
ton and Sudbury), northwestern Connecticut (probably), New York
(Lewis and Oneida Counties), northern Michigan (Porcupine Moun-
tains), Wisconsin (Jefferson and Manitowoc Counties) and northern
Minnesota. In the Allegheny Mountains a few Blackburnian Warblers
breed in Pennsylvania and south to North Carolina. It occurs west to
the plains of eastern Texas (Boerne), eastern Kansas (Leavenworth)
and eastern Nebraska (West Point, Omaha) ; accidental in Utah
(Ogden, September 1871) and New Mexico TFort Bayard, May).
Winter Range. — Central Mexico to Venezuela and Peru ; casual
in the West Indies.
Spring Migration. —
PLACE
Atlantic Coast —
Seven Oaks, Fla
Atlanta, Ga. (near)
Asheville, N. C. (near)
White Sulphur Springs, W. Va
French Creek, W. Va
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Germantown, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Southeastern New York
Central Connecticut
Boston, Mass
Randolph, Vt
Southern New Hampshire
Southern Maine
No. of
years'
record
Average
date of
spring arrival 1
April
17
April
14
April
22
April 28 1
May
s
May
4
May
7
May
10
May
10
May
10
May
10
May
7
May
8
May
16
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
May
April
May
May
May
May
May
10, 1902
2, 1895
10, 1893
17, 1893
2;^, 1891
30, 1 90s
30, 1902
28, 1890
7, 1897
30, 1900
6, 1891
6, 1897
2, 1890
3, 1902
10, 1900
Figs. 6s, 66. Blackburnian Warbler.
67, 68. Yellow-throated Warbler.
69-71. Black-throated Gray Warbler.
7-. 73- Golden-cheeked Warbler.
74-76. Black-throated Green Warbler.
" 77. 78. Kirtland's Warbler.
Figs
-9
81.
Pine Warbler.
82
83.
Yellow Palm Warbler.
84
86.
Prairie Warbler.
87.
88.
Oven-bird.
89
91.
Northern Water-Thrush
"
93
94.
Louisiana Water-Thrush
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER
177
Spring Migration . — ( con tinned. )
PI.ACE
Atlantic Coast — (continued J
Montreal, Can
Quebec, Can
Scotch Lake, N. B
Pictou, N. S
Mississippi Valley —
New Orleans, La
Central Mississippi
St. Louis, Mo
Brookville, Ind
Chicago, III
Oberlin, O
Detroit, Mich
Petersburg, Mich
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont
Ottawa, Ont
Southern Wisconsin
Lanesboro, Minn
Aweme, Man
Fall Migration. —
No. of
years
record
3
5
6
5
8
8
5
14
9
II
ID
4
Average date of
spring arrival
May 16
May 17
May 10
April 14
May 8
May 2
May
May
May
May
May
May 8
May 1 1
May 9
May 15
Earliest date of
spring arrival
May 10, 1890
May 14, 1903
May 7, 1 90 1
May 30, 1894
April 8, 1900
April 13, 1885
May 4, 1880
April 15, 1887
April 28, 1900
April 27, 1905
May 2, 1905
May 4, 1895
2, 1896
2, 1896
I, 1905
6. 1897
3, 1888
20, 1899
May
May
May
May
May
May
PIvACE
Chicago, 111
Detroit, Mich
Beaver, Pa
Berwyn, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Washington, D. C. . .
French Creek, W. Va
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
first one seen
August 22
August 28
September 9
August 23
September 8
Earliest date of
first one seen
August 12, 1900
August 20, 1905
September 7, 1903
August 2:^, 1888
August II, 1887
August 15, 1886
September 7, 1890
PI.ACE
Chicago, 111
Detroit, Mich
St. Louis, Mo
Renovo, Pa
Beaver, Pa
French Creek, W. Va.
Lynchburg, Va
Tallahassee. Fla
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
September 9
September 17
October 3
September 12
September 20
September 18
Latest date of
last one seen
September 22, 1899
September 30, 1893
October 5, 1905
September 25, 1899
September 23, 1899
September 25, 1889
October 9, 1898
October 26, T004
The Bird and its Haunts. — This beautiful Warbler is, as a rule,
sufficiently uncommon to make a meeting with it an always note-
worthy experience. At Monadnock, however, Gerald Thayer reports
it to be "a very common summer resident. It is one of the four deep-
wood Warblers of this region, the other three being the Black-throated
178 BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER
Blue, the Northern Parula and the Canada. While all the other sum-
mer Warblers of Monadnock seem better pleased with various sorts of
lighter timber, these four are commonest in the small remaining tracts
of primeval woodland, and in the heaviest and oldest second growth.
But despite this general community of habit, each of the four has
marked minor idiosyncrasies. The Blackburnian favors very big
trees, particularly hemlocks, and spends most of its life high above
the ground. The Parula is most at home in boggy woods, where the
ground is covered deep with sphagnum and the stunted trees are
veiled in dangling Usnea; the Black-throated Blue haunts the
heavy undergrowth in drier woods; while the sweet voiced Canada,
— also, and even more strictly, a bird of the deciduous undergrowth, —
is partial to damp hillside woods and brook-meshed swales, but, as a rule
avoids the spongy bogs in which Parulas and pitcher-plants most
flourish. But the preeminent forest Warbler of the group is the
Blackburnian, the lover of deep mixed growth and the upper branches
of the biggest conifers. It is rather a restless and quick-moving
Warbler, though not shy, and without any ( ?) very peculiar tricks
of pose or gesture."
At Branchport, N. Y., Burtch writes that the Blackburnian is
a rare summer resident breeding in hemlocks along gullies in com-
pany with Black-throated Green and Magnolia Warblers. In northern
Minnesota, according to Preston, it favors the black spruce, singing
from some high conspicuous perch, or feeding while ascending from
branch to branch to the "cone-clad top, from which it falls lightly to
another tree, and so continues the search."
Song. — "Its voice is thin, but, unlike the Parula's, exquisitely
smooth, in all the many variations of its two (or more) main songs.
One of these two, in my experience, is much less changeable than the
other. This is the simpler one, which may be syllabled Tsivvi, tsivvi,
tsiwi, tsivvi ; or a variation, — Sissi-vit, sissi-vit, sissi vit, sissi vit; —
deliberately, almost languidly uttered, in both cases, with a fine,
'kinglety,' sibilant voice-tone. The other common song, though it
begins in much the same way, is more hurried throughout, and ends,
on a sharply-ascending scale, with a sort of explosion of small,
crowded notes. Both utterances vary widely, and the one last
described is about the most changeable of all the Warblers' songs I
know. Even the tone-quality is not quite constant, for though it never,
in my experience, varies toward huskiness, it does occasionally range
toward full-voiced richness. Thus I have heard a Blackburnian that
began his otherwise normal song with two or three clear notes much
like those of the most full and smooth-voiced performance of the
BLACKBURN IAN WARBLER
179
American Redstart's, and another that began so much Hke a Nash-
ville that I had to hear him several times, near by, to be convinced
that there was not a Nashville chiming in. Sometimes, again, tone
and delivery are varied toward excessive languidness ; and some
times, contrariwise, toward sharp, wiry 'thinness'. The Blackburn-
ian's call-notes are small and scantily peculiar; — at least, I have
never learned to recognize them surely, among kindred 'chippings'."
(Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock describes the song as "very shrill and fine, grow-
ing even more shrill and wiry as it rises toward the end," and
renders it as follows:
'â– r r v V
J. W, Preston writes that in northern Minnesota during May and
early June the males, perched upon "a dry and broken branch of some
tall, old hemlock" will sit and sing for hours. He describes the song
as somewhat resembling the Black-throated Green's, but as "richer and
more lively."
Nesting Site. — A nest found by A. J. Dayan at Lyon's Falls, N. Y,,
was saddled on a horizontal limb eighty-four feet from the ground and
about ten feet from the trunk. (Merriani^.) Bowles' describes a nest
found in New Hampshire, as placed in a sugar maple, sixty feet from
the ground, on a limb seven feet from the body of the tree. Two nests
found by Preston^ in Minnesota, were respectively in a hemlock twenty
feet up and against the tree, and in a black spruce thirty feet up far
out on the tip of a branch.
Two nests, found at Branchport, N. Y., (Burtch, MS.) were
placed in hemlocks, one of them being thirty-five feet from the ground
and six feet from the tree-trunk.
Nest. — Dayan's nest is described by Merriam as "large, substan-
tial, and very compact. It consists almost entirely of a thick and
densely woven mat of the soft down of the cat-tail (Typha lati folia),
with seeds attached, and is lined with fine lichens, horse-hair, and a
piece of white thread. On the outside is an irregular covering of small
twigs and rootlets, with here and there a stem of moss or a bit of lichen."
Bowles' describes the nest as "composed of hemlock twigs, rootlets, a
few pine needles and bits of Usnea all woven rather loosely together
and thinly lined with horse-hair." Preston's" nests had a light plat-
form of dead spruce twigs with Usnea interwoven, and lined with finely
l8o YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
shredded inner bark of the basswood, a few horse, and a number of
deer's hairs. The rim is Usnea matted and twined together. The
exterior is flecked all over with fluffs of cottony spiders' webbing.
Burtch's nest is described by him as "loosely constructed of fine
hemlock twigs and a few pieces of weed-bark lined with fine red fiber
such as the Magnolia Warbler and Redstart use. The nest resembles
that of the Magnolia Warbler very closely, but lacks the woolly decora-
tions."
Eggs. — 4. Grayish white or bluish white distinctly and obscurely
spotted, speckled, and blotched with cinnamon brown or olive-brown.
Size, average, .68X.50. (Figs. 65,66.)
Nesting Dates. — Branchport, N. Y., May 24 (Biirtch) ; Lyons
Falls, Lewis Co., N. Y., June 2 (Merriam) ; Lancaster, N. H., June
4-15 (Spaulding) ; Bangor, Me., June 5-June 15 (Knight) ; Kalamazoo
Co., Mich., June 2, B. F. Syke (Barrows).
Biographical References
(i) C. Hart Merriam, Nest and Eggs of the Blackburnian Warbler, (in
N. N. Y.), Auk, H, 1885, 103. (2) J. W. Preston, The Blackburnian Warbler
at Home, (N. Minn.), Orn. and 061., XIV, 1889, 34. (3) J. H. Bowles, Notes
on the Blackburnian Warbler, (in So. N. H.), Oologist, XH, 1895, 64.
Yellow-throated Warbler
DENDROICA DOMINICA DOMINICA (Linn.) Plate XIII
Distinguishing Characters. — At all seasons adults and young may be known
by their yellow throat, black cheeks, and bluish gray or brownish gray back.
Length (skin), 4.80; wing, 2.60; tail, 1.95; bill, .50.
Adult (S, Spring. — Black of forehead reaching back on sides of crown and
sometimes occupying most of crown, a small white median spot on forehead ;
line from' above eye to bill yellow, stripe behind eye and patch on sides of neck
white; back gray rarely (I have seen but one specimen) with a few black
spots ; tail black margined with gray the outer three to five feathers with white
patches on the inner web at the end; wings black margined with gray, the
greater and median coverts broadly tipped with white forming two unusually
conspicuous bars ; throat and breast yellow bordered by black which extends
in streaks along the sides ; belly white.
Adult S, Fall. — Similar to adult (^ in Spring but upperparts and sides
washed with brownish.
Young J', Fall. — Resembling adult <^ in Fall.
Adult 2, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but with less black on the
head, sides of throat, and neck.
Adult 5, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but back and sides brownish.
Young $, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Fall but brown on back and sides
stronger, belly and white line behind eye with a brownish wash ; black areas
less distinct.
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER ittl
Nestling. — Above brownish gray, a whitish line behind eye and a white
spot below it; auriculars dusky; below white obscurely but finely streaked with
dusky.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States east of the Alle-
ghenies ; north to Maryland.
Summer Range. — From northern Florida, east of the Allegheny
Mountains, north regularly to Virginia; occasional in Maryland and
on the Choptank River in southeastern Delaware; accidental in Penn-
sylvania (Beaver, Chester, and Delaware Counties), New Jersey
(Trenton, May 29, i860). New York (Crow Hill, L. I.), Connecticut
(Hartford and New Haven), Massachusetts (Dedham, November 4,
1866). North in the interior to West Virginia (Kanawha Co.).
Winter Range. — Florida — rarely South Carolina — the Bahamas
and the Greater Antilles ; casual in Yucatan.
Spring Migration. — Wintering so abundantly in southern Florida,
but little can be said of the migration of the Yellow-throated Warbler
in the Gulf states. The northward movement begins early in March,
Gainesville, Fla., being reached Anarch 2 and Jacksonville, Fla., March
5. The average date of arrival for fifteen years at Raleigh, N. C, is
March 26, earliest March 13, 1890; the average at Asheville, N. C,
for four years is April 21, the earliest April 13, 1893.
Fall Migration. — The Yellow-throated Warbler is one of the very
earliest fall migrants beginning its southward movement by the middle
of summer (Key West, Fla., July 25) and reaching Cuba the latter
part of July. The last one noted at Washington, D. C, was September,
4. 1890; at Raleigh, N. C, September 17, 1886, and many migrants
continue to pass through Florida during the whole month of October.
The Bird and its Haunts. — About the first of March a new voice
is added to the swelling chorus of bird music in middle Florida. It
is no lisping lay, heard only by attentive ears, but a loud, ringing song
which stands out with strongly characterized distinctness. After the
lapse of twenty years I well recall the excitement with which I first
heard it and my vain efiforts to discover the singer in the upper
branches of a heavily timbered, densely undergrown, wet 'hammock' of
magnolia, maple, hickory, bay and other deciduous trees.
As the migration progressed the bird became abundant in the
cypresses and often visited neighboring pines where it could be observed
to better advantage. Even here, however, it is by no means so readily
observed as are more active Warblers. When singing it remains
in one position for many consecutive minutes, and at all times
it is comparatively deliberate in its movements resembling the Pine
Warbler rather than the fluttering Warblers in its manner of feeding.
l82 YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
At St. Mary's, Georgia, Brewster^ found that the favorite abode
of this species was the open piney woods. Their movements, he says,
"are much slower than those of Mniotilta, and there is much less of
that crouching, creeping motion. They do, indeed, spend much of
their time searching the larger branches for food, but it is more in the
manner of the Pine Warbler, and their motion is rather a hopping than
a creeping one. I have never seen them ascend the trees from the roots
to the topmost branches, as Audubon relates, but I occasionally
observed one clinging against the main trunk, for a moment, to seize an
insect, as will the Bluebird and many of the Warblers. Their hunting-
ground is for the most part, however, among the higher branches, and
a considerable part of their time is spent at the extremities of the limbs,
searching for food among the pine needles."
Near Charleston, Wayne- records this Warbler as a permanent
resident inhabiting mixed woods and live oaks where there is an abun-
dance of Spanish moss ; and at Raleigh, where it is a summer resident
only, Brimley states "while it is more or less numerous in large tracts
of pines and in all mixed woods containing large pines, it cannot be
called plentiful anywhere."
Song. — Although I have long been familiar with the song of this
species it was not until the spring of 1905 that I was impressed with its
resemblance to the song of Seiurus motacilla. It is not so much the form
of the notes, ching-ching-ching, chicker-cher-wee , as their wild, ring-
ing, carrying quality which recalls the song of the Water-Thrush. The
bird pauses to sing at intervals in its search for food, and the conse-
quent frequent change of place together with the ventriloquial char-
acter of its notes makes it difficult to place the singer.
The Yellow-throat's song is also compared with that of the Indigo
Bunting and not without reason. In any event, it is not likely to
escape the attention of the unobservant and, in Florida, after March i,
when it begins to sing, it is one of the conspicuous songsters of the
localities it favors.
Nesting Site. — A nest found by Brewster^ was thirty-five feet up
in a southern pine, set flatly, not saddled, on a horizontal limb "nearly
midway between the juncture with the main trunk and the extremity
of the twigs, and was attached to the rough bark by silky fibers."
After finding thirteen nests at from twenty to ninety feet from
the ground (usually about forty-five feet up and three to twelve feet
from the trunk of the tree, Brimley* states that this species selects for
a site "a horizontal limb usually, but not always, of a tall thin pine.
Sometimes it builds its nest where the limb forks, but more often right
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER 183
on the limb, attached only to the limb itself or else laced to small twigs
as well."
A nest described by M'Laughlin^ from Statesville, N. C, was
similarly placed but was only nineteen feet from the ground. Nests
found by Wayne-, near Charleston, S. C, however, were placed in
bunches of Spanish moss ( TiUandsia) in live-oak or gum trees at a
height of fifteen to fifty feet.
Nest. — Brewster's^ nest "is composed externally of a few short
twigs and strips of bark bound together by Spanish moss (TiUandsia
usneoidcs) and silky down from plants. The lining consists of a few
hair-like filaments of moss and soft cottony vegetable down. The
whole structure is firmly and neatly compacted." Brimley* describes
the nest as "usually much like a Pine Warbler's in general character,
but lacks the black grapevine bark which gives the latter such a dark
appearance, and is also usually compact, especially about the rim. The
materials of which it is composed are weed stems, strips of trumpet-
vine bark, fine grass and caterpillar silk ; the lining is of horse-hair or
feathers or both."
Wayne- describes his nests as "built of fine grass, weeds, snake-
skins, feathers, and lined with the flower of the moss ; in one of the
nests there is a quantity of cotton."
Eggs. — 4 or 5, very rarely 5. Ground color a dull greenish gray-
white, in a large series the peculiar color of the markings seem to tinge
the ground color ; the markings are very mixed, numerous under shell
marks, in the form of blotches and specks, of pale lavender and purplish
gray overlaid with heavier surface markings of wine-red, umber and
deeper shades of purplish gray and blackish. The heaviest markings
are at the larger end, which is sometimes well wreathed, with many
spots and specks over rest of egg. Size ; average, .69X.52, extremes
measure .74X.55. .66X.51, .70X.56. (Figs. 67,68.)
A'esting Dates. — Charleston, S. C. April 2 — a second brood late
in May. (Wayne) ; Raleigh, N. C, April 22-May 26 (C. IV. C).
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, The Yellow-throated Warbler (in Georgia), Bull.
Nutt. Orn. Club, II, 1877, 102. (2) A. T. Wayne, Nesting of the Yellow-
throated Warbler (in So. Car.), Orn. and 061., XII, 1887, 169; XITI, 1888, 161.
(3) R. B. M'Laughlin, Nesting of the Yellow-throated Warbler (in Nor.
Car.), Orn. and 061., XII, 1887, 171. (4) C. S. Brimley, Nesting of the Yel-
low-throated Warbler, at Raleigh, N. C, Orn. and 061., XIV, 1889, 151; Auk,
VII, 1890, 323.
1 84 sycamore warbler
Sycamore Warbler
DENDROICA DOMINICA ALBILORA Ridgw.
Subspecific Characters. — Similar to Dendroica d. dominica but bill
smaller, line from above eye to bill generally white or but slightly tinged with
yellow, never strongly yellow as in dominica; white patches on tail-feathers
averaging larger. Wing, 2.60; tail, 1.95; bill, .45.
General Distribution. — Mississippi Valley.
Summer Range. — From the Gulf of Mexico north to Ohio (Cleve-
land, Mt. Vernon, Rockport), southern Michigan (Detroit, Peters-
burg), and southern Wisconsin (Racine, Lake Koshkonong) ; west to
southeastern Nebraska (Nemaha River), and eastern Kansas (Ne-
osho Falls) ; east through the Alleghenies to western South Carolina.
Winter Range. — Southern Mexico to Costa Rica.
Spring Migration. — At New Orleans the Sycamore Warbler is
one of the earliest spring migrants. Dates of arrival are March 1 1, 1894,
March 9, 1895, March 7, 1896, and March 12, 1898. At Helena, Ark.,
the first arrivals were noted on April 14, 1895, and April 10, 1897; at
St. Louis, April 4, 1884. April 6, 1885, April 12, 1886, April 10, 1887,
and April 13, 1888; in central Indiana about the middle of April; in
southern Michigan about April 20. A migrant was noted at Soto del
Marina, Tamaulipas, March i, 1902.
Fall Migration. — In the fall the Mississippi Valley form is, like
the eastern, an early migrant, being one of the first birds to return
in autumn to the Rio Grande of Texas. It is recorded as arriving
at Orizaba, Mexico, August 10; Chiapas, Mexico, August 13;
Colima, Mexico, in August ; Duenas, Guatemala, by the middle of
August; Bonacca Island, Honduras, and Truxillo, on the mainland, in
September ; and at San Jose, Costa Rica, October 4. In the northern
part of its range it lingers somewhat later than the eastern form. The
last to pass southward do not leave Indiana and Missouri until well
into October.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This slightly differentiated Mississippi
Valley form of the Yellow-throated Warbler resembles the Atlantic
Coast bird in habits. In the Galveston region of Texas, Nehrling
states that it is a rare summer resident in the high moss-grown forest
trees of the river bottoms. Allison writes that in southern Louisiana,
"it has a strong liking for woods shrouded in heavy festoons of Spanish
moss, and, therefore, keeps much to the cypress swamps ; but it is
common in the less damp woods in the same regions ; on the northern
shores of Lake Pontchartrain it spreads slightly from the cypress
swamp into the pines. It is essentially a bird of the larger trees, and
swampy forest may be considered its typical habitat." (Allison, MS.)
GRACE'S WARBLER 185
In Illinois, Ridgway^ states "the Sycamore Warbler is a common
summer resident in the bottom lands, where, according to the writer's
experience, it lives chiefly in the large sycamore trees along or near
water courses," and Butler- in Indiana finds it in similar localities.
So7ig. — "The call-note is a rather lively chipping, like that of an
agitated Parula Warbler, or perhaps somewhat more like that of Pine
Warbler. The song is like the Indigo Bunting's, much softened, and
and with a falling cadence all the way through; thus: See-wee, see-
wee, see-wee, swee, swee, swee, swee, — the last four notes uttered
more rapidly, but becoming fainter, until the last one is very indis-
tinct." {Allison, MS.)
Nesting Site. — "In a fork far out on a high limb, usually in a
sycamore." (Butler^).
Eggs. — Not distinguishable from the eggs of the preceding.
Biographical References
(i) R. RiDGWAY, Birds of Illinois, 150. (2) A. W. Butler, Birds of Indi-
ana, 1065.
GRACE'S Warbler
DENDROICA GRACI^ GRACI^ Baird Plate XIII
Distinguishing Characters. — At all seasons adults and young may be known
by their yellow throat, gray auriculars, and bluish gray or brownish gray back.
The resemblance to D. dominica is striking but the lack of black in the cheeks
and its usual presence in the back, of adults, at least, the yellow, instead of
white mark below the eye, etc. are distinguishing marks of grades. Length
(skin), 4.50; wing, 2.55; tail, 2.00; bill, .38.
Adult c?. Spring. — Above bluish gray, crown with black spots which form
a stripe along its sides, lores dusky, spot below eye yellow ; broad line from
bill to above eye yellow terminating in white just behind the eye; center of
back usually spotted with black; tail black edged with gray; two outer tail-
feathers largely white the outer webs usually white except at tip and base,
third feather spotted with white on inner web near tip; wings margined with
gray, the greater and median coverts tipped with white forming two conspic-
uous bars ; throat and breast yellow sharply defined from the white underparts ;
sides streaked with black.
Adult 3, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but upperparts washed with
brown, the black marks of crown, back, and sides obscured.
Young 3, Fall. — Similar to adult d" in Fall but browner above and on sides
and belly, little or no black in back, less on crown and sides.
Adult 9, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but browner above, few or
no streaks in back ; crown and sides with less black ; yellow duller.
Adult $, Fo//.— Similar to adult $ in Spring but browner above, black
markings more or less concealed by brownish tips. Not certainly distingfuish-
able from adult c? in Fall.
Young 5, Fall. — Resembling young (^ in Fall.
l86 GRACE'S WARBLER
Nestling. — Above dusky grayish brown with an olive tint; below grayish
or white the breast, and even belly and sides spotted with blackish; wing-
coverts blackish or grayish, conspicuously tipped with whitish.
General Distribution. — Southwestern United States and north-
western Mexico.
Summer Range. — Breeds in northern Mexico and in the moun-
tains of New Mexico and Arizona, north to Colorado (La Plata
County) ; accidental in north central Colorado (Loveland, April 25,
1889), and in California (Santa Paula, Ventura Co., May 3, 1881).
Winter Range. — Northern Mexico.
Spring Migration. — Arrivals have been noted in Arizona as fol-
lows: Fort Whipple, April 24, 1865, Pima Co., April 22, 1885,
Huachuca Mountains, April 27, 1902, April 12, 1903,
The Bird and its Haunts. — If the spring or summer visitor to
the Grand Canon will explore the neighboring yellow pine forests
he will find Grace's Warbler a not uncommon inhabitant of tree-tops,
so high that no small amount of looking will be required to com-
plete a satisfactory identification.
Discovered by Dr. Coues on the summit of Whipple's Pass, New
Mexico, July 2, 1864, and named by him for his sister, Grace's War-
bler is now known as a common summer resident of the pine forests of
Arizona, and New Mexico and southward into Mexico. Its nest was
not discovered, however, until 1890, when H. H. Keays, as recorded
by Ladd, found it breeding in Yavapai Co., Arizona.
Grace's Warbler has several relatives so near that they are doubt-
less geographical representatives whose distribution seems to throw
some light on the tropical (particularly West Indian) origin and sub-
sequent northern dispersal of the Mniotiltidse. To the southward it
is replaced by the slightly differentiated D. g. decora, which reaches
Honduras, in the east Dendroica dominica is its probable representa-
tive, while in Porto Rico and St. Lucia it finds surprisingly near allies
in Dendroica adelaidce and Dendroica delicata, respectively.
Song. — "Its song is a sweet warble, frequently uttered from the
lower pine boughs." {M earns).
Nesting Site. — A nest found by H. Keays in Yavapai County,
Arizona, was placed on a limb of a pine sixty feet up. Two nests
recorded by Howard- were placed respectively in a pine and in a red
fir at the extremity of a limb some fifty feet up.
Nest. — Keays' nest is described by Ladd^ as "very compact; out-
side diameter 3 inches by i 1-2 inches high; inside diameter i 3-4
inches by i 1-4 inches deep. The body of this nest is composed of
horse-hair strings and vegetable fibers. The most abundant vegetable
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER 187
material interwoven consists of the staminate catkins and bud scales of
Quercus etnoryi. There is also some wool, vegetable down, and insect
webbing, in which there are entangled the exuviae of some caterpillar.
Attached to the outside was a small staminate cone of some species of
Pinus. Nest well lined with feathers and horse-hair."
^Si^- — A set of three eggs is described by Ladd^ as "ground
color creamy white, marked over entire surface, but more heavily at
larger end, where they form a wreath, with light umber and occasional
specks of dark chestnut; lilac shell-markings at large end only." Size;
.51X.70, .50X.69, .50X.68.
Nesting Dates. — Yavapai Co., Arizona, June 23 (Ladd).
Biographical References
( I ) S. B. Ladd, Description of Nest and Eggs of Dendroica gracice, Auk,
VIII, 1891, 314. (2) O. W. Howard, Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona,
Bull. Cooper Orn. Club (=Condor), I, 1899, 39.
Chestnut-sided Warbler
DENDROICA PENSYLVANICA (Linn.) Plate XII
Distinguishing Characters. — Adults of both sexes may be known by their
chestnut sides, yellowish wing-bars, yellow or yellowish crowns, the wholly
different young by bright greenish yellow upperparts, yellow wing-bars, white
eye-ring, grayish cheeks and underparts. Length (skin), 4.50; wing, 2.50; tail,
1.95; bill, .35-
Adult <S, Spring. — Crown yellow, forehead white ; back greenish yellow
broadly streaked with black, the nape grayish ; tail black margined with gray the
three outer feathers with white patches at the end of the inner web ; primaries
margined with grayish, inner flight-feathers with yellowish, median coverts
tipped, greater coverts tipped and margined with yellowish ; ear-coverts and
sides of neck white enclosed by a black post-ocular stripe and black patch
below the eye and on the side of the throat, from the latter springs a bright
chestnut stripe which, broadening, passes along the sides to the flank, rest of
underparts white.
Adult ^, Fall. — Above bright greenish yellow indistinctly streaked on back
and rump ; tail and wings as in Spring <^, whole side of head gray, eye-ring
white; the sides and flanks chestnut, rest of underparts white.
Young S, Fall- — Similar to adult d" in Fall but with less, or no chestnut
on sides.
Adult 2, Spring. — Similar to adult c^ in Spring but duller, black areas less
pronounced, tail and wings browner, chestnut stripes less developed.
Adult ?. Fall. — Similar to young c? in Fall.
Young 9, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Fall but always without chestnut
on sides.
Nestling. — Above brown indistinctly streaked with black; below pale brown-
ish, the belly white ; wings and tail as in young, the coverts tipped with buffy.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America; north to New-
foundland and the Saskatchewan ; west to the Plains.
l88 CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER
Summer Range. — One of the commonest breeding Warblers in
New England, New York, Pennsylvania and south in the mountains
to South Carolina. Outside of the mountains it breeds south to
southern New Jersey (Sea Isle City), northern Ohio, Indiana (La
Porte Co.), Iowa (Mahaska Co.), and to eastern Nebraska (Omaha) ;
casual in summer in Missouri (St. Louis and Munger), and southern
Illinois (Fox Prairie, Richland Co.) ; accidental in Wyoming (Chey-
enne, May 2-^, 1889) ; breeds north to Newfoundland, Ontario and the
Saskatchewan.
Winter Range. — Guatemala to Panama.
Migration. — The Chestnut-sided Warbler passes through eastern
Mexico and the Gulf States from northwestern Florida to eastern
Texas. It is casual in southern Florida and the Bahamas.
Spring Migration. -
PI^ACE
Atlantic Coast —
Suwanee River, Fla
Atlanta, Ga. (near)
Asheville, N. C. (near) ...
Raleigh, N. C
French Creek, W. Va. . . .
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Southeastern New York . .
Portland, Conn
Boston, Mass
Lewiston, Me
Montreal, Can
Scotch Lake, N. B
Halifax, N. S
Mississippi Valley —
Southern Texas
Shell Mound, Miss
St. Louis, Mo
Brookville, Ind
Oberlin, O
Chicago, III
Petersburg, Mich
Detroit, Mich
Listowel, Ont
Parry Sound District, Ont.
Ottawa, Ont
Grinnell, la
Lanesboro, Minn
Elk River, Minn
Aweme, Man
No. of
years'
record
3
2
5
5
5
9
14
6
14
8
6
6
6
4
9
6
ID
9
13
13
r8
5
9
7
4
Average
date of
spring arrival 1
April
28
April
26
April 28 1
May
2
May
3
May
2
May
3
May
6
May
7
May
6
Mav
12
May
17
May
23
April
20
May
3
May
4
Mav
4
May
6
May
6
May
6
May
6
May
II
May
14
May
5
May
9
May
14
May
20
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April
April
April
April
April
April
May
April
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
10, 1892
17, 1896
22, 1902
27, 1886
30, 1890
24, 1905
1, 1902
30, 1901
2, 1899
4, 1887
2, 1897
7, 1899
11, 1889
18, 1897
24, 189s
April 17, 1890
April 15, 1892
April 27, 1883
May 2, 1 88 1
May 2, 1900
May 2, 1896
April 28, 1889
April 29, 1897
May 2, 1900
May 8, 1889
May 6, 1905
May I, 1887
May 4, 1890
May 7, 1887
May 18, 1897
NEST AND FIVE EGGS OF THE YELLOW WARBLER. \\'ITH
ONE EGG OF THE COWBIRD.
Photographed by Albert Morgan, at Wethersfield, Conn.
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER AND NEST.
Photographed by Albert Morgan, at Wethersfield, Conn.
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER
189
Fall Migration. —
PI.ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
I^atest date of
last one seen
Lanesboro, Minn
4
5
6
4
September 8
August 23
September 19
September 23
September 15, 1889
September 12, 1885
September 26, 1895
September 10, 1895
October i, 1890
October 8, 1891
October 10, 1896
October 13, 1904
Ottawa, Ont
Glen Ellyn, 111
St. John, N. B
Beaver, Pa
Berwyn, Pa
New Orleans, La. (near)
Tallahassee, Fla
The Bird and its Haunts. — The regret occasioned by the decrease
ill the numbers ol" wood-inhabiting birds following the destruction of
the forests in which they lived, is in a measure tempered by a knowl-
edge of the fact that their places will be filled by other species The
Chestnut-sided Warbler, for example, considered by Wilson and Audu-
bon to be a rare species, is now abundant, and we may believe that
this change in numbers is due largely to the development of those
scrub and second growths in which the bird delights.
In my own experience, covering the past twenty-five years, at
Englewood, N. J., I have seen this Warbler become established as an
increasingly common summer resident, and at East Orange, in the
same state, Dugmore^ writes "What has been most noticeable about
the bird-life of this particular locality is the rapid and steady increase
of the Chestnut-sided Warbler." In the summer of 1897, he adds, he
did not observe a single specimen but in 1900 they had become com-
paratively common.
About Cambridge, Mass., Brewster^ quoting Dr. Samuel Cabot,
says that this species was very rare in eastern Massachusetts prior
to 1835, but that it gradually and steadily increased in numbers after
that date. Brewster adds "they nest chiefly on the edges of upland
woods, in neglected fields and pastures, along the courses of brooks,
and on country roadsides. In general terms they may be said to
occupy most of the country which the Yellow Warblers avoid, but in
a few localities the two species breed together in the same thickets.
Both birds, as a rule, shun evergreen trees, although the Chestnut-
sided Warbler occasionally frequents white pine woods in late sum-
m.er, especially when it is consorting in 'mixed flocks' with such pine-
loving species as the Chickadee and the Black-throated Green Warbler."
Gerald Thayer writes that the Chestnut-sided is "an abundant
roadside and brush-land Warbler throughout the Monadnock region,
but on the mountain itself is not common above 2,000 feet, or there-
I90 CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER
abouts. Its 'beat' lies between the ground and the tops of small
deciduous trees. The few nests I have seen have all been between two
and five feet from the ground, in bushes. The adults' peculiar mark-
ings and droop-winged, perk-tailed, and deep-chested attitudes are too
well known to bear dwelling on here. Though potentially quick mov-
ing, the Chestnut-side is by no means restless, as Warblers go, —
often spending many minutes at a time in one small tree, — and it is
one of the tamest of the tame." (Thayer, MS).
Herrick's'' detailed studies of the nesting habits of the Chestnut-
side show how little we know as yet of the more intimate, personal side
of the home-life of Warblers.
Song. — "The Chestnut-side, a full-voiced Warbler, has at least
two main songs, both of which, but particularly the more liquid
and less articulate one, are subject to wide variation. Both types
of song are too liquid to be well suggested by English syllables,
except for the clearly enunciated ending of one of them, — wee-chew.
Twit-a-wit-a-wit-a-wit-wee-chew! is something like the phrasing of
the whole of this song, except that it fails to express the soft fluency
of the first part. The other song is an elaboration of this initial roll-
ing warble, with the tvee-chczv left off. Hardly any two Chestnut-
sides sing this inarticulate song alike, and almost every individual
plays noticeable variations on his own version of it. In addition to
all this, the Chestnut-side is a mocker. One we used to hear, that
regularly began his wee-cheiv song with a loud, long, rattling trill,
almost indistinguishable from the more fluent song of the Sparrow ;
almost indistinguishable from the more fluent song of the Sparrows ;
and another, that lived near Catbirds, used several unmistakable notes
of Catbird song. One of the Chestnut-side's two or three or more
small call-notes is characteristic, — the others scantily so, if at all."
(Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock writes that the first two of the songs given below
are usual. They are uttered with much energy and decided accent.
The last two songs are more like the Redstart's but are without accent,
and sound as if sung with closed mouth.
""'r^} } ij^ ^ J' i-i-
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER
191
^^hhhh^=^=l^
ftSt T
'^"% IJJl Q-^-
%J=
/ Cr fr r r r r r r
Nesting-Site. — Throughout its range this species appears to nest
in low bushes, sapHngs or briers, at from one to six, but usually
about two feet from the ground.
Nest. — The nest is externally rather roughly made of coarse
grasses, strippings of weed-stalks, plant fibers, bunches of spiders' web-
bing, and some plant down, finely and thickly lined with brown root-
lets, grasses and horse-hair.
^SK^- — 4 or 5. usually 4, rarely 5. Ground color white to creamy
white, beautifully marked, in most cases, with chestnut, varying shades
of brown, lavender, and purplish brown and blackish, either in the
form of a wreath or a conglomerate mass of spots on large end there
being very few scattering spots over rest of tgg. Some specimens
of the tgg of this species closely approach many eggs of the Yellow,
Magnolia, Myrtle, and Prairie Warblers. Size ; average .66X.49 ;
extremes measure .61X.47, ,7ix.5i, .66X.46 and .69X.52. (Figs. 57-59.)
Nesting Dates. — New York City, May 29 — two broods, one day
from nest. (F. M. C.) ; New Haven, Conn., May 23-July 22, young
just out of nest. (Bishop) ; Cambridge, Mass., full sets, first laying.
May 26- June 5 (Brezvster) ; Lancaster, N. H., May 26- June 6
(C. W. C.) ; Bangor, Me., June 4-July 4 (Knight) ; Listowel, Ont,
May 2i-June 18 (Kells) ; Ann Arbor, Mich., May 20 (Wood).
Biographical References
(i) W. L. Kells, Nesting of the Chestnut-sided Warbler, (in Ontario),,
Oologist, IV, 1887, 11; Ottawa Naturalist, XV, 1902, 225. (2) Charles L.
Phillips, The Chestnut-sided Warbler (at Taunton, Mass.), Oologist, IX, 1892,
165. (3) Morris Gibbs, Nesting Habits of the Chestnut-sided Warbler (in
Mich.), Oologist, XI, 1894, 331. (4) L. M. Terrill, Summer Warblers in
192
BAY-BREASTED WARBLER
Compton County, Quebec, Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, 1904, 152. (5) A. R.
DuGMORE, The Increase of the Chestnut-sided Warbler, Bird-Lore, IV, 1902,
^^. (6) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 336. (7) F. H.
Herrick, Home Life of Wild Birds, Rev. Ed., 1905, 189, 222, 236 ,240.
Bay-breasted Warbler
DENDROICA CASTANEA (Wils.) Plat* XII
Distinguishing Characters. — The adult c? in Spring may be known by its
chestnut crown, breast, and sides, black face, and buffy spot at the side of
the neck ; the adult $ in Spring by more or less chestnut in crown, on breast,
and sides, a grayish back streaked with black. Fall adults show more or less
chestnut on the sides but young of both sexes are singularly like the young of
Dendroica striata, which see. Length (skin), 5.00; wing, 2.90; tail, 2.10; bill,
.40.
Adult 3, Spring. — Crown chestnut, forehead, lores, and cheeks black, a large
bufify space on the side of the neck sometimes spreading to the nape; back
grayish buff streaked with black; rump grayer; tail margined with gray, the
outer two to three feathers with white patches at the end of the inner web;
wings margined with olive-gray; the greater and median coverts broadly
tipped with white; throat, upper breast, and sides chestnut; rest of underparts
buffy white.
Adult (^, Fall. — Upperparts olive-green more or less streaked with black,
the crown usually with some concealed chestnut ; tail and wings as in Spring
but coverts tinged with yellowish; underparts whitish the throat tinged with
yellowish, the breast, belly, and under tail-coverts with buffy; sides with more
or less chestnut.
Young (S, Fall. — Similar to adult 3 in Fall but with no chestnut in crown,
upperparts less streaked, little or no chestnut on sides ; buff suffusion weaker.
Adult ?, Spring. — Similar to adult <S in Spring but chestnut of crown mixed
with black; forehead and cheeks gray and black; chestnut on throat and sides
much fainter or appearing in patches only.
Adult ?, Fa//.— Resembling adult 3 in Fall.
Young 9, Fo//.— Resembling young c? in Fall, but without trace of chestnut.
Nestling. — Above grayish olive, the head sometimes paler, nearly buffy, back
heavily spotted with wedge-shaped black marks; below whitish thickly spotted
with rounded black marks; median wing-coverts broadly tipped with white or
buffy white on both webs, the greater coverts, on only the outer web.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America; north to Nev^^-
foundland and Hudson Bay; west to a Httle beyond the Mississippi
River.
Summer Range. — Northern New England; New Hampshire
(White Mountains, Lake Umbagog), Maine (Franklin, Penobscot,
and Washington Counties), northern Ontario and, probably, northern
Minnesota, north to Newfoundland, Hudson Bay and Saskatchewan.
Winter Range. — Panama and Colombia.
Spring Migration. — On the way to its summer home, the bird
BAY-BREASTED WARBLER
193
shuns Mexico, the West Indies, and the United States south of Virginia,
east of the Allegheny Mountains ; the great bulk passes north through
the Mississippi Valley, west to eastern Texas (Corpus Christi, Port
Bolivar), Missouri (Freistatt), and Iowa (Grinnell) ; casual or acci-
dental in South Dakota (May 1888), Montana (Big Sandy, May 24,
1903), and Alberta (Medicine Hat).
S prince Migration. —
PI.ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Atlantic Coast —
Chester County, S. C
5
6
5
9
6
6
3
4
5
3
7
6
12
16
3
May 12
May 13
May 8
May 16
May 18
May 21
May 23
May 7
May 5
May 8
May 8
May 13
May 12
May 17
May 16
Mav 5. 1888
Washington, D. C
May 0, IQC^
Renovo, Pa
May II, 1897
Southeastern New York
May 3, 1899
Central Massachusetts
May 8, 1895
Southern Maine
St. John, N. B
May IS. 1889
Montreal, Can
May 19, 1891
Pictou, N. S
Mav 2^, 189s
Mississippi Valley —
St. Louis, Mo
May 3, 1883
Morgan Park, III
May 2, 1900
Brookville, Ind
May 2. 1884
Oberlin,
May 4, 1902
Petersburg, Mich
May 10, 1893
Southern Ontario
May 6, 1889
Ottawa, Ont
May II, 1886
Aweme, Man
Mav 13, 1899
Fall Migration. —
PI.ACE
Ottawa, Ont. . . .
St. John, N. B. .
Glen Ellyn, 111. .
Germantown, Pa
No, of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
September 8
September 18
September 28
I,atest date of
last one seen
September 16, 1888
September i, 1890
October 4, 1897
October 19, 1885
The Bird and its Haunts. — Although close observation will reveal
the presence of Bay-breasts during both the spring and fall migrations,
they are generally to be classed among the rarer Warblers the mere
sight of which is stimulating. Occasionally, however, the weather so
affects their migration that they come en masse and for a brief
period are actually abundant. On the morning of May 27, 1872,
194
BAY-BREASTED WARBLER
Brewster^ saw "upwards of forty'' Bay-breasts near Cambridge, Mass.
Usually, however, he remarks, they "occur singly and in dense woods,
especially such as consist largely of white pines, hemlocks or other
coniferous trees."
"The southward flight of Bay-breasts," this author continues,
"sometimes begins as early as August 23 and usually lasts nearly
through September. At this season the birds are given to frequenting
gray birches and dense, swampy maple woods and are nearly always
found in company with Blackpoll Warblers."
The Bay-breast, Gerald Thayer writes, is "often common at
Monadnock in the spring migration, and may possibly breed here.
Apparently it is never common in the fall. It associates often with
Blackpolls, in loose bands, which drift through the scrub-lands and
forest-borders like bands of Titmice. But the Bay-breasts usually
leave Monadnock for the north at least a week before the Blackpolls.
"Bay-breasts and Blackpolls alike are rather big and rather dusk-
ily-adorned Warblers, and both have an almost vireo-like leisureliness
of movement. Adult male Bav-breasts in life are apt to look very dark ;
— heavily clouded with deep brown and gray, relieved by a conspicu-
ously bright, big, white-buff spot on each side of the fore-neck.
Females look much like female Blackpolls, but are grayer — less green
— and usually show some blurred pale chestnut flecks on their sides.
The call-notes of these two twin-like species (Bay -breast and Black-
poll) I have never learned to tell apart. They are fine and sharp, but
sometimes louder than the average Dendroicine tsipping." {Thayer
MS.)
About Umbagog, wheie it breeds, Maynard^ found the Bay-
breast the most abundant Warbler. It inhabited all the wooded sec-
tions and frequented the tops of tall trees.
Song. — "Heard from migrants the Bay-breast's song is a poor,
weak, monotonous saw-filing note" (Farzvell, MS.)
Widmann records the full song at St. Louis, on September 26,
1897.
"In a grouping based on songs, the Bay-breast should stand in a
quintette with the Blackburnian, the Blackpoll, the Black and White
and the Cape May. These five heard singing together in the same
trees, as I have heard them on the Hudson River, make 'confusion
worse than death' for any bird-student but the most adept. But with
patience and a good ear one can learn to differentiate them surely.
All five are thin-voiced, 'sibilant', singers ; but each has its own slight,
prevailing peculiarity of tone, in addition to the differences, varied
BAY-BREASTED WARBLER
195
but never wholly violated, of phrasing and accentuation. The Bay-
breast's singing, in the spring at least, is the most liquid and inarticu-
late of the lot, and sometimes the loudest. It varies greatly, from
the bases of at least two and probably three clearly distinct main
songs. In one of these, the six or more barely-separated lisping notes
are all alike in volume, accentuation, tone, and speed. They are
slightly louder than the average Blackpoll notes, and not quite so
smooth in tone. Another song begins in about the same way, but
ends with three or four clearly-separated louder notes, which have a
more nearly full-voiced ring. A third, uncommon, song, which I
have all but surely traced to the Bay-breast, is louder throughout,
and otherwise very different. It begins with about ten penetrating
notes, in close-knit couplets like those of the Black and White's
shorter song, and of much the same tone, but louder; and it ends,
abruptly, with a single, lower-toned, much richer note, like a frag-
ment of Oven-bird song." (Thayer, MS.)
Nesting Site. — Nests recorded by Maynard^ were placed on the
horizontal branch of a hemlock fifteen and twenty feet from the
ground and five or six feet from the trunk of the tree.
Nest. — The nest of the Bay-breasted Warbler is characterized
by large size, and the irregularity of outline given to it by the long
coniferous twigs which compose its exterior.
Maynard describes a nest as "composed outwardly of fine dead
twigs, from the larch, among which are scattered a little of the long
tree-moss. It is very smoothly and neatly lined with black, fibrous
roots, the seed-stalks of a species of ground moss, a few hairs of
Lepus americana, and a single piece of green moss that grows m
damp woods."
Eggs. — Doubtless usually 4. Maynard^ describes one of a set
of three eggs as "bluish green, thickly spotted with brown over the
entire surface, with a ring of nearly confluent blotches of brown and
lilac at the larger end." A second egg is similar but has some amber
spots in the ring around the larger end and, the smaller end is immac-
ulate. The third egg "is less spotted than the others, and has a few
brown lines on the larger end." These eggs measure .71X.53, .65X.50,
.70X.50. (Figs. 60,61 Childs Coll.)
Nesting Dates. — Bangor, Me., June 15, one egg, very rare.
(Knight); Listowel, Ont., June 9- June 14. (Kelts).
Biographical References
(i) C. J. Maynard, Birds of Coos County, N. H., and Oxford County, Me.,
Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XIV, 1871, 364. (2) Wm. Brewster. Birds of the
Cambridge Region, 338.
196 blackpoll warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
DENDROICA STRIATA (Forst.) Plate 11
Distinguishing Characters. — The adult d* in Spring may be known by its
black crown, white cheeks, and gray, black-striped back; the adult 5 in Spring,
by the grayish olive, black streaked upperparts, white or yellow-tinged under-
parts with black streaks on the sides ; Fall birds of all ages and sexes are
olive-green above, indistinctly streaked ; the wing-bars are white ; the under-
parts greenish yellow obscurely streaked. Specimens in this plumage are curi-
ously like the young of Dendrotca castanea and the two cannot certainly be dis-
tinguished in nature. The differences between the two are as follows : the upper-
parts in striata are duller and more streaked, the wings are edged with a yellow-
green in place of gray-green ; the underparts are yellowish instead of buffy and
are more or less streaked; the under tail-coverts are white instead of buffy;
the feet and legs in striata are paler. Some specimens of castanea, however,
are to be distinguished from striata only by a slight suffusion of buff on the
flanks and under tail-coverts. Length (skin), 5.00; wing, 2.90; tail. 2.05;
bill, .40.
Adult (S, Spring. — Crown black, back gray, whitish on the nape, streaked
with black; tail blackish edged with gray, two to three outer feathers with
white patches at the end of the inner web ; wings edged with greenish, the
coverts tipped with white forming two wing-bars, the tertials margined with
white ; cheeks white ; underparts white, the sides from base of bill to flanks,
heavily streaked with black.
Adult (S, Fall. — Wholly unlike ^ in Spring, no black cap; upperparts
olive-green more or less streaked with black ; feathers of crown with black
centers ; tail as in Spring but slightly browner ; wings and their coverts edged
with greenish, coverts tipped with white more or less tinged with yellow ;
underparts washed with yellowish the belly whiter, the sides with more or less
concealed black stripes.
Young S, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Fall and not certainly distinguishable
from it in life ; crown feathers without pronounced black centers, sides streaked
with dusky.
Adult 9, Spring. — Upperparts grayish olive-green streaked with black from
bill to rump; a faint grayish nuchal band; tail much as in (^; wings edged
with greenish, the greater and median coverts tipped with white or yellowish
white ; underparts white ; breast and sides often tinged with yellow : side of
throat and of breast lightly streaked with black. Resembles adult c? in Fall
but is grayer above and whiter below, the black streaks everywhere better
defined.
Adult and young 5, Fall. — Resemble young c? in Fall and are not certainly
distinguishable from it, but average whiter below.
Nestling. — Above grayish olive or olive-gray spotted with black, wedge-
shaped shaft-marks ; below whitish with rounded spots ; greater and median
wing-coverts blackish, median coverts subapically white on both webs, greater
coverts on outer web, the white narrowly tipped with black. Resembles the
nestling of D. castanea in conspicuous spotting of the upper, and underparts
but apparently differs from it in the black tips of the wing-coverts.
BLACKPOLL WARBLER
197
General Distribution. — Eastern North America; north to the Hmit
of tree growth, Labrador to Alaska ; west to the Rocky Mountains.
Summer Range. — Principally in Canada, but a few nest south to
northern Alaine (Franklin and Washington Counties), the mountains
of New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, and, probably, to
northern Minnesota (Leach Lake). The southernmost breeding record
is at Seven Lakes, near Manitou, Colorado, at an altitude of 11,000
feet. The Blackpoll occurs sparingly in Colorado, less commonly in
New Mexico (in migration) and northwest through Montana to
Yukon and Alaska.
Winter Range.
and eastern Brazil.
-Northern South America to Ecuador, Guiana
Spring Migration. — No Blackpoll Warbler seems to spend the
winter north of South America, while the southernmost breeding
grounds are in northern New York and central Colorado. Therefore,
no Blackpoll Warbler can have a migration route less than twenty-five
hundred miles in length, and the extremes of the range — Alaska and
Brazil are twice that distance apart. It is one of the very few War-
blers that migrate directly across the West Indies from South America
to Florida. This species is correctly considered one of the latest
migrating Warblers, and is seldom seen in the Gulf states before the
last week in April. It makes the trip from Florida to Maine at twice
the speed of the Black and White Warbler, and the individuals that
nest in Alaska travel at an average speed of not less than seventy-five
miles per day.
PLACE
Atlantic Coast —
Atlanta, Ga. ( near)
Raleigh, N. C
Asheville, N. C. (near)
Washington, D. C
Germantown, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Southeastern New York
Central Connecticut
Providence, R. T
Boston, Mass
Southern New Hampshire . . . .
Lewiston, Me
Montreal, Can
Upper Hamilton River. Quebec
Placentia, Newfoundland
No. of
.\verage
date of
Earliest date of
record
spring arrival
spring arrival
6
April
25
April
22, 1902
II
May
2
April
28, 1894
5
May
5
April
29, 1893
7
May
6
Mav
4, 1890
6
May
8
May
5. 1887
5
May
14
Mav
6. 1900
M
Mav
15
May
2, 1899
II
May
15
May
II, 1889
6
May
15
May
12, 1900
14
May
17
May
10, 1897
9
Mav
21
May
16, 1892
6
May
23
May
May
May
June
16, 1901
28, 1892
31
I, 1890
198
BLACKPOLL WARBLER
PL,ACE
Mississippi Valley —
St. Louis, Mo
Southern Ontario
Ottawa, Ont
Oberlin, O
Southern Michigan
Chicago, 111
Southern Wis
Keokuk, Iowa (near)
Grinnell, Iowa (near)
Lanesboro, Minn
Aweme, Man
Southeastern Nebraska . . . .
Central Colo
Cheyenne, Wyo
Great Falls, Moni
Fort Chipewyan, Alberta . .
Fort Providence, Mackenzie
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie . .
Kowak, Alaska
No. of
years'
record
7
6
i6
6
6
9
8
7
7
8
6
5
4
2
3
Average date of
spring arrival
April 30
May 17
May 21
May 9
May 14
May 13
May 16
May 9
May 10
May 16
May 13
May 18
May 9
May 9
May 19
May 23
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
June
28, 1888
12, 1894
13, 1905
6, 190S
11, 1900
1, 1899
12, 1889
7, 1902
9, 1889
8, 1887
6, 1905
5. 1903
7, 1905
8, 1888
18, 1892
23, 1901
19, 1905
22
2, 1899
Fall Migration. — Moving northward late in the spring, the Black-
poll Warbler is almost equally late on its return. It starts south late
in August and reaches northern South America the first week in
October.
PI.ACE
Ottawa, Ont
Glen EUyn, 111
Providence, R. I
Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y
Beaver, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Washington, D. C
Raleigh; N. C
Average date of
first one seen
September 3
September 18
September 17
September 5
September 5
October 2
Earliest date of
first one seen
August 9, 1893
August 23, 1897
September 16, 1900
September 12, 1888
August 27, 1891
August 30, 1887
September i, 1889
September 24
PI^ACE
No. of
years'
record
Great Bear Lake, Mackenzie I
Ottawa, Ont 3
Glen Ellyn, 111 7
Detroit, Mich : n
Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y i 3
Beaver, Pa j 7
Renovo, Pa \ 6
Englewood, N.J 3
Washington, D. C ,
Raleigh, N. C
Southern Florida [ 3
New Providence, Bahamas 1
Average date of
last one seen
September 19
September 17
October 9
October 12
October 19
October 20
October 6
November 11
I,atest date of
last one seen
August 29, 1904
September 27, 18
September 25, 18
October 16, 1904
October 26, 1888
October 21, 1900
October 27, 1896
October 8, 1885
October 20, 1889
November 5,
November 16,
November 26,
I8«t)
1887
1898
BLACKPOLL WARBLER 199
The Bird and its Haunts. — Although the BlackpoU is by no means
the last Warbler to arrive in the spring it is usually the last of the
transients to leave us for a more northern summer home, the length
of its stay combined with its abundance, making its passage one of
the most pronounced features of the vernal migration. It is as
deliberate in actions as it is in traveling, a fact which may either ac-
count for or may be accounted for by its extreme fatness at this season.
In the fall the adults of both sexes take the inconspicuous
plumage of the young of the year when all are the subjects of much
patient scrutiny by the opera-glass student. They are, however, only
to be confused with the young of the Bay-breast from which they
differ as described above. Still some of the individuals of the latter
are too much like the BlackpoU to be distinguished in life.
While a true Wood Warbler, the migrating BlackpoU host is so
numerous that stragglers, or even whole divisions, are found far from
the main army in our orchards and gardens and, in the fall, as Brewster
remarks, "they are often seen flitting along fences and stone walls
that traverse open country or feeding on the ground in company with
various species of Sparrows, in grain stubbles and weed-infested
fields."
At Monadnock, Gerald Thayer writes, the BlackpoU is abundant
in the fall and common in the spring, when "it is most dilatory of all
the late lingering migrants, staying sometimes till near the middle of
June, not only in the spruce and tamarack swamps about the mountain,
but even in the big street elm trees of the town of Keene, in the
neighboring low valley country (500 feet). While it lives in these
elms, it is a most persistent singer." (Thayer, MS.)
In the summer I have found the BlackpoU to be an abundant resi-
dent of the stunted spruce woods on the Magdalen Islands, a type of
growth which, when nesting, it also frequents in other localities.
Song. — "A succession of hesitating, staccato, unmusical notes
varying greatly in volume. The notes separated, not combined in
twos, as in the Black and White Warbler's song." (Farivell, MS.)
"Sometimes the tempo is so accelerated as to constitute a rapid,
sibilant, trill. The crescendo and diminuendo effects, however, are
always present, as far as I have observed." (Fuertes, MS.)
"Although some phases of the Blackpoll's very changeable song are
much like variations of the songs of other members of the Warbler quin-
tette above mentioned, its usual performance is decidedly different. Not
so much in tone, — though that has its peculiarities, — as in delivery and
phrasing. It is a string of from six to twelve or more, short, equal and
equally-divided sibilant notes, cobweb-thin and glassy-clear, — uttered
200 BLACKPOLL WARBLER
rather fast; the whole song smoothly swelling in volume to the middle,
or the second third, and then smoothly falling off. This should
perhaps be called the one main song, but the variations from it are
many and pronounced. Its syllables vary in number from four to
fifteen or more ; they are sometimes uttered very hurriedly and close
together — a song like a trembling wire — and sometimes they are
deliberately and distinctly enunciated. Occasionally these two styles
of delivery are combined in one utterance. Again, the song's character-
istic 'swell and fall' in volume is sometimes, though seldom, wholly
wanting ; and the shorter versions are often crescendo to the end. So,
sometimes, is that one of the Blackburnian's songs which gives him a
place in the quintette. But this is always ( ?) more deliberately uttered
than even the most languid song of any of the other four species, and
its notes, unlike the Blackpoll's, are in couplets. Like the BlackpoU's,
on the other hand, they have a perfectly smooth tone ; — though they
are less piercingly fine." (Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock writes: "There is always a distinct crescendo
and diminuendo which makes the sound seem to drift. It resembles
the sound children make by striking the closed hand on the knees to
make the 'money rattle.' "
J i J J J J J i -^
"At very close range a double quality can be distinguished as
follows :"
4J^J[;J.!Jfg i g['JfJU ;
"I once heard this unusual song from a Blackpoll ;"
* y N
!s=
S
- - /'P
Nesting Site. — In the Island of Grand Menan this species nests
in spruce trees from one to ten, but usually about five feet up.
( Karris'^). In the INIagdalen Islands, where the birds are abundant,
they nest in the stunted spruces at an average of about four feet.
NEST AND EGGS OF BLACKPOLL WARBLER.
Photographed by H. K. Job, in the Magdalen Islands.
OV^EN-lilRD AT ENTRANCE TO NEST, ABOl'T TO FEED YOl'NG
Photographed by Frank M. Chapman, at Englewood, \. j.
PINE WARBLER 20I
Nest — "Outside depth i./SJ inside depth i.io; outside diameter,
3.75 ; inside diameter, 2.00. Composed of grasses, roots, a Uttle Hchen
and a few small twigs of spruce fir. Lined with fine grass, and over
this is placed a thick lining of soft white feathers, apparently belong-
ing to the domestic goose." (A' orris' Grand Menan specimens.)
Eggs. — 4 or 5. Ground color white, creamy white to dull
grayish white, speckled, spotted, and blotched with various shades of
reddish brown, lilac, and purplish gray, in most cases forming a wreath
around large end but many eggs are well marked all over. A rather
dull colored egg, but the markings are bold and well defined. Size ;
average, .71X.52; extremes measure .74X.52, .67X.53, .69X.50 and
.70X.54. (Figs. 62-64.)
K'estiug Dates. — Lancaster, N. H., June 28 (Spaidding) ; Bangor,
Me., probably breeds about June 20, but no nests yet found. (Knight) ;
Grand Menan, N. B., June ii-June 20 (/. P. N.).
Biographical References
(i) J. P. N [orris], a Series of Eggs of the BlackpoU Warbler, Orn.
and Ool., XV, 1890, 41.
Pine Warbler
DENDROICA VIGORSI VIGORSI (Aud.) Plate XXJV
Distinguishing Characters. — In the adult d* of this comparatively large
Warbler the underparts, except the lower belly, are bright greenish yellow,
the breast, particularly in worn plumage, often being obscurely streaked, the
upperparts bright yellowish green; the wing-bars soiled whitish. The adult
? is dusky olive above with a decided brownish tinge, soiled whitish below
the breast tinged with yellow. In the young the upperparts are decidedly brown,
the wing-coverts are brownish white but well-defined and will serve to distin-
guish the species from several species of Helminthophila which it superficially
resembles. Length (skin), 5.00; wing, 2.80; tail, 2.20; bill, .42.
Adult ^, Spring. — Above bright yellow-green; narrow line from bill over
eye yellow ; inner webs of two outer tail-feathers with white patches at end ;
outer web of outer feather usually white basally ; wings margined with grayish,
the median coverts tipped, the greater coverts terminally margined with soiled
whitish ; underparts bright greenish yellow becoming white on the belly, the
breast sometimes obscurely streaked.
Adult d", Ffl//.— Similar to adult c^ in Spring but browner above, slightly
veiled with whitish below.
Young S, Fall. — Not appreciably different from adult c^ in Fall.
Adult 9, Spring.— Much duller than the c?; above dusky olive-green tinged
with brownish, the nape grayish, no yellow about eye, cheeks grayish, tail
with less white, wing-bars less pronounced than in c^; underparts soiled gray-
ish white, the breast more or less tinged with yellow, the flanks with brownish.
Adult 9. Fa//.— Similar to adult ? in Spring but browner above and on
flanks ; yellow on breast veiled with whitish : wing-bars browner.
202 PINE WARBLER
Young ?, Fall. — Still browner than the adult $ in Fall ; often no pronounced
greenish above or yellow below.
Nestling. — Above warm grayish brown, eye-ring white ; breast strongly
washed with the same color the throat grayer, the belly whiter.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America; north to New
Brunswick and Saskatchewan ; west nearly to the Plains.
Summer Range. — Southern Florida and the Gulf States to
southern Canada from New Brunswick through central Ontario
(Ottawa, Muskoka), to Manitoba (Lake Winnipeg) and Saskatche-
wan (Carlton) ; in this northern part of the range the species is
quite rare, except locally. In the region of the Plains, where pine
forests are lacking, it is a rather rare migrant. Nearer the Mississippi
River and thence to the Atlantic Ocean, its presence during the
breeding season is largely governed by the extent of pine timber.
Hence in summer, it is more common in the Southern States and the
pitch and white pine districts of southern New England, than in the
middle hard-wood districts, throughout which, from about latitude 37
degrees northward, it is known to most observers as a more or less
common migrant and to a few as a rather rare summer resident.
Winter Range. — This is one of the few Warblers of the eastern
United States whose winter home is included in its breeding range.
During the winter season the Pine Warbler occupies approximately
the southern third of the breeding range ; hence it is not surprising
that the birds are found to be more common there in winter than at
any other time of the year. From North Carolina and southern Illinois
southward, it is common in winter in the pines ; occasional north in
winter to Massachusetts (Framingham, December 5, 1891 ; January i,
1882; Duxbury, December 15, 1890). Casual in the Bermudas, at
Revelstoke, B. C, and at Matamoras, Mexico.
Spring Migration: Atlantic Coast. — The records of spring migra-
tion from the winter home are neither regular nor numerous, but the
following notes on the arrival of the first birds will give a fair idea of
the general movement:
Lynchburg, Va., March 30, 1901 ; Washington, D. C, average
April 3; Renovo, Pa., April 18, 1894; Englewood, N. J., April 18, 1900;
Portland, Conn., average April 17; Durham. N. H., average April 26;
southwestern Maine, average April 20; Petitcodiac, N. B., May 19,
T887; Pictou, N. S., May 19, 1894; North River, P. E. I.. May 2,
1889.
Mississippi Valley. — Nashville, Tenn., March 24, 1902 ; Bowling
Green, Ky., April 20, 1902; central Indiana, average April 25; south-
western Ontario, average May 4; Ottawa, Ont., average May 17; St.
PINE WARBLER
203
Louis, Mo., April 21, 1883, April 16, 1888, April 11, 1896; south-
western Iowa, average April 2y; Lanesboro, Minn., average May 2;
Aweme, Man., May 21, 1902.
Fall Migration. — The last Pine Warbler seen at Aweme, Man., in
1902, was on September 2 ; the average of the last seen in southwestern
Maine, is September 25, and the latest October 4, 1896. The earliest
migrants reach Washington, D. C, the last week in August, and the
rear guard passes central Indiana and Washington between October
10 and 20.
The Bird and its Haunts. — The pine barrens of Florida have no
more characteristic bird than this abundant Warbler. Even on frosty
m.ornings one may hear its trilled monotone rising distinctly above the
accompaniment of Palm Warbler chips. Bluebird whistles, and Nut-
hatch chatter. By Februar}' i they are singing in numbers and to
one who is much in the pines, their voice becomes as much an audible
expression of the mood of the trees as the sighing of the wind through
their branches. The bird ranges from the ground to the tree-tops, and
is at all times deliberate in movements, picking its way slowly along
the branches or even clinging to the trunk itself, its plumage generally
being more or less soiled with pitch.
While the Pine Warbler has one of the most extended breeding
ranges among Warblers, it is never found nesting in other than pines,
and even during its migrations it is seen in other growths with com-
parative infrequency. At West Englewood, N. J., where there are
virtually no pines, I have seen it only twice.
Gerald Thayer puts it very well when he says : "Never was a
bird more patly named than the Pine Warbler. Except when migrat-
ing, it sticks to pine woods as a cockle-bur sticks to a dog's tail.
There is even a sort of gummy sluggishness about its movements, as
it skulks among the pitchy branches, crawling along their stems, and
doing little of the agile twig-skipping, characteristic of its tribe. In
the breeding season, the Pine Warbler's 'beat' lies between the
middles and tops of big and medium-sized pine trees ; but during mi-
grations it is extended to scrubb}' deciduous copse-s and to apple
orchards.
"A rather big, rather sluggish, rather dingy Warbler, its costume
is almost an epitome of inornate American Wood Warbler coloration.
Even less characteristically than the Yellow Warbler does this bird
belong to the breeding avifauna of Mt. Monadnock proper. But it is
fairly common no further away than Keene (ten miles), in river-
bordering groves of big white pines ; and one or two singing males
wander to Monadnock's northern base about mid-summer, or earlier,
204
PINE WARBLER
almost every year. So it is more than likely an occasional pair has
bred here." {Thayer, MS.)
Song. — The sweet trill of the Pine Warbler is one of the most
characteristic bird notes in the great pine forests of the south. In
Florida the birds are in full song by February i and are frequently
heard during the winter.
"The song is a rather slow, monotonous trill ; the key varies much,
being sometimes lower than that of any other Warbler song with
which I am familiar, and always lower than that of the Worm-eating,
which it somewhat resembles in other respects. I have heard the songs
in these two keys following each other so closely that it seemed
probable they were executed by the same bird. These songs are
uttered at all seasons, I think ; certainly not more than a few weeks
in December mark a cessation.
"The ordinary call-note is a rather soft, lisping, cJiirp somewhat
like that of the Parula Warbler. During courtship, and while the
young are being fed, a rapid and insistent chipping is common. Some
pugnacity is displayed by the males during courtship ; but no obvious
attempt is made to show superior advantages in color or song; indeed,
the commonest note then appears to be the rapid chipping I have
mentioned." (Allison, MS.)
"Its common song is clear and sweet; an unbroken, fluent trill,
with a tone and character at once distinguishable from those of other
trilling wood-birds of New England ; — the Junco, Chipping Sparrow,
Myrtle Warbler, etc. It is uttered on an even scale, but is often cre-
scendo in its first half and diminuendo in its second. I have heard
no other song from this Warbler, and no important variations of this
one, either in New England or in the South. The bird seems to be
about the least versatile singer of its tribe." (Thayer, MS.)
Nesting Site. — "In this section ( Statesville, N. C.) the nest is
usually placed on a horizontal limb thirty — but varying from eight
to fifty — feet from the ground." (M'Laughlin^.) "The nest is
always placed in a pine, the two species (Piuus luitis and P. facda)
being used about equally, but the situation varies a great deal. It may
be on a horizontal limb, or built among the small twigs toward the
end of the limb ; in whichever position, it is put there to stay and
takes a good deal of pulling to get it away. It may be close to the
trunk or as far off as fifteen feet. The height too varies from twelve
to eighty feet, the usual height being from thirty to fifty feet."
(Brimley*.)
Nest. — "The outer portion consists of long, thin strips of bark
PINE WARBLER 205
from grapevines, bits of dead weeds and the stems of dry oak leaves,
intermixed with a very fine silken web or cocoon which the bird
gathers from openings in the pine bark ; web of the caterpillar is also
often used. It lines freely with feathers using a respectable quantity
of horse-hair and dead tops of sedge also. The bottom consists mostly
of feathers, and, on the whole, the nest is quite warm and neatly built."
{M'Laughlin^.) "The time occupied in building the nest and laying
the four eggs is fourteen days provided the weather is favorable.
- * * The female Pine Warbler gathers material from the trunks
and limbs of trees and from the ground, and from both near the nest
and as far as several hundred yards. * * * The female does most
of the building but on one occasion we observed the male assisting
her. As a rule, however, he merely accompanies her in her journeys,
keeping a little way ofif and singing assiduously his own individual
song. * * * The nest is solid and deep. It is constructed of weed
stems, horse-hair and feathers. The dark-colored grapevine bark on
the outside gives it an appearance characteristic of this species. A
good deal of caterpillar's silk also is used, as well as small cocoons."
(Brimley*.)
A'esting Dates. — Charleston, S. C, March 28-May 13 (IVayue) ;
Raleigh, N. C, March 24 (Brhnley) ; New Haven, Conn., July 4.
young in nest. (Bishop) ; Cambridge, Mass., full sets, first laying.
May 20-30 (Brczcsfer) ; Bangor, Me., June 2, seen taking food to in-
accessible nest, either for mate or young (Knight) ; Porcupine Mts.,
Mich., July 19, adults feed young, Wood (Barrozvs).
Eggs. — Usually 4, rarely 5. Ground color varies from a dull
creamy white to grayish or bluish gray-white, about 90 per cent, in a
large series, are heavily wreathed around large end but, in all cases,
the markings are bold and heavy ; they consist of specks, spots and
blotches, in some cases much run together, of many shades of lilac-
gray, reddish brown, burnt umber, purplish brown and blackish with
under shell-markings of lavender and grayish. Size : average .72X.54,
extremes measure .77x. 55, .64X.52. .71X.51, .65X.51. (Figs. 79-81.)
Biographical References
(i) R. B. M'Laughlin, Nesting of the Pine-Creeping Warbler, (in Nor.
Car.), Orn. and Ool., XII, 1887, 171. (2) C. S. Brimley, Nesting of the Pine
Warbler in 1888, (in Nor. Car.), Orn. and Ool., XIII, 1888, 89; (3) XIV, 1889.
157; (4) On the Breeding Habits of Dendroica vigorsii at Raleigh, N. C, Auk,
VIII, 1891. 199- (5) J- P- N[oRRis], A Series of Eggs of the Pine Warbler,
Orn. and 061., XIV, 1889, 130. (6) J. W. P. Smithwick, Nesting and other
Habits of the Pine Warbler in eastern North Carolina, Orn. and Ool.. XVI.
1891, 119.
2o6 KIRTLAND'S WARBLER
KiRTLAND'S Warbler
DENDROICA KIRTLANDI Baird Plate XI
Distinguishing Characters. — Kirtland's Warbler may be known by its large
size, slate-colored or grayish crown, brown, black-streaked back, pale yellow
underparts and streaked sides. Length (skin), 5.10; wing, 2.75; tail, 2.30;
bill, .42.
Adult (S, Spring. — Crown and nape slaty finely streaked with black; cheeks
and frontlet black or blackish, eye-ring with white on upper and lower por-
tions; back grayish broadly streaked with black; tail edged with grayish the
inner web of two outer feathers with white patches at end ; wings fuscous-brown
edged with grayish ; wing-coverts blacker margined with brownish or soiled
white; below pale yellow, breast slightly spotted, sides heavily streaked with
black ; flanks tinged with brown.
Adult 2, Spring. — Similar to adult c? but lores and cheeks grayish; black
streaks less pronounced, less white in the tail.
Adults in Fall. — Fall specimens of both sexes have the upperparts much
browner than in Spring, the wings more broadly margined and browner, the
flanks with a stronger brownish wash.
Nestling. — Not seen.
General Distribution. — Southeastern United States; northwest to
Minnesota; west to the Mississippi River.
Summer Range. — All the known breeding records of Kirtland's
Warbler come from a restricted area in north central Michigan com-
prising Oscoda, Crawford, and Roscommon Counties.
Winter Range. — The Bahama Islands.
Spring Migration. — This, the rarest of American Warblers, has
been taken at West Jupiter, Fla., April 19 and 2y, 1897; Cumberland
Island, Ga., April 12, 1902; St. Helena Island, S. C, April 27 and May
3, 1886; St. Louis, Mo., May 8, 1885; Wabash, Ind., May 4, 1892,
May 7, 1895; Richmond, Ind., May 13, 1905; near Chicago, III, May
17, 1894, May 22, 1899; Rockford, 111., May 25, 1894; Lake Kosh-
konong, Wis, May 24, 1893; Qeveland O., May ( ?) i860. May 4 and
12, 1880, May 13, 1851, May 15; Cincinnati, O., May 1872; Oberlin,
O., May II, 1900; May 9 1904; Kalamazoo, Mich., May 15, 1885;
Ann Arbor, Mich., May 14, 1902, May 15, 1875, May 16, 1879, May
18, 1888; Battle Creek, Mich., May 11, 1883; Mackinac Island, Mich.,
May 21, 1885; Toronto, Ont; May 16, 1900; Minneapolis, Minn., May
13, 1892.
Fall Migration. — In the fall this species has been noted near Iron-
ton, Ohio, August 28, 1902; Fort Meyer, Virginia, September 25,
1887; Chester, S. C, October 11, 1888; and at Mount Pleasant, S. C,
October 29, 1903.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Over fifty years have passed since this
species was discovered but it still remains the rarest of North American
KIRTLAND'S WARBLER 207
Warblers. In 1898 P estimated that sixty-eight specimens of it were
known, of which twenty had been taken in the United States, the
remaining forty-eight in the Bahamas, to which islands it is apparently
restricted in the winter.
At this time the bird's breeding habits were still unknown, but in
June, 1903, its nest was discovered by Norman A. Wood- in Oscoda
County, Michigan. The following year in the same county, a nest
with three eggs was taken June 6, by R. A. Brown and J. A. Parmelee,
and, on June 15, a nest with four eggs by E. Arnold*. The appended
biography, contributed by Mr. Wood, is based on his own studies in
1903, and those of Brown and Parmelee in 1904.
"This bird is of local distribution, living and nesting on the
high, sandy, jack-pine plains of Crawford, Oscoda, Roscommon, and
probably, Otsego and Montmorency Counties, Michigan. It may
breed also in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and in northern Wis-
consin and Minnesota. It is unevenly distributed throughout the
counties named, only occurring in colonies, and these are from two to
ten miles apart. I have hunted over hundreds of acres of seemingly
favorable ground, and failed to find a single pair. This W^arbler is a
very graceful walker and seems equally at home on trees or on the
ground, where the habit of bobbing its tail is very characteristic.
"Incubation seems to be performed by the female alone and she
seems to feed herself while incubating. When the young were newly
hatched, I have seen the male carry as food a white moth, that is com-
mon on the small jack pines, and deer flies, but I could not tell if the
female ate them or fed the young with them.
"The female is a close sitter and left the nest only when I was
within two or three feet of it. When flushed she fluttered oflf with
open wings and tail trying to lead me after her, failing in this she
came back and circled about the nest uttering a sharp chip-chip, even
alighting on the toe of Mr. Parmelee's shoe as he sat near the nest.
"On July 8-1 1, 1903, when but a few days old, the young seemed
to have no fear of me, but on the morning of the 14th, when I tried
to take a photograph of the nest, they scampered out and quickly hid
in the thick cover, and I had to put them back a number of times before
they would stay. I think they leave the nest at twelve or eighteen
days of age. Both parents brought food to the nest, but the female
came oftener and was more fearless than the male.
Song. — "This Warbler has several distinct songs, all of which
belong to the whistling type and have the clear ringing quality of the
Oriole's. The usual perch, while singing, is the top of a dead stub
or limb of such a tree in the vicinity of its home. At short intervals
2o8 KIRTLAND'S WARBLER
you will hear the song and see the singer with wings slightly lowered,
tail drooping, and plumage fluffed, but with the body erect and head
thrown back, uttering earnestly and very forcibly Chip-chip-che chee
chee-r-r-r. The first two notes are soft and short, the next three
uttered rapidly, increasing in volume and ending in a clear ringing
whistle on the r. The male of a pair that seemed to be courting (See
Bull. Mich. Orn. Club, Vol. V, 1904, 6.) had a different song, more
like IVichy-chee-chee-chee-r-r. This song was not so loud and ring-
ing but was very sweet and clear. This male lit and sang low down
in the jack pines many times. One male, with a worm in his bill,
sang, at intervals of fifty or sixty seconds, a song which sounded like
Cli-ch-che-che-che-ali, the ah long drawn out. When I found the
nest, this male came down to the tops of the small jack pines and sang
rapidly as though much excited by my presence, and this song seemed
then to take a scolding tone, like Che-che che-chee-wich-a-a. All of
the males have a sharp call note chip-chip; and the females the same
chip only lower and softer.
"On the morning of May 6, 1905, near Ann Arbor, I had the
pleasure of hearing a fine male sing a different song of the same
general character, but softer and not given with the intense earnest-
ness of the breeding bird. It sounded as though he was singing to
himself and not at you. It had much of the r and s quality and I give
it tsip-tsip, chze-clize-e-e. In its summer home it sings from morning
till night; only not so frequently through the heat of the day, from
the time of arrival in May, and through June it is in full song, and
when I left on July 15, it was still singing. They leave their summer
home the first of August, when the females and young start south.
The males are content to linger and old ones were seen as late as
August 20, 1903, and September 3, 1904. These were the last ones
seen by Mr. Parmelee, who lives near their nesting grounds.
Nesting Site. — "The nesting site (See photographs in Bull. Mich.
Orn. Club, Vol. V, 1904, pp. 4, 7, 11) is usually in a dense growth
of small Jack pine and scrub oak ; not always at the foot of one of
these trees but as a rule, under one and protected by its shade. Here
the bird excavates a site and in this hole builds its nest, the top about
even with the ground, sometimes with a rim, making the nest cup-
shaped.
Nest. — "These birds return each year to their chosen locality and
no doubt to a spot near the site of the previous year. About fourteen
inches from the nest shown in the Bulletin is a nest of the year before.
In June 1904, all of the colonies described in the Bulletin contained
PRAIRIE WARBLER
209
more individuals than in 1903. Mr. Parmelee, who observed them,
says the male does not help to build the nest but sits near by and
sings all of the time.
"The nest is made of soft bark, strips of vegetable fiber, and
dead grass, with dead flower stems of arbutus and weeds, which make
the outside firm. It is lined with fine, dead grass, old pine needles,
and, lastly, with horse and cattle hair.
Mesting Dates. — "There is much variation in the time of nesting.
I have the first nest with complete set of three eggs ever taken; it
was found in Oscoda County, June 6, 1904, the earliest recorded nest-
ing date. On July 7, 1903, I flushed a female at work on a nest site,
but, possibly, her first nest may have been destroyed. The average is
from June 15 to 20, although I am sure it varies with each season.
Eggs. — "The eggs in a set vary from 3 to 5 the usual number
being 4, only two sets of 3 are recorded, while of 5 we have three nests
recorded, and eight at least of 4. Only one brood is reared each year.
Second sets are no doubt laid to replace a first set which has been
destroyed." (A^ A. Wood, MS.)
Biographical References
(I) F. M. Chapman, Kirtland's Warbler, Auk, XV, 1898, 289. (2) N.
A. Wood, Discovery of the Breeding Area of Kirtland's Warbler, Bull. Mich.
Orn. Club, V, 1904, i. (3) C. C. Adams, The Migration Route of Kirtland's
Warbler, Bull. Mich. Orn. Club. V, 1904, 14. (4) E. Arnold, Nesting of
Kirtland's Warbler in northern Michigan, 1904, Bull. Mich. Orn. Club, V,
1904, 67.
Prairie Warbler
DENDROICA DISCOLOR (Vieill.) Plaie I
Distinguishing Characters. — The adult d*, and, usually the adult ?, may be
known by the reddish chestnut dorsal spots, while the small size, entirely
yellow underparts, more or less streaked sides, and yellowish wing-bars will
identify most specimens without regard to age. Length (skin), 4.20; wing,
2.20; tail, 1.90; bill, .35.
Adult (S, Spring. — Above bright olive-green the center of the back spotted
with reddish chestnut ; line over, and space below eye yellow, a blackish
streak through eye ; outer tail-feather largely white on both webs, second
and third feathers white at end of inner web ; wings edged with greenish the
median and greater coverts edged with dusky yellowish ; underparts entirely
yellow, a black crescent at the side of the throat, sides streaked with black.
Adult S, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but reddish chestnut spots
in back more or less concealed by olive-green tips to feathers.
Young (?, Fall. — Similar to adult c? but chestnut marks in back small or
wanting, cheeks grayish, line over eye less distinct, black marks much reduced
or absent, wing-bars duller, less white in tail.
2IO
PRAIRIE WARBLER
Adult 2, Spring. — Similar to adult c? but chestnut back marks much reduced
or wanting, back duller, black markings less pronounced (better defined than
in young c?) wing-bars duller. In very worn plumage (late summer) the upper-
parts become grayish, the underparts whitish.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but back with a grayish bloom,
cheeks grayer, line over eye less distinct, black markings less pronounced.
Young 2j Fall. — Similar to adult $ but no chestnut in back, cheeks still
grayer, black marks faint and dusky or entirely absent.
Nestling. — Above olive-grayish brown ; below whitish the breast dusky ; a
faint grayish line over the eye ; wing-coverts blackish tipped with buffy.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States ; north to southern
New England and Michigan; west to the Plains.
Summer Range. — The Prairie Warbler is a bird of middle alti-
tudes, shunning the mountains above a thousand feet and rare in the
low coastal region of the Gulf States. Along the Atlantic slope it is
common from the northern Bahamas and Florida north to Pennsyl-
vania, but north of Philadelphia, it is found, as a rule, only near the
coast; common locally in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern
Massachusetts, where it is characteristic of the barberry districts
(Plymouth and Bristol Counties, Martha's Vineyard) ; casual or acci-
dental in New Hampshire (Hollis, June 28, 1884, August 23, 1876,
September 4, 1876; Manchester, spring, 1901), Ontario (Toronto,
May II, 1900; Mt. Forest, May 13, 1905), Michigan (Port Huron,
May 20, 1900; Ottawa County, May 26, 1879; Montcalm County),
Wisconsin, (Racine, Lake Koshkonong). The western range extends
regularly to eastern Nebraska ( West Point. Omaha) , eastern Kansas,
rarely to southern Mississippi (Beauvoir), Louisiana (West Baton
Rouge Parish), and Texas (Gainesville).
Winter Range. — The Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and the
southern half of Florida.
Spring Migration. — From its winter home in the West Indies
and Florida, the Prairie Warbler begins to move northward early in
March, though the full tide of migration does not start until the last
of the month.
PI^ACE
Raleigh, N. C
AVashington, D. C
Southeastern New York
Portland, Conn
Jewett City, Conn
Boston, Mass
Eubank, Ky
Toronto, Ont
No. of
vears'
record
16
5
14
4
10
Average date of
spring arrival
April 15
April 22
May 4
May 6
May 7
May 8
April 20
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 6, 1892
April 19, 1891
May I, 1891
April 27, 1888
May I, 1896
May 4, 1 89 1
April 13, 1893
May ir, 1900
PRAIRIE WARBLER 21 1
The latest records of striking the southern Ughthouses are in the
first half of May and the earliest spring date is March 7. Thus the
period of spring migration in the southern United States extends
through more than nine weeks.
Fall Migration. — The southward migration occupies more time
than the northward, and lasts from the middle of August to the first
week in November. Some dates of the last ones noted are at Taunton,
Mass., Sept. 15, 1887; Shelter Island Heights, N. Y., Sept. 19, 1901 ;
Washington, D. C, September 4, 1887; Raleigh N. C, September 9;
Frogmore, S. C, September 30, 1886; Fowey Rocks Lighthouse,
Florida, November 6, 189 1.
The records indicate that the southern breeding birds spend about
five months in the summer home, at least as long in the winter home
and the remainder of the year in migration. Even the northern nest-
ing birds remain for four months at the breeding grounds.
The Bird and its Haunts. — The Prairie Warbler is reported as
abundant by various observers from Florida to Massachusetts, never-
theless it is so local in habit that, even as a migrant, it is entirely
wanting over large areas. At Englewood, N. J., there are many
scrubby tracts apparently suitable for its occupation, nevertheless the
Prairie Warbler remains the only member of its family among those
which might be expected to occur, which I have yet to find there.
At Columbus, S. C, this species is the commonest Warbler,
inhabiting partially cleared oak and hickory lands. (Taylor, MS.) In
Virginia it breeds in bushy second growths of hickory, dogwood, and
laurel, with scattered pines and cedars (Cones). In southern New
Jersey it is an abundant summer resident of the Pine Barrens (Stone),
and in New England it resorts to old cedar-grown pastures and hill-
sides with an undergrowth of barberry. On Prospect Hill, near
Cambridge, Mass., Brewster* notes an exception to this custom, the
birds there frequenting sprout growths and building their nests in
sapling oaks and maples.
Continuing, Brewster gives a pleasing picture of the bird's haunts :
"Many and delightful were the days I used to spend looking for nests
of the Prairie Warbler in the hill pastures of Arlington and Belmont.
These breezy uplands are attractive at every season, but most so in
early June when the barberry bushes blossom. This is the time when
our Prairie Warblers have full sets of fresh eggs. A search for
their nests among the handsome, dome-shaped barberry bushes,
covered with young foliage of the tenderest green, and with graceful,
pendant clusters of golden yellow flowers that fill the air with
212 PRAIRIE WARBLER
fragrance and attract myriads of droning bees, is a fascinating and
memorable experience, whatever be its material results."
Song. — Dr. Cones' unique characterization of the song of the
Prairie Warbler as suggesting the plaint of a mouse with the toothache,
has a certain aptness which those who are familiar with the song will
recognize. It is to me one of the most easily recognized and
remembered of Warbler's songs.
"The ordinary call-note resembles the softer of the two chirps
uttered by the Yellow W'arbler, but is perhaps more slowly uttered.
The song, uttered in spring, by the male, which sits, during the per-
formance, with the head held vertically upward, and the tail straight
down, is a lisping trill much like that of the Parula Warbler in its
general character; but it has a wiry quality that at once distinguishes
it. Once I heard another song, of which I have record only as a
queer, interrupted song, instead of the usual wiry trill." ( Allison,
iis.)
Nesting Site. — At Raleigh, N. C, Brimlcy^^ states that this species
'"delights in sunny hillsides covered with bushes and saplings, building
its nest in one of these at a height of from one to twelve feet from
the ground, but usually about three or four feet high. * -^ * Un-
like some localities where this bird nests mainly in pine saplings, here
sweet gums arc [given] the preference, with elm next best, nests being
only found very occasionally in pines."
Near Washington, D. C, Coues^ found that the nests were built
in an upright or oblique crotch, preferably one formed in part by the
main stem of a bush, from one and a half to five feet from the ground,
in a rather open, scrubby, hilly locality."
They "were placed preferably in hickory and dogwood bushes.
Only three nests were found in the young pines, and one in a cedar
bush." (Coucs.)
At Saybrook, Conn.. J. N. Clark (C. JV. C.) found m.any nests
of this species in hilly pastures frequently in small junipers about
three feet from the ground.
Nest. — All the nests of this species which I have examined are
characterized by the presence of a large amount of bufif fern down
which is tightly woven or felted into their walls.
Brimley' describes the nest as "a beautiful structure, usually being
largely composed of rabbit tobacco, a kind of gray-leaved, wild ever-
]a.sting very much used by birds in nest-building, and lined with soft
materials."
Coues^ writes "exceptions aside, the Prairie Warbler's nest may
be characterized as a neat, cup-shaped structure, with a firm some-
PALM WARBLER
213
what contracted brim, composed of vegetable down or soft fiber mixed
with some fine straws and a few leaves or feathers, lined with hair
and very fine straws."
Eggs. — 3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color white to pale greenish
white marked with specks, spots and small blotches of chestnut-brown,
burnt umber, purplish brown and many under shell-markings of
lavender grayish. In some types the markings form beautiful wreathes
about the large end with the rest of the egg comparatively clear of
spots; others have the wreath very indistinct and many scattering
spots and specks over the entire tgg; a few extremes, in a large
series, have the wreath around the small end. Size ; average .64X.49 ;
extremes measure .69X.51, .55X.47. (Figs. 84-86.)
Nesting Dates. — Savannah, Ga., April 25 (C. IV. C.) ; Raleigh,
N. C, May 16 (Brimley) ; New Haven, Conn., May 27-June 25
(Bishop) ; Cambridge, Mass., full sets, first laying. May 28-June 5
(Brezcster) ; Ottawa Co., Mich., May 26, Gibbs (Barrows).
Biographical References
(i) E. B. CouES, Nesting of the Prairie Warbler in the Vicinity of Wash-
ington, D. C, Auk, V, 1888, 405. (2) H. K. Jamison, Nesting of the Prairie
Warbler in Fairfax Co., Va.. Orn. and 061., XIV, 1889, 85. (3) C. S. Brimley,
Nesting of the Prairie Warbler at Raleigh, N. C, Orn. and 061., XV, 1890,
165. (4) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 346.
Palm Warbler
DENDROICA PALMARUM PALMARUM (Gmel.) Plate XVI
Distinguishing Characters. — In adults of both sexes the reddish chestnut
crown and yellow throat are diagnostic; while young and winter adults may
be known by their brown, more or less streaked upperparts, yellowish upper,
and yellow under tail-coverts, streaked underparts, white line over eye, and
other characters. Length (skin), 4.70; wing, 2.60; tail, 2.05; bill, .40.
Adult ^, Spring. — Crown reddish chestnut, line from bill over eye yellow ;
back olive grayish brown obscurely streaked, upper tail-coverts yellowish ; two
outer tail-feathers with sharply defined white patches at tips of inner webs ;
wing-coverts edged with brownish gray not forming conspicuous bars ; throat
and upper breast yellow rest of underparts grayish white more or less suffused
with yellow, sides brownish, throat and sides streaked with reddish chestnut,
under tail-coverts yellow.
Adult ^, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but chestnut crown widely
tipped with brown, line over eye white or whitish, throat and upper breast
suffused with yellow, or whitish without yellow, rest of underparts suffused
with yellow, streaks below blacker.
Young cT, Fall. — Similar to adult d* in Fall but crown with less or even no
chestnut, throat usually without yellow.
214
PALM WARBLER
Adult and young $. — Not certainly to be distinguished from the J' of cor-
responding age.
Nestling. — Not seen.
General Distribution. — Florida, Mississippi Valley, and interior
of British America ; rare but regular migrant on the Atlantic coast,
chiefly in fall.
Summer Range. — Interior of British America north of Manitoba
and west of Hudson Bay. Accidental in Colorado (Denver, June 20.
1891), Montana (Great Falls, Sept. 18, 1889), and California (Pacific
Grove, Oct. 9, 1896).
Winter Range. — Florida (abundant in Alachua Co.) southward
to the West Indies ; Yucatan.
Spring Migration. — The Palm Warbler has been separated into
two sub-species, of which Dendroica palmarum palmarmn ranges west
of the Alleghenies, while Dendroica palmarmn hypochrysea, the
Yellow Palm Warbler, occurs along the Atlantic slope. In the follow-
ing notes, the locality will serve as a general guide to the particular
form referred to.
PI.ACK
No. of
years'
record
Atlantic Coast —
Raleigh, N. C 7
Washington, D. C 6
Germantown, Pa 4
Englewood, N. J I 4
'5
5
6
ir
10
ir
New Providence, N. J
Southeastern New York
East Hartford, Conn. . .
Boston, Mass
Southern Maine
St. John, N. B
Halifax, N. S 4
Pictou, N. S
Mississippi Valley —
St. Louis, Mo
Chicago, 111
Southern Wisconsin
Oberlin, Ohio
Petersburg, Mich
Listowel, Ont
Hillsboro, Iowa
Grinnell, Iowa
Lanesboro, Minn
Minneapolis, Minn
Elk River, Minn
Aweme, Manitoba
Fort Chippewyan, Alberta
4
TO
8
8
TO
5
5
5
10
5
4
6
Average date of
spring arrival
March 31
April 6
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April 27
May I
14
14
17
18
16
18
23
?o
Earliest date of
spring arrival
February 13, 1890
March 31, 1889
April IT, 1889
April II. 1902
April 13, 1889
April 14, 1893
April 9, 1887
April 13. 1897
April 16. 1896
April 13, 1896
April 20, 1890
April 28, 1894
April
15
April
5-
1882
April
25
April
17.
1807
April
30
April
22,
1886
April
30
April
24,
1897
April
30
Aoril
26.
1894
Mav
2
April 28,
1894
April
22
April
14.
1896
April
26
April
22,
1888
April
27
April
23.
1890
April
30
April
27.
1889
Mav
3
May
I,
1886
Mav
7
May
3.
1901
May
23.
1901
Plate XVI
Kuuis G.^Aty/fi,
1 Cape May Warbler, Adult Male. 4. Palm Warbler, Adult.
2. Cape May Warbler, Adult Female. 5. Palm Warbler, Young.
3. Cape May Warbler, Young Female.
( One- half natural size.;
PALM WARBLER
215
Fall Migration. —
PI^ACE
Northwestern Minnesota
Lanesboro, Minn
Chicago, 111
Oberlin, Ohio
Southern Maine
Beaver, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Mount Pleasant, S. C. .
No- of I J . f
years' I Average date of
record
first one seen
September 10
September 18
September 15
September 26
September 28
September 13
Earliest date of
first one seen
September 9, 1896
September 17, 1888
September 4, 1900
September 16, 1898
September 19, 1892
September 7, 1889
September 26, 1886
September 7, 1896
PIvACE
years' I Average date of
record
Aweme, Manitoba
Lanesboro, Minn
Chicago, 111
North River, Prince Edward Island
St. John, N. B
Southern Maine
New Providence, N. J
Washington, D. C
last one seen
September 30
October i
October 9
October 13
October 13
October 12
Latest date of
last one seen
October 6, 1901
October 3, 1890
October 18, 1896
September 15, 1887
October 18, 1896
October 20, 1892
October 18, 1894
October 19. 1890
Tlie Bird and its Haunts. — The Palm Warblers, including under
this head both the present species and its eastern representative, hypo-
chrysea, are strikingly unlike all but one of their congeners in color,
in actions, and in choice of both haunts and nesting site. Kirtland's
Warbler is the only other member of the genus which nests on the
ground, and this species, singularly enough, is the only other Den-
droica which has the habit of tail-wagging.
It is this motion in connection with the bird's occurrence in old
fields, that causes it to be likened to the Titlark or Pipit; the latter,
however, is purely terrestrial, rarely if ever alighting in bushes or on
fences, etc., as is the custom of this Warbler.
During the winter, and indeed, until May i, the Palm Warbler is
one of the commonest birds in Florida. It inhabits not only the
pineries, old fields, and fence-rows, but is common in gardens and even
visits the streets of the towns, its oft-repeated chip and wagging tail
impressing themselves on the memory as characteristic features of
Florida's winter bird-life.
Allison writes that "about New Orleans, this Warbler is found
on open ground, roadsides, pastures, etc., — with small bushes, clumps
of palmetto, or occasional willow trees. In Tishomingo County I
2l6 YELLOW PALM WARBLER
found it abundant in spring on hillsides covered with a low growth
of Vaccinium. It is distinctly a bird of the ground and the low growth,
and I have never seen it perch twenty feet above the ground." {Alli-
son, MS.)
Northward through the Mississippi Valley this species is a com-
mon migrant, but it nests so much farther north than the Yellow
Palm that we know but little of its habits during the summer.
In September and October the Palm Warbler occurs as a rare
but regular migrant in the Atlantic States. Brewster records an in-
dividual seen by Hoffman at Belmont, Mass., December 6, 1902.
Song. — "The trill remains as a prominent feature, but the note
is no longer a true chip. Better tsee tsee tsee tsee, with a distinct
swell. Each syllable should be given a half double utterance except at
the middle of the swell, where the greater effort seems to completely
coalesce the half double quality into one distinct syllable. There is a
little similarity to the song of Myrtle Warbler, but lacking the liquid
quality of that species." (Jones.)
Nesting Site. — A nest containing five young was found by Kenni-
cott at Fort Resolution, June 18, on the ground, in a hummock, at the
foot of a small spruce (B. B. & R. i, 275).
Eggs. — "Yellowish or creamy white, spotted chiefly around the
larger end with brown and purple." (Bailey, Birds W. U. S.)
Yellow Palm Warbler
DENDROICA PALMARUM HYPOCHRYSEA Ridgw.
SuhspeciHc Characters. — Similar to Dcndroica palmarum palmarum but
larger, upperparts more olive, underparts entirely yellow, the streaks browner,
line over eye yellow at all seasons. In winter the yellow below is more or
less veiled with whitish but I have seen few specimens that were not sufficiently
unlike D. p. palmarum to be distinguished in life. Length (skin), 4.80; wing,
2.70; tail, 2.10; bill, .40.
Nestling. — Above olive-brown strongly streaked with black; below whitish
strongly and evenly streaked with black, except on lower abdomen; median
and greater wing-coverts edged with brownish and tipped with buffy forming
more conspicuous bars than in the young in Fall plumage.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America.
Summer Range. — From Bangor, Maine, and Nova Scotia north-
ward to Labrador, east of Hudson Bay.
Winter Range. — From North Carolina south to the Florida Keys,
west to Louisiana, rare in the West Indies.
The Bird and its Haunts. — So far as habits are concerned this
bird agrees with its Mississippi Valley representative, Dendroica p.
palmarum. It is apparently less abundant than that form which.
YELLOW PALM WARBLER 217
although it is found commonly in the West Indies in winter, is still
more numerous in the United States than hypochrysea, which rarelv
ventures beyond our limits. About Gainesville, Fla., an occasional
individual of the Yellow Palm was seen with the loose flocks of
palmarum, fifteen of the former to at least several thousands of the
latter being observed there during a single winter.
Brewster says: "Yellow Palm Warblers visit the Cambridge region
with unfailing regularity in spring and autumn, although their numbers
vary greatly from year to year. * * * in spring they associate
freely with Myrtle Warblers, and hence frequent much the same
places, although they resort rather less to upland woods and are even
more given to haunting thickets near water, and to venture out into
fields and pastures where they sometimes occur hundreds of yards
from any cover. Their favorite haunts in autumn are barren tracts
sparsely covered with gray birches."
Gerald Thayer writes: "Earliest among Monadnock's spring-
arriving Warblers is the Myrtle and close behind it comes this beauti-
ful, ruddy-crowned, golden-browed, and red-streaked, golden-breasted
'tail-tipper' of field-borders and bushy roadsides; a bird of the semi-
open ground and the first tier of scattered woody growth above it.
"With a methodic regularity which almost saves the action from
the look of nervousness, his greenish tail is forever swinging up and
down. Ducks and Motmots, and some other birds really wag their
tail, from side to side; but it is a far commoner trick to jerk or wave
it up and down, as is the way of the Yellow Palm and Palm and
several other eastern Warblers. The two 'Palms' come nearest to being
'continuous performers' of the trick, but even they have occasional
lapses into quietness, in the midst of their flitting and feed-
ing." (Thayer, MS.)
O. W. Knight", who first discovered this species breeding in the
United States, writes that in Maine, in the nesting season, this species
"may be confidently looked for in sphagnum-hackmatack bogs with
open stretches, within the Canadian fauna sections of the State. So
far as known, the birds are found in what may be perhaps termed
loosely aggregated colonies."
Song. — Knight^ writes that in Maine the song is heard until well
into June. "It consists of a series of trills which may be rendered
tsee tsee tsee tsee tsee, and the call and alarm notes are mere chips
uttered with various intonations" (Knight^).
"The Yellow Palm sometimes sings freely on migration. As one
hears it then, it ranks low in the scale of full-voiced Warblers, or
2i8 YELLOW PALM WARBLER
perhaps midway between them and the weak-voiced, for its tones,
though clear and sweet, are by no means loud. It has at least two
main songs, both varying a good deal. Both are chiefly trills, one
slower and fuller-toned, the other much quicker and 'thinner.' To both,
but most often and most fully to the louder song, separate, twittered
notes are sometimes added, at the beginning and end, or sometimes
at the beginning or the end alone. The trill in all its variations has a
delicate softness of tone, and a hint of brokenness and hesitancy in
delivery, which clearly separates it from all ( ?} other trill-songs of
New England birds. The migrant Yellow Palm's commonest call is
a rather weak tsip, small and fine, but with a touch of softness, a
recognizable though scantily peculiar little note. But the bird makes
other, more subdued and ambiguous lisps" (Thayer, MS.)
Nesting Site. — Knight- records nests found near Bangor, Maine,
in the following situations : at the base of a small spruce imbedded in
sphagnum moss or a tuft of grass ; at the foot of a small fir bush ;
between two small bushes, and four inches from the ground in a small
spruce bush.
Nest. — The same author describes the nest as "composed of fine
dry sedges and grasses, lined with a very few feathers and one or two
horse-hairs. Its external diameter was three inches and its internal
diameter at the top two inches. Its depth outside was two and a half
inches and the depth inside one inch."
Eggs. — 4 or 5. Knight^ describes a set of 5 as of "a buffy while
color, spotted with brown and lilac. The spots are thicker toward
the larger end, and tend to form an irregular wreath." Size ; .63X.50,
.64X.50, .65X.48, .62X.48, .65X.49. (Figs. 82,83.)
Nesting Dates. — Bangor, Me., May 30, nest with newly hatched
young — ^^June 26, two eggs, incubated about four days. (Knight).
Biographical References
(i) O. W. Knight, The Nest and Eggs of the Yellow Palm Warbler, (in
Maine), Nidologist, II, 1895, 140; (2) Contributions to the Life History of
the Yellow Palm Warbler, Journ. Me. Orn. Soc, VI, 1904, 36. (3) Wm.
Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 345.
Genus SEIURUS Swainson
The three members of this genus are, comparatively speaking,
large birds with rather slender, straight, notched, rounded bills (more
compressed in 6". aurocapillus) and heavily streaked underparts. Rictal
bristles are barely evident. The wing is long, averaging an inch or
more longer than the tail ; the three outer primaries are longest and of
OVEN-BIRD 219
abovit the same length ; the tail is square or slightly notched ; the feet
are pale or brownish, the tarsus nearly an inch in length.
The Sciiiri are distinguished among the Warblers for their super-
ficial resemblance to the Thrushes, due to the spotting of the under-
parts. Their plumage is without wing-bars or tail-patches, and, as in
other dull-colored species of this family, the sexes are alike. All are
terrestrial, walking birds and two have the habit of wagging or tipping
the tail.
One of the three species is restricted to the Eastern United States,
the other two range westward to the Rocky Mountains and northwest-
ward to Alaska.
Oven-bird
SEIURUS AUROCAPILLUS (Linn.) P.aie XVII
Distinguishing Characters. — Large size, white, heavily streaked underparts,
and orange-brown, black-margmed crown are the principal distinguishing char-
acters of the Oven-bird. Length (skin), 5.50; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.20; bill, .50.
Adult (S, Spring. — Crown orange-brown inconspicuously tipped with brown-
ish and bordered laterally by two pronounced black stripes extending from the
bill to the nape ; back, wings, and tail brownish olive-green, no white wing-
bars or tail-patches, but tips of outer tail-feathers sometimes narrowly whitish
or brownish and wing-coverts occasionally margined with buffy; below white,
the throat unspotted but bordered by black lines ; breast and sides heavily
streaked with black, the flanks washed with the color of the back.
Adult <$, Fall. — Similar to adult c^ in Spring but colors deeper and richer,
brownish tips to orange crown wider, breast, in some specimens, with a brown-
ish wash.
Young (S, Fall. — Indistinguishable from adult c? in Fall.
Adult 2, Spring. — Resembles adult c? in Spring but the orange crown
averages paler and more widely tipped with brownish.
Adult $, Fall. — Differs from adult $ in Spring in the same manner that the
adult c? in Fall differs from adult c^ in Spring.
Nestling. — Above bright cinnamon-brown streaked with black, the black
crown-stripes of the adult sometimes evident; breast and sides paler than
back, faintly streaked with black, belly white ; wings and tail as in adult but
wing-coverts black and tipped with rusty.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America ; north to New-
foundland and Alaska; west to the Rocky Mountains.
Snmuicr Range. — The southern limits of the regular breeding
range are found in Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, and Kansas, south
in the Allegheny Mountains to South Carolina ; accidental in Colorado
(Denver, June, 1862; Ramah, June 5, 1898), Montana (Fort Keogh,
July 23, 1888), British Columbia (Esquimault). A few are said to
breed in the northern Bahamas. The species breeds north almost to the
limit of trees in Newfoundland, Hudson Bay, and Alaska.
220
OVEN-BIRD
Winter Range. — Western Mexico to northern South America ;
most of the West Indies, the Bahamas, the southern half of Florida
and, casually, southern South Carolina and southern Louisiana.
Spring Migration-
P1,ACE
Atlantic Coast —
Raleigh, N. C
French Creek, W. Va
Variety Mills, Va
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Berwyn, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Englewood, N. J
New Providence, N. J
Southeastern New York
Alfred, N. Y
Northeastern New York
Hartford, Conn
Framingham, Mass
St. Johnsbury, Vt
Southern New Hampshire
Southern Maine
Montreal, Can
Southern New Brunswick
Central Nova Scotia
North River, Prince Edward Is!
Mississippi Valley —
New Orleans, La
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo
Brookville, Ind
Waterloo, Ind
Oberlin, Ohio
Chicago, 111
Southern Wisconsin
Petersburg, Mich
Detroit, Mich
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont
Ottawa, Ont
Keokuk, Iowa
Sabula, Iowa
Grinnell, Iowa
Lanesboro, Minn
Elk River, Minn
Aweme, Man
Red Deer, Alberta
Athabasca Lake
Nulato, Alaska
No. of
years'
record
15
5
9
7
6
12
8
8
10
IS
9
9
9
17
10
7
10
3
3
10
4
6
12
9
6
9
12
12
16
II
13
10
9
6
8
7
8
2
Average date of
spring arrival
April 14
April 24
April 26
April 23
April 28
May I
May 2
April 29
May 3
May 2
Mav 8
May 8
May
May
May
May
Mav
May
May
Ma3' 23
April 8
April 10
April 14
April 23
April 27
April 26
May 3
May I
April 27
May I
May 4
May 12
May 16
April 29
April 30
April 30
May 6
May 7
May 14
May 28
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 7,
April 19,
April 19.
April 10,
April 24,
April 22,
April 29,
April 25,
April 28,
April 26.
May 2.
May 3.
April 26,
April 30,
May
May
May
May
May
May
Mav
1092
1891
1891
1904
1902
1897
1896
1902
1894
1890
1902
1886
1893
1893
1894
1899
1899
1887
1904
1895
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
April
May
May
April
April
April
April
May
May
May
May
May
6. 1895
3, 1888
12, 1887
14. 1883
21, 1896
22, 1899
21, 1902
27, 1899
2i, 1885
24, 189I
30, 1899
7, 1902
10, 1897
26, 1903
27, 1896
27, 1888
27, 1888
5, 1888
10, 1905
27, 1892
29, 190 I
30, 1867
OVEN-BIRD
221
Fall Migration —
PI^ACE
Aweme, Man
Lanesboro, Minn
Grinnell, Iowa
Ottawa, Ont
Livonia, Mich
Detroit, Mich
Chicago, 111
Waterloo, Ind
North River, Prince Edward Island
St. John, New Brunswick
Montreal, Can
Renovo, Pa
Germantown, Pa
Washington, D. C
Raleigh, N. C
Eubank, Ky
No. of
years'
record
s
2
5
4
3
12
7
4
Average date of
last one seen
September 13
September 18
September 13
September 23
September 18
September 29
September 28
October 2
August 26
September 24
October 5
October 7
I<atest date of
last one seen
September 2;^, 1899
September 22, 1888
September 16, 1885
September 29, 1900
September 24, i8qi
October 12, 1905
September 30, 1898
October 7, 1887
September 2. 1888
September 29, 1891
September 14, 1887
October 7, 1902
October 9, 1887
October 17, 1890
October 23, 1885
October 2J,
The Bird and its Haunts. — At Englevvood, N. J., the Oven-bird
prefers dry, rather open, deciduous woods ; but it is by no means con-
fined to them, being also found in low, swampy forest lands with heavy
undergrowth. Passing most of its time on or near the ground, the
Oven-bird, in spite of its abundance, would not attract our notice
were it not for its loud, frequently repeated, unmistakable song, and
its sharp, readily recognizable chip. The bird utters this note with
irritating persistency as long as one remains in the vicinity of its
nest ; its quickly aroused suspicions making it by no means easy to
study its home-life closely.
Like other members of this genus, the Oven-bird is a walker
but it lacks the tail-wagging habit so characteristic of its congeners.
With tail often slightly raised and wings drooped, it steps daintily over
the leaves in its search for food, stopping at times to mount to the
lower tree branches, there to utter its song with great earnestness.
The Oven-bird's nest, seen from above, is so like the leaves
among which it is placed that, as a rule, it is found only when a too
close approach frightens the sitting bird, who, slipping from her snug
home, trails pitifully over the leaves at one's feet.
Morris Gibbs^ describes a courtship scene in which the male Oven-
bird flew singing above the female, who was perched on the ground,
"describing every form of flight except that of regular sailing; first
dashing through space to the edge of the glade, which was probably
twenty feet across; then rising to the tops of the bushes, he would
flutter, half fall towards his prospective mate. On a sudden he
222 OVEN-BIRD
would flutter directly upward as we often see tlie English Sparrow
or House Wren do, and reaching a height of twenty feet or more,
dash about the clearing in varying circles, ever tending in his flight
toward the object of his extravagant attention. She, in the meanwhile,
sat silent and evidently interested in the performance. Suddenly the
male dropped beside her, and alternately dashing and wheeling about,
but continually on the move and always revolving about her, gave
evidence of his adoration by a series of hops, dignified struts, droop-
ings of the head and tail, elevation of the wings and crest, which
would have done credit to both the Turkey and the Ruffed Grouse.
While on the ground, the song vkras kept up with the usual vigor, but
the interruption by the coarser, common notes was more frequent and
the bird stopped in its struts in order to utter the notes which
apparently caused him more effort than did the more beautiful song.
The appearance of a third party on the scene, probably also a lover,
caused the first performer to dash into the brush much to my disap-
pointment." i
Song. — Formerly, singing Oven-birds said, to my ear, with re-
markable distinctness and decision, teacher, teacher, etc., in the usual
crescendo chant, but as I now hear the song the accent is placed on the
last syllable. The call-note is a fine, small cheep, which, when one is
near the bird's nest is uttered with irritating persistence.
The Oven-bird's flight song is one of the remarkable vocal per-
formances among the Warblers. It is a wild outpouring of jumbled
notes over which the bird seems to have no control and is often con-
cluded with the common teacher song.
"Widely and intimately known though the Oven-bird is, there
seem to be no written accounts either of the occasional strange vag-
aries of its perch-singing, or of the abundance and regularity of its
nocturnal free-air flight-singing. Here in southwestern New Hamp-
shire, its full flight-song, — delivered often from a height of a hundred
or more feet above the tree-tops — is one of the commonest night-sounds,
from early May to September. Indeed, we are apt to hear Oven-
birds singing high overhead the night before their first spring appear-
ance in our daylit woods, and the same performance is often the last
token we have of their presence in late September. Of course, this
song is often uttered in the daytime, too, — especially at late afternoon,
— but never so commonly as in the moonlit nights of mid-summer.
Even on pitch-dark nights it is not uncommon, but then as a rule, the
birds don't go so high, — sometimes singing fairly amid the tree-tops.
This flight-song is a combination of the usual Teacher, teacher, per-
OVEN-BIRD
223
formance, uttered rather rapidly and wildly, with a medley of very
different, hurried, warbling notes. The full utterance usually begins
as the bird poises, fluttering, at its greatest height; and ends, —
obscurely, as if smothered by the rushing air, — as the bird shoots
downward with half-shut wings into the forest. But the perform-
ance is often heralded by a few sharp, reduplicated call-notes, and
sometimes by a few preluding scraps of song as the eager singer darts
upward from perch to perch and launches himself into open air. The
full flight-song itself varies comparatively little, in my experience. The
regular perch-song, too, Teacher, teacher, etc., is far more constant
than are those of most Wood Warblers. Its tone-quality is, I believe,
practically changeless, but its volume, speed and accentuation vary
somewhat. Often, for instance, it is accented on the second syllable of
each teacher, instead of on the first; and the whole song is sometimes
uttered very softly — almost in a whisper — as is the case with most
bird-songs.
"Strangest of all the aberrant utterances of the Oven-bird I
have ever heard was a two-minute-long, practically unbroken gush of
barely subdued flight-song, delivered by a bird quietly perching about
twenty feet above the ground. This astonishing performance I wit-
nessed on May 5, 1905, in a scrubby roadside forest near Monadnock's
northern base. Having finished one round of his seeming endless carol,
the 'possessed' Warbler changed his perch and began again, but after
singing as before for about a minute, took wing and dashed off hori-
zontally through the forest, singing as he went, till he passed out of
my hearing. In the course of these three minutes of singing he had
repeated the complete flight-song, omitting none of the regular elabora-
tions, more than thirty times ; and for the most part there had been no
apparent break, no moment's pause, between the repetitions. Such
prolonged swift singing would be a remarkable achievement for any
bird, and puts the Oven-bird, potentially at least, very high in the list
of avine songsters. That same May, in the same region, I heard three
other perfectly distinct, surprising innovations of Oven-bird-song.
One was like the syllables Cher-zviitchy wher, cher ivutchy ivher, tcr-
cher; — sung in a tone softer than that of the common teacher song,
and slightly double-noted. Another was like Chock, ter-chcr, chi-ivi,
the first note being merely the common deeper-toned call-note, — like
the booming cluck of the Chipmunk, — and the others having a nearly
normal teacher tone, though decidedly different in form and accentua-
tion, and delicately varied one from another. This phrase I heard
repeated many times, without noticeable change, and always with the
224 OVEN-BIRD
chock used as a song-note. The fourth kind of abnormal song was in
some ways the most remarkable of all, inasmuch as it contained hardly
a suggestion of any Oven-bird notes, and was quite unrecognizable.
Nothing short of watching the bird sing, at close range, and on various
perches, could have convinced me of the song's true authorship.
Fortunately, I had just these essential opportunities. There, on low
branches, walked and sat the little orange-crowned rascal, singing,
over and over again, a fluid, warbling song, rich-toned and sweet,
though not very loud, and lasting only about five seconds. It suggested
a Fox Sparrow singing somewhat in undertone, or a Purple Finch
heard at a little distance. But, taken all together, these queer perch-
sung performances are but rare breaks in the abundant monotony of
the Oven-bird's regular singing. Each of those I have described is as
yet unique of its kind, in my experience" {Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock sends the following notation and writes:
"The words usually given for this song, teacher teacher, seem to
me to be begun with the second syllable thus : cher-tea cher-tea
cher-tea."
pe-chee pe-chee pe-chee pe-chee.
"Toward the end of June the song of this bird, which has been
so constantly accentuated through our woodlands for two months, be-
comes less frequent, and though heard into July, comparatively few
individuals sing through the month. In some seasons I have missed it
after the first week. * * * July 23 is my latest date.
"The second song-period occurs in August, and is transient and
irregular; with varying seasons shifting a little to either side of the
middle of the month" (Bicknell.)
Nesting Site. — Norris^ records a nest of the Oven-bird found at
Weaverville, N. C. in the "end of a large pine log," but with this
exception I know of no instance of the Oven-bird's departing from its
habit of building on the ground. The site selected may be at the
foot of a bush or tree or simply among dead leaves in more open spaces.
"The wooded upland, hillside or lowland are all alike to this bird.
The nest is placed at the foot of a small bush or sprout of the huckle-
berry, laurel, dogwood, chestnut, sassafras, blackberry, or beside some
debris. I can discover no particular significance in the position of the
entrance in relation to exposure." (Burns, MS.)
OVEN-BIRD 225
Nest. — The nest is unique in shape among the Warblers and its
resemblance to an old Dutch oven has given the bird its name. It is
completely arched with a flattened roof, the entrance being at one side.
It is composed largely of dried leaves and leaf skeletons, with occasion-
ally bits of moss, and is rather coarsely lined with grasses, blossom
stalks, etc.
"Outwardly the nest is composed of dead grass, weed-stems,
and bushy heads of the walking or tumbling grass ; wild grapevine
bark, strips of chestnut bark lining, dead and decayed leaf stems and
leaves of the chestnut, oak, beech, maple, cherry, dogwood and hickory,
principally the first two. Rarely bits of the hair moss and small dead
twigs enter into the body of the nest. The chief difference, however,
is in the quantity of grass or leaves. The structure is lined sparsely
with long black horse-hair in almost every instance. In twenty per
cent an additional underlining of grass and weed stems, and, in one
instance, of grass stems alone. I have seen two nests in which a few
long white horse-hairs appeared with the black, one with a few wild
strawberry runners, and another in which oak blossoms were admixed.
The nest is usually arched, the substructure or nest proper is sunk
in the carpet of leaves to the level of the lower edge of the entrance
hole. The mode of construction does not vary from the ordinary bird
architecture. The outer framework of stems is bent over and work
proceeds inward at which both sexes work more or less. Any little
interference at this stage often results in the desertion of the incom-
pleted structure. I have observed the frail straw arch erected by
eleven A. M. and the whole edifice lined and completed within two days.
The entrance measures 1.20-1.70x2.00-2.20 inches, being wider than
high." (Burns MS.)
Eggs. — 4 or 5, in even proportions, 5 being as common a number
as 4. Ground color a rather glossy white to creamy, over which are
specks, spots and blotches of reddish brown, lilac-gray and dark chest-
nut, with under shell markings of lavender distributed in varying
degrees ; some are handsomely wreathed about large end with scatter-
ing marks over rest of egg, others have the large end completely
covered with numerous spots and specks, while others are quite evenly
marked over all the surface, but more heavily at the large end. Size;
average, .79X.63; extremes, .88X.64, .68X.55, .87X.69. (Figs. 87,88.)
Nesting Dates. — Weaverville, N. C. May 7- June i (C. W. C.) ;
West Chester, Pa., May 25-June 8 (Jackson) ; Waynesburg, Pa., May
15-June 29 (Jacobs) ; New York City, May 20- July 5, two-thirds incu-
bated (F. M. C.) • Granville, N. Y., May 15 (/. P. N.) ; New Haven,
226 LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH
Conn., May 20-July 10 {Bishop) ; Cambridge, Mass., full sets, first lay-
ing, May 25-June 5 {Brewster) ; Lancaster, N, H., June 2- June 5
(Spaulding) ; Bangor, Me., May 30-June 9 {Knight) ; Listowel, Ont.,
May 24-June 26 {Kells) ; Kalamazoo Co., Mich., May 27, Gibbs {Bar-
rozvs) ; Oberlin, O., May lo-june 15 {Jones).
Biographical References
(i) M. Gibbs, Song of the Golden-crowned Thrush, Orn. and 051., X,
1885, 191. (2) J. P. N. [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Oven-bird, Orn. and
051., XVII, 1892, 65. (3) C. T. Butters, The Oven-bird [in Mass.], Nidologist.
III. 1896, 131. (4) W. L. Kells, The Oven-bird, Ottawa Naturalist, XV, 1902,
232.
Louisiana Water-Thrush
SEIURUS MOTACILLA (VieiM.) Plate XVII
Distiiigttisliing Characters. — The only Warbler with which this species is
likely to be confused is Sciurus 11. noveboraceiisis and its v/estern form nota-
bilis. It differs from the former as noted under that species, from the latter
it may be known by its unspotted throat and buffy flanks. Length (skin), 5.60;
wing, 3.25; tail, 2.10; bill, .55.
Adult (2, Spring. — Upperparts olive or olive-brown, the crown averaging
darker the upper tail-coverts browner; wings and tail slightly browner than
back and without white markings, the outer tail-feathers, however, are some-
times narrowly tipped with whitish ; a conspicuous white line from bill over
eye to nape ; lower eye-lid white ; below white, the flanks and crissura, and
sometimes sides of breast, more or less strongly buff; dusky lines at sides of
throat ; throat usually unmarked, sometimes with a few inconspicuous olive
tips to feathers ; breast and sides heavily streaked with the color of the back.
Adult S, Fall. — Not distinguishable, as a rule, from adult c? in Spring but
with the buff of underparts averaging deeper.
Young (S, Fall. — Not distinguishable from adult c^ in Fall.
Adult and young $. — Resemble c^ in plumage.
Nestling. — Above sooty olive-brown, a white superciliary stripe, conspicu-
ous behind, faint before, the eye; breast and sides streaked with blackish, sides
and crissum washed with buff ; wings and tail as in adult but wing-coverts
tipped with rusty.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States; north to New
England and Minnesota ; west to the Plains.
Summer Range. — The Louisiana Water-Thrush breeds through-
out its range in the United States, which extends north to Massachu-
.setts (Sheffield, June 11, 1896; Springfield, July 28, 1895 I Mount Tom,
April 28. 1869; Leveritt, May 18, 1871 ; Amhenst, July 12, 1886).
New York (Lake George, May 8, 1877, and May 16. 1881). Ontario
(Toronto, London, Guelph), Michigan (Detroit), Wisconsin (Del-
avan. May 18, 1900; Milwaukee County, April 25. 1897. Lake Kosh-
konong), and Minnesota (Red Wing).
Plate XVH
/f^urs t^^aer/c^.
1. Rio Grande Yellow-throat, Male.
2. Rio Grande Yellow-throat, Female.
5. Northern Water-Thrush, Adult,
{one-half natural size.)
3. OvENBiRD, Adult.
4. Louisiana Water-Thrush, Adult.
LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH
227
Its western range is found in eastern Nebraska ( Lincoln, Bea-
trice), eastern Kansas (Manhattan, Onaga) and, sparingly, in eastern
Texas (Boerne) ; accidental in Maine (Norway, 1865, Waterville,
May, 1865).
Winter Range. — Mexico to Colombia, South America: most of
the West Indies and the Bahamas.
Spring Migration. —
PIvACE
Atlantic Coast —
Gainesville, Fla
Mt. Pleasant, S. C. ...
Raleigh, N. C
Asheville, N. C. (near)
French Creek, W. Va.
Washington, D. C. . . .
Waynesburg, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Renovo, Pa
Portland, Conn
Mississippi Valley —
New Orleans, La
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo
Waterloo, Ind
Oberlin, Ohio
Petersburg, Mich
Lanesboro, Minn
Fall Migration —
No. of
vears'
record
TT
5
4
5
4
7
7
3
Average
iateof
spring arrival
March 31
March 28
April
3
April
II
Aoril
13
April
17
April
23
April
17
March 27
Earliest date of
spring arrival
March 8,
March 21,
March 26,
March 25,
March 27,
April 2.
April 8,
April 14,
April II,
April 13.
1887
1904
1889
1894
1890
1905
1894
1886
1901
i8Q2
April
April
April
April
April
April 2, 1898
March 24, 1889
March 29. 1884
April 5, 1893
March 28, 1904
April 4. 1890
April 18, 1887
PI.ACE
Lanesboro, Minn
Renovo, Pa
Englewood, N. J
French Creek, W. Va
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
August 3
September 8
Latest date of
last one seen
August 26, 1888
September 30, 1903
October 2, 1885
October 7, 1890
The Bird and its Haunts. — This shy, elusive creature seems to
me more like some untameable spirit of the woods than a bird. Cau-
tiously we may follow his sharp, decisive call or wild, ringing, almost
startling song, through the luxuriant undergrowth only to hear them
repeated from some point far ahead or even behind us ; and, if by
good fortune, we should get a glimpse of his nervously teetered body,
before we have time for one satisfactory look he is off — not to the
cover of the nearby bushes, but on a low, darting flight that takes
him speedily out of sight.
228 LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH
The Water-Thrush inhabits not only watered bottom-land forests,
where moss-covered logs and rank undergrowth give an almost tropi-
cal character to the surroundings, but is also found on hillside and
mountain streams where the woods are more open below. Always,
however, he requires water, and his food is largely secured from the
shores of streams or muddy banks of pools. Even when at ease the
bird seems controlled by a sense of restlessness, and not only when
walking, but when perching, constantly teeters its body. Both the
movement and the bird itself suggest the Dipper {Cinclus) but the
Dipper is more of a bobber, the whole body moving from the knees,
while the Water-Thrush is a tilter or teeterer, its longer tail accent-
uating this type of motion.
Allison (MS.) writes that the typical breeding haunt of the
Louisiana Water-Thrush in Mississippi, "is the bank of a clear, run-
ning stream, flowing over white sand and pebbles ; the smaller streams
are generally chosen, but creeks and small rivers are not without their
Water-Thrushes. The southern limit of its breeding range seems to
be determined by the presence of such streams, and therefore probably
does not extend to the Gulf coast."
Song. — In recent years I have been impressed with the similarity
between the song of this species and that of Dcndroica dominica. The
song of Seiitrus is louder and wilder but as sung by the individuals
which have come to my attention it is less musical than that of
dominica which lacks the concluding twitter characteristic of the
Water-Thrush song. The flight-song of this species is a thrilling
performance which carries the bird above the tree-tops in uncon-
trollable musical ecstacy. The call-note resembles that of Seiurus
noveboracensis but to my ear is slightly louder.
William Brewster describes the song of this species as "somewhat
like that of .S". noveboracensis, being quite as loud, almost as rapid,
and commencing in nearly the same way but lacking the beautiful
crescendo termination, and altogether, a less fine performance. Repre-
sented by words it would be nearly as follows: pseur, psenr, per see
ser."
"The call-note is not distinguishable from that of S. novebora-
censis. The song — uttered, it seems, only at the breeding-ground in
the breeding season — is remarkably fine, being very loud, clear, and
far-reaching. It is generally uttered from a perch very near, or over,
the water, — not from the ground." (Allison, MS.)
"The song varies a good deal. May ii, 1897, I heard a song of
eight notes as follows: first two low, next two high, then four low. and
LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH 229
more rapid. On April 20, 1902, I heard a song which, except for the
three opening notes, I never would have recognized. The first three
notes were the usual clear, piercing, Water-Thursh notes ; but the rest
was an intricate jumble of fine notes far softer, and of an entirely
different quality. This song was repeated several times. On May 14,
1904, I heard a song consisting of three notes, zvee-wee-ivee, then zvhit-
chee, zvhit-chee, followed by a confused and less loud jumble."
{Farwell, MS.)
Nesting Site. — The nest is placed in the bank of a stream or
among the upturned roots of a fallen tree.
"The nest is placed in a little nook in the bank, usually a hole
scraped out by the bird, from one to six feet above running water."
{Burtch, MS.)
Nest. — The nest is generally a loosely made bulky structure filling
the cavity or niche in which it is placed, and externally is composed
largely of dried leaves, coarse grasses, and rootlets, with often bits of
moss ; the lining consists chiefly of coarse grasses. "The nest is made
on a mat of dead leaves, moss, and dead grass, lined with rootlets, dead
grass or dead pine leaves. I have sometimes found a few hemlock
twigs in the nest. May 21, 1899, I saw a male feeding the female
which was sitting on five eggs two of which were just hatching."
(Burtch, MS.)
Eggs. — 4 to 6 usually 5, rarely 4 or 6; in a carefully selected
'^eries of 45 sets, 4 are of 6 eggs each, 35 of 5 and the balance of 4.
Ground color white to creamy white ; the markings vary greatly, many
shades of chestnut-brown, cinnamon-rufous, lilac-gray, with lavender
under shell markings, which are distributed over the egg in all manner
of specks, spots, blotches and conglomerate masses either in a zone,
wreath or solid mass of spots on large end ; the rest of the egg is well
marked also, but the spots become fewer and less decided toward the
small end. Size; average, .77X.61 ; extremes, .84X.65, .72X. 58. (Figs.
92-94.)
Nesting Dates. — Walke, N. C, April 22 ; Waynesburg, Pa., May
5, five eggs on point of hatching- June 8, last date for eggs of first lay-
ing (Jacobs) ; New York City, May 11 (F. M. C.) ; Branchport, N. Y.,
May 6-Tuly i (Burtch) \ New Haven, Conn., May 6-June 10 (Bishop) ;
Oberlin, O., April 15-June 10 (Jones); Lake Co., Illinois, June 11
(Gault) ; Petersburg, Mich., May 5, Trombly (Barrows).
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, Some Observations on the Birds of Ritchie County,
West Virginia, Ann. Lye. N. Y., XI, 1875, 136; (2) Nesting of the Large-
hilled Water-Thmsh, (in Indiana), Bull. Nntt. Orn. Clnb, Til, 1878, 133. (3)
230 NORTHERN WATER-THRUSH
F. T. Jenks, Large-billed Water-Thrush, [in R. I.], Orn. and Ool., VH, 1882,
114. (4) J. N. Clark, Large-billed Water-Thrush, (in Conn.), Orn. and Ool.,
VH, 1882, 145. (s) R. B. M'Laughlin, Nesting of the Louisiana Water-Thrush,
[in Nor. Car.], Orn. and 061., XH, 1887, 174. (See also Brimley, Ibid., XIV,
169.). (6) J. P. N. [orris], a Series of Eggs of the Louisiana Water-Thrush,
Orn. and Ool., XV, 1890, 53.
Northern Water-Thrush
SEIURUS NOVEBORACENSIS NOVEBORACENSIS (Gmel.) Plate XVII
Distinguishing Characters. — The uniform dark olive upperparts, including
the wings and tail, which are without white markings, yellowish or buffy yellow
line over the eye, sulphur yellow, heavily streaked underparts are the principal
distinguishing marks of this species. From Seiurus motacilla it may be known
by its usually yellowish or buffy, instead of distinctly white superciliary line,
its sulphur yellow underparts streaked with black, not with olive or blackish,
and its spotted throat. Length (skin), 5.25; wing, 2.95; tail, 2.05; bill, .50.
Adult (S, Spring. — Upperparts, wings and tail olive or olive-brown; outer
tail-feathers rarely with white at tips; forehead with a more or less faint
whitish or buffy median line ; a conspicuous yellowish whitish, or buffy line
from bill over eye to nape; underparts quite uniformly sulphur yellow, the
throat, breast and sides streaked with black, the flanks washed with the color
of the back.
Adult ^, Fall. — Practically indistinguishable from the adult d" in Spring but
the superciliary line averages huffier.
Young 1$, Fall. — Not distinguishable from the adult d" in Fall.
Adult and young $. — Resemble c? in plumage.
Nestling. — Above olive-brown tipped with rusty and obscurely spotted with
black; a yellowish superciliary line; below sulphur yellow, throat, breast and
sides heavily streaked with black and with more or less rusty wash; wings
and tail much as in adult but wing-coverts tipped with rusty.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America.
Summer Range. — Maine, northern New Hampshire (Lake Um-
bagog, Ossipee, Dublin), northern Vermont (BurHngton), Pennsyl-
vania (Clearfield, Crawford, Clinton, Elk, Cambria, Center and Lycom-
mg Counties), mountains of West Virginia, southern Michigan
southern Wisconsin, Minnesota (Red Wing).
Winter Range. — Florida southward through the West Indies,
Central America, and northern South America.
Spring Migration. — The more western records refer to the western
form of this bird. (See page 231.)
The Bird and its Haunts. — When, during the migrations, a
Water-Thrush is seen in one's garden or some other locality quite
unlike the normal haunts of the species, one may be reasonably sure
that it is this species rather than Seiurus motacilla. The former, in
my experience, is at all times less shy and retiring and may be observed
at short range by the exercise of a little caution.
NORTHERN WATER-THRUSH
231
Spring Migration. —
PLACE
Atlantic Coast —
Raleigh, N. C
Washington, D. C
Germantown, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Portland, Conn
Boston, Mass
Southern New Hampshire
Southern Maine
Quebec, Can
Scotch Lake, N. B
Lake Mistassini, Que
Hamilton River, Labrador
Missisisppi River —
St. Louis, Mo
Waterloo, Ind
Oberlin, Ohio
Listowel, Ont
Guelph, Ont
Parry Sound District, Ont.
Ottawa, Ont
Detroit, Mich
Southern Wisconsin
Keokuk, la
Lanesboro, Minn
Minneapolis, Minn
Northwestern Minnesota . .
Aweme, Man
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie .
Columbia Falls, Mont
N'O of
years'
record
6
5
7
12
8
7
3
6
8
6
9
4
4
5
3
5
Average date of
spring arrival
April 24
April 30
May 6
May 6
May 5
May 8
May 7
May 10
May 7
May 12
March 27
April 26
April 29
April 28
April 30
May 5
May 10
May 2
May 2
May 3
May 5
May 6
May 9
May IS
May 19
May 20
Earlie.1t date of
first one seen
April 18, 1894
April 24, 1904
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May 31
4, i«8»
I, 1897
1, 1891
2, 1896
3, 1902
7, 1902
2, 1902
6, 1905
19, 1885
April
April
April
April
April
May
May
April
April
April
April
May
May
May
May
May
21, 1883
23, 1886
26, 1904
25, 1896
28, 1905
2, 1897
8, 1 90s
28, 1886
27, 1 90 1
30, 1895
30, 1890
3, 1890
7, 1896
12, 1902
14, 1904
18, 1895
Fall Mis[ration.-
P1,ACE
Sheher Island, N. Y.
Englewood, N. J. . . .
Washington, D. C. .
Raleigh, N. C
Mount Pleasant, S. C.
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
first one seen
August 16
August 14
August 5
August II
Earliest date of
first one seen
August II, 1896
August 8, 1897
July 28, 1889
July 29, 1893
July 27, 1897
PI. ACE
Lanesboro, Minn
Ottawa, Ont. . . .
Chicago, 111
Detroit, Mich. . .
Renovo, Pa
Raleigh, N. C. . .
No of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
September 22
September 16
September 20
September 26
October 3
October i
Latest date of
last one seen
September 24, 1889
September 17, 1891
October i, 1895
October 8, 190S
October 5, 1902
October 6, 1894
232 NORTHERN WATER-THRUSH
1 recall a Northern Water-Thrush which boarded a steamer on
which I was sailing from Tampico, Mexico, to Havana, when we were
about midway between these two points. The bird, apparently quite
at home, hopped about the steamer's deck, entered the Captain's cabin,
as though to examine the charts, and when we approached the coast
of Cuba, disappeared, doubtless resuming its more northern flight.
Brewster^ says that at Cambridge they never fail to visit his
garden in "both spring and autumn, occurring there most numerously
in August, when I have known as many as six or seven to be present
at one time. We meet with them oftenest and most abundantly, how-
ever, in dense thickets covering swampy or, at least, very low, damp
ground, usually not far from water. In the Fresh Pond swamps and
along the willow-shaded causeway that crosses Rock Meadow, they
literally swarm for days in succession at the height of the spring mi-
gration. The loud, rapid, musical songs of the males may then be
heard coming from several directions at once, and the birds be seen
darting from thicket to thicket or walking demurely about the edges
of shallow pools, tilting their tails incessantly."
Gerald Thayer (MS.) writes: "This brilliant songster of the
wilderness is a local and uncommon summer resident about Monad-
nock's northern base haunting some of the deep woodland bogs where
Parulas are commonest, and the borders of a few big brooks in the
heavier and drier forest. Like the Oven-bird and the Louisiana Water-
Thrush, it is for the most part a ground bird and a zvalkcr. Its nest
I have never seen, though I've spent many midsummer afternoons,
mosquito-tortured, in its nesting places, watching it trip about among
black puddles, and hearing its vivid sudden song. Though our bird
is less shy than the southern kind, it is, in my experience, out and
away the shyest Warbler of the North Woods."
Song. — The Water-Thrush is one of the notable musicians among
the Warblers. While its song lacks the ringing wildness of that of
Seiurus motacilla I have come to agree with the opinion quoted from
William Brewster under that species, that novcboracensis is the finer
singer of the two.
The sharp, steely alarm-note, clink, is perhaps not quite so pene-
trating as the essentially similar call of Seiurus luotacilla. So far as
my experience goes the Prothonotary is the only other Warbler with
a similar call-note.
"At its best the song of this species is not quite so fine, perhaps,
as that of Seiurus motacilla — it is very different, and has a rare grace
and vigor of its own. Like the Oven-bird the Northern \\'ater-
NORTHERN WATER-THRUSH
233
Thrush makes up for a great general regularity of singing by an occa-
sional wide lapse into variation. Its flight-song, a performance rela-
tively far less common than the Oven-bird's (?), seems to be nearly
changeless. It is like the common perch-song, but quicker and
longer, and 'framed' in a hurried jumble of half-call-hali-song notes;
— the whole delivered as the bird dashes horizontally through or
barely above the woods. Most notable among the few important vari-
ations of its perch-song I have heard was a long, liquid strain seem-
ingly made up of at least three united repetitions of the regular utter-
ances, going unusually fast, in a thinner tone, and intersprinkled with
sharp notes of 'chippering,' unhke the common call-notes. The typi-
cal perch-song itself is hard to describe in words. A ringing, bubbling
warble, swift and emphatic, made up of two parts, barely divided, the
second lower-toned and diminuendo. The common call-note is a
ringing chip, somewhat less loud and emphatic than that of the Louisi-
ana Water-Thrush, but more so than that of any other (?) northern
Warbler." {Thayer, MS.)
Nesting Site. — The nest is placed on the ground among the roots
of an upturned tree, in cavities under stumps, in the side of a bank, or
in similar situations.
"The typical nest is placed at the base of an ash or elm tree in
the thick moss, close in a crotch between the roots or where a root
projects out leaving a cavity under it, also at the base of moss-covered
stumps usually but a few inches above the water. A nest found May
22, 1904, was at base of a moss-covered stump, and there was a Song
Sparrow's nest two feet above in the same stump. A nest found
May 22, 1903, was under a moss-covered log and could not be seen
without getting down on my knees." {Biirtch, MS.)
Nest. — Nests from Maine are externally composed almost wholly
of a green moss with a slight admixture of bits of leaves, grasses, bark,
or twigs, and are thickly enough lined with the brown blossom stalk
of a species of moss, to make the color of the interior contrast strongly
with that of the exterior.
"The nests are made entirely of moss with the moss blossom stems
for lining, so are not easy to find as they look to be part of the moss
in which they are imbedded." (Burtch, MS.)
^SS^- — Usually 4 or 5, about evenly divided. Ground color
creamy white, specked, spotted and blotched with cinnamon-rufous,
hazel and lavender gray, more or less inclining to wreathe about the
large end, though in some cases the markings combine to almost cover
the large end, over rest of egg the markings are quite profuse but
234
GRINNELL'S WATER-THRUSH
never very close together ; one extreme set of five eggs show the wreath
about the small end. Size; average, .77X.60, extremes, .8ix.6i, 73X.58,
74X.63. (Figs. 89-91.)
Nesting Dates. — Branchport, N. Y., May i8-May 30 {Burtch) ;
Lancaster, N. H., June 9, full-grown young following parents (Spauld-
ing) ; Pittsfield, Me., May 28-June 9, young about two weeks old.
(Knight) ; Listowel, Ont., May 20-June 10 (Kells).
Biographical References
(i) W. L. Kells, Nesting of Some Canadian Warblers, Ottawa Naturalist,
XV, 1902, 228. (2) J. M. Swain, Contributions to the Life-History of the
Water-Thrush, Journ. Me. Orn. Soc., VI, 1904, 70. (3) Wm. Brewster, Birds
of the Cambridge Region, 349.
GRINNELL'S Water-Thrush
SEIURUS NOVEBORACENSIS NOTABILIS Ridew.
SubspeciHc Characters. — Similar to 5. noveboracensis noveboracensis,
but larger, bill longer, upperparts darker, less olive; line over eye and the
underparts whiter. Wing, 3.10; tail, 2.20; bill, .52.
General Distribution. — Interior of North America northwest to
Alaska, southeast to Florida.
Summer Range. — Western Nebraska (Sioux City), northern
Minnesota northwest to Alaska, west to British Columbia. The
western line of the district in which the species is common dur-
ing migration is found from Nebraska southward at the edge of the
Plains; to the westward it has been taken casually in Arizona (near
Camp Crittenden, August 1874; Catalina Mountains, September 2,
1884; Tucson, May 4, 188 1 ; Huachuca Mountains, August 31, 1903),
Colorado (Denver May 12, 1873; Fort Lyon, May 6, 1886; Boulder,
May 14, 1904), Wyoming (Lake Como, May 10, 1878; Cheyenne, Fort
Bridger), Utah (Lower Santa Clara Valley, May 11, 1891), Idaho
(Hellgate), Washington (Camp Moogie).
In migration occurs eastward casually to New Jersey, District of
Columbia, and more commonly in the southeastern Atlantic States.
Winter Range. — The West Indies, Mexico, Central America and
northern South America.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This western form of the Water-
Thrush resembles in habits the closely related Northern Water-Thrush.
Nelson says that in Alaska it is abundant in the interior as well
as at the mouth of the Yukon, "in fact, is one of the most common
bush-frequenting birds throughout the entire fur countries, extending
north even beyond tree limit."
KENTUCKY WARBLER 235
Biographical References
(i) W. L. Kells, Grinnell's Water-Thrush (in British Columbia), Nidolo-
gist, I, 1894, 42, 58. (2) E. W. Nelson, Report on Nat. Hist. Coll. made in
Alaska, 204 (the bird is given as Sciurus novcboraccnsis) .
Genus OPORORNIS Baird
Compared with Geothlypis, Oporornis (taking O. agilis as the
type) has the wing much longer and more pointed, the tail decidedly
less rounded. The wing is at least three and a half, instead of two and
three-fourths times as long as the tarsus, the outer primary is usually
the longest, the outer tail-feathers are but little the shortest, the hind-
toe is as long as its claw.
While admitting the characters which distinguish Oporornis agilis
from Geothlypis most systematists have treated Oporornis as a sub-
genus of Geothlypis because of the existence of several species pos-
sessing intermediate characters. The attempt, however, to force
Oporornis into Geothlypis negatives any description emphasizing the
well-marked structural features which prevail in that genus and, at
the same time, prevents the proper description of the generic char-
acters which distinguish Oporornis. It seems desirable, therefore, to
recognize both genera and to place the intermediate species with those
forms to which they appear to be most nearly related. Of these inter-
mediate species the Kentucky Warbler has invariably been placed in
Oporornis, while the Mourning and Macgillivray's Warbler have
usually been grouped with Geothlypis. Mr. Ridgway, however, on the
basis of their general coloration, more pointed wing and longer outer
primary, includes them in Oporornis and I have little doubt of the cor-
rectness of his decision.
Under this ruling the genus contains four species, three of which
are eastern and one western in its distribution.
Kentucky Warbler
OPORORNIS FORMOSA (Wils.) Plate XVIII
Distinguishing Characters. — The Kentucky Warbler may always be known
by its entirely yellow underparts, absence of white in wings and tail, yellow
line over the eye, black or blackish on crown and sides of throat. Length
(skin), 5.00; wing, 2.65; tail, 2.00; bill, .45.
Adult ($, Spring. — Crown black more or less tipped with ashy, line over
and around back of eye yellow, rest of upperparts, wings and tail olive-green,
outer vane of outer primary grayish, bend of wing yellow; underparts from
chin to crissum bright yellow, lores, cheeks and band at side of throat black.
236 KENTUCKY WARBLER
Adult ^, Fall. — Similar to adult J* in Spring but gray edgings to crown
feathers wider and more numerous, black at sides of throat tipped with yel-
lowish.
Young S, Fall. — Similar to adult d" in Fall but crown more heavily tipped,
tips browner, black areas less pronounced.
Adult ?, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but generally duller, black
areas blackish or only dusky and more heavily tipped, tips brownish or olive.
Adult $ and Young $, Fall. — I have no Fall females with both age and sex
accurately determined. The material at hand, however, indicates a difference
in females taken at that season similar to that observed in the male.
Nestling. — Resembling nestling of G. trichas; the greater and median wing-
coverts are like the back and are tipped with rusty.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States; north to New
York and Minnesota; west almost to the Plains.
Summer Range. — The Kentucky Warbler is a forest lover and
makes its chief home in the heaviest timbered regions and dark, damp
woods of the central Mississippi Valley. Eastward it breeds more or
less locally from North Carolina to the lower Hudson Valley (Sing
Sing, Pleasantville) and to Pennsylvania (Chester, Delaware, and
Beaver Counties) ; occurs casually north to Connecticut (Suffield,
August 16, 1876, Lyme).
There is a single record of its breeding in South Carolina
(Caesar's Head) and four records of its occurence during migration
in Florida. The Kentucky Warbler is common in the state from which
it takes its name, and in the watershed of the Ohio River and its
tributaries. It is uncommon north of this region, but is found as far as
Lake Erie — accidental in Quebec, southern Ontario (near London,
May, 1898), southern Michigan, southern Wisconsin (Racine, May 10,
185 1, Lake Koshkonong) and southern Minnesota.
The western limit of its range is reached in southeastern Nebraska
(Omaha, Lincoln. Peru) and thence through eastern Kansas (Leaven-
worth, Atchison, Manhattan) to eastern Texas (Navarro County,
San Antonio; in migration at Corpus Christi).
Though not uncommon in favorable localities along the streams
of these states, it is not nearly so abundant as in the Ohio Valley.
It breeds principally below an elevation of i ,000 feet, but at Ashe-
ville, N. C, it breeds at 2,000 feet altitude, and has been noted up to
3,500 feet.
Winter Range. — Southern Mexico to Colombia, South America.
Accidental in the West Indies.
Fall Migration. — The southward movement begins the last of
July, and on October 7 the species has been taken at the extreme
southern limit of its known range in Colombia, South America. Some
Plate XVIII
Kentucky Warbler, Male.
Kentucky Warbler, Female.
3. Connecticut Warbler, Male.
4. Connecticut Warbler, Female.
KENTUCKY WARBLER
'^17
records of the latest observations are at Berwyn, Pa., September 4,
1896; Beaver, Pa., September 13, 1888; Cadiz, Ohio, September 23,
1900; Eubank, Ky., September 6, 1888; Raleigh, N. C, September
12, 1894; New Orleans, La., October 19, 1895.
Spring Migration. —
PIvACE
Tarpon Springs. Fla. . ,
Atlanta, Ga. ( near) . . .
Asheville, N. C. (near)
Raleigh, N. C
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Waynesburg, Pa
Berwyn, Pa
New Orleans, La ,
Helena, Ark
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo
Brookville, Ind
Keokuk, la
San Antonio, Texas . . ,
Northern Texas
Onaga, Kan
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
April 7
April 21
May I
May 2
May I
6
May
7
4
April
I
8
April
20
April
21
4
April
24
4
May
6
4
May
7
5
April
14
7
April
15
9
May
5
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 6, 1886
April I, 1896
April 18, 1894
April 30, 190S
April 30, 1902
IMay I, 1892
May 3, 1900
March 30, 1895
April IS, 1896
April IS, 1893
April 21, 1886
April 20, 1896
April 26, 1898
April 8, 1890
April 26, 1896
The Bird and its Haunts. — My own experience with this Warbler,
which in habits suggests both the Yellow-throat (trichas) and Oven-
bird, is confined to the west side of the Hudson River, at Englewood,
N. J. Here, on the western slope of the Palisades, in moist woods
with a fairly heavy undergrowth, it is not uncommon, though it is
virtually unknown in the apparently favorable woods growing in the
valleys to the west. During the nesting season, the loud, musical song
of the male readily betrays his whereabouts, and one may watch it
with ease as it frequently utters its notes from a perch at a height of
twenty feet or thereabouts, descending at intervals to walk about on
the ground and search for food.
At Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Burns (]\IS.) writes: "The Kentucky
Warbler is usually one of our commonest summer residents, though
apt to be rather irregular in abundance now and then. During the
season of 1897, it became abundant, falling off to about half the
number the following year. It is here an inhabitant of the overgrown
clearings, swampy thickets, and the borders of woodland ; a bird of
the south, loving the luxuriant undergrowths of spicewood, ferns,
mandrake, skunk cabbage, and other shade-loving plants of rank
growth.
238 KENTUCKY WARBLER
"It is very cunning in the concealment of its home, usually run-
ning quietly from the nest before the intruder is within ten or twenty
feet, protesting as it becomes visible at a safe distance, and as it seems
always to be chipping around, significance cannot always be attached
to its actions. When the mate appears the object of their suspicions
may be circled at a safe distance from bush to bush and bush to
ground, several times in the course of half an hour, and then one bird
may slip unseen to the nest, while the other lingers a little longer to
keep up the deception, retiring at last to some distant part of the
woods, or perhaps it may gradually lessen the volume of protesting
notes until it becomes silent, and with apparent content, settle on what
one confidently thinks must be the nest, only to flush it from an empty
bunch of weeds.
"The eyes of the young are opened on the fifth day and in two
instances birds left the nest on the eighth day. If the too inquisitive
observer is noticed lurking around, the frantic female will frequently
drive the young from the nest prematurely. The male, while protest-
ing vigorously, seldom approaches as closely as the female."
In Mississippi, Allison (MS.) writes that the Kentucky Warbler
inhabits "undergrowth in damp, or, at least, heavily shaded, woods.
It may frequent the thickets of rose-bay (IlHciuiii) and the tangle of
bamboo briers on the Gulf coast, the varied tangled growth along
the creeks and rivers of the higher regions, or the brakes of switch-
cane; but it always selects a low, thick growth, where it feeds almost
entirely on the ground."
Song. — With the Kentucky Warbler singing is a serious per-
formance to which he gives his entire attention. I quote from my
'Handbook' : "His song is entirely unlike that of any other Warbler.
It is a loud, clearly whistled performance of five, six, or seven notes
— tur-dle, tur-dle, tur-dlc — resembling in tone some of the calls of the
Carolina Wren. Even in the woods it may be heard at a distance of
about one hundred and fifty yards.
"In the height of the breeding season this Warbler is a most
persistent singer. On one occasion, at Englewood, N. J., I watched a
male for three hours. During this period, with the exception of five
interruptions of less than forty-five seconds each, he sang with the
greatest regularity once every twelve seconds Thus, allowing for the
brief intervals of silence, he sang about 875 times, or some 5,250
notes. I found him singing, and when I departed he showed no signs
of ceasing."
KENTUCKY WARBLER 239
"The call-note is a low-pitched 'chuck,' with some of the queru-
lous quality of a Flycatcher's note ; in fact it considerably resembles the
note of the Phoebe. The song is much like that of the Carolina Wren,
but less lively and ringing: ter-wheeter-wheeter-wheeter-wheeter-
wheeter, — with falling inflection. I have never heard it in fall."
{Allison, MS.)
"The song is a loud, clear and sweetly whistled peer-ry, repeated
rapidly four or five times. Often, though less frequently, a chc die che
peer-ry peer-ry peer-ry. When first heard it is suggestive of the song
of the Cardinal or Carolina Wren. During the nesting season it is an
incessant singer from the lower branches of the sapling in which it is
constantly moving or as often from the ground where it is at its best,
walking about with an air and dignity not often attained by small
birds. The song continues from arrival until June 27-June 23, and one
was heard August 7, (1902). Most persistent the first four weeks,
however, when near its haunts, one is seldom out of hearing of one
or more singers. A flight song is sometimes delivered about dusk
during the height of the breeding period. It is indescribable. The
alarm note is a metallic chip, check, or chuck, more or less rapidly
repeated, and to a critical ear easily recognizable. The bird appears
to be free from that ever present nervousness of some of our Wood
Warblers, exhibiting perfect self possession on almost all occasions.
In May 1896, I heard several birds, possibly transients, sing Too-dle
too-dle too-dle too-dle (erroneously transposed with the breeding song
in Warbler Songs, Wilson Bulletin p. 47). On this occasion the birds
were not in full song on arrival." (Burns, MS.)
Nesting Site. — On the ground usually at the foot of a bush or
among plants, sometimes in bushes or on low sweeping limbs within
a few inches of the ground.
"The nest is often placed in the most unexpected places : It may
be on top of the ground at the foot of a beech, spice-bush, dog- wood,
sweet birch, or black haw sprout ; under a fallen bough, or perhaps
just ofif the wet earth between the ground forks of a bunch of spice-
wood, winter fern, Spanish needles or other weeds ; or less frequently,
in the midst of a patch of wild sarsaparilla, mandrake or other annuals,
with nothing to turn aside the crushing foot of man or beast. It is
usually well concealed by the surrounding vegetation while in a com-
paratively open spot, and if not directly in an abandoned cartroad,
not far from some woodland footpath, public road, or the edge of the
woods." (Burns, MS.)
240
KENTUCKY WARBLER
A^^^^. — A nest from Englewood, N. J., is very bulky. An outer
wrapping of several layers of dead leaves encases a wall of weed
stalks while the heavy lining consists of black rootlets. A nest from
Wheatland, Indiana, essentially agrees with this New Jersey speci-
men.
"A rather bulky and loosely constructed nest, outwardly of some-
what ragged dead leaves of the chestnut, beech, cherry, maple, white.
black, and chestnut oak, a few weed or grass stems, an occasional
strip of wild grapevine bark, and, once, many green leaves of the
dogwood, and, in another example, several oak blossoms ; usually fol-
lowed by an inner layer of bright, clean dead leaves of the beech,
lined with black rootlets and in fully half of the nests examined, a few
long black horse-hairs. In one instance the lining was of light-colored
rootlets. Another nest, so well hidden in a patch of woodplants that
I accidentally trod upon it while actually searching for it, was a most
frail affair built exclusively of grasses, lined with black rootlets, how-
ever.
"During the nest building period the birds are so extremely
jealous and watchful, deserting the site rather than be spied upon, that
I have been unable so far to follow this interesting period to a finish.
The male unquestionably aids his mate." (Burns, MS.)
Eggs. — 4 or 5, in about even proportions. Ground color white,
in some cases very glossy, spotted and specked, rarely blotched, with
burnt umber, cinnamon-rufous and lilac-gray, seldom if ever showing
under shell markings ; in most cases the markings are heavier
at the large end. sometimes in a mass, sometimes well wreathed,
and in other types evenly distributed over entire egg. .Size ; average,
.74X.58; extremes, .79X.60, .69X.57, .73X.54. (Figs. ioo,iot.)
Nesting Z)a/^.y.— Buncombe Co., N. C. May 23 (C. JV. C.) ; West
Chester, Pa., May 27 (Jackson) : Chester Co., Pa., June 25 (/. P. N.) ;
Waynesburg, Pa., May i8-June to (Jacobs) ; New York City, June i-
June T2 (FM. C.) ; Dunklin Co., Mo., May 15 (C. TV. C).
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, Observations on the Birds of Ritchie County, West
Virginia, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., XI, 1875, 137. (2) F. T. Jenks, Kentucky
Warbler, its Nesting Habits, [in Ind.], Orn. and 061., VI, 1881, 49. (3) D. E.
L[antz], The Kentucky Warbler, [in Kansas], Orn. and 061., X, 1885, 19. (4)
T. A. Jackson, Nesting of the Kentucky Warbler [in S. E. Pa.], Orn. and 061.,
XII, 1887, 43. (5) J. P. Norris, Jr., Nesting of the Kentucky Warbler in Ches-
ter County, Penn., Orn. and 061., XIV. 1889, 104. (6) Ibid., XV, 1890, 145.
(7) Ibid., Nidologist. I, 1894, 165. (8) J. P. N[orris], A Series of Eggs of the
Kentucky Warbler, Orn. and 061., XVII. 1892, l.
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Connecticut Warbler
241
OPORORNIS AGILIS (Wils.) Plate XVIII
Distinguishing Characters. — The adult d* is to be confused only with the
adult c? of the Mourning and Macgillivray's Warbler from both of which it is
distinguished by its larger size, complete white eye-ring, and absence of black
on the breast. The young <^ and $ may be known from the corresponding
sex and age of the Mourning and Macgillivray's Warblers by their large size,
browner breast, and more conspicuous, complete eye-ring. Length (skin), 4.90;
wing, 2.75; tail, 1.85; bill, .48.
Adult 3, Spring. — Upperparts olive-green with a brownish tinge, the crown
more or less slaty gray; wings and tail like back and without white markings,
bend of wing yellow; a complete white eye-ring; sides of head, throat and upper
breast slaty gray paler on the throat, rest of underparts, including crissum,
yellow, the sides olive-green.
Adult S, Fall. — Similar to adult d* in Spring but crown usually browner,
gray of breast faintly tipped with brownish.
Young cf. Fall. — Similar to adult c? but crown olive washed with brown,
slaty gray of throat and cheeks replaced by yellowish brown paler on the throat ;
eye-ring tinged with buffy.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult c? but crown brownish olive-green, cheeks,
throat and upper-breast brownish paler on throat. Similar to young d" in Fall,
but crown more olive.
Adult 'i, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but upperparts and breast
browner.
Young $, Fall. — Not distinguishable from adult ? in Fall.
Nestling. — Not seen.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States ; north to Manitoba ;
west to the Mississippi River.
Summer Range. — Summer records of the Connecticut Warbler
are rare. There is a single record of its breeding in Manitoba ; it was
found located for the summer in a tamarack swamp near Hickory,
Aitkin County, Minn., where it was seen from June 21 onward; it
was seen in July on the St. Louis River in eastern Minnesota, and,
therefore, probably breeds in that locality; it is claimed to breed not
uncommonly in southern Wisconsin ; old with young were seen on the
Porcupine Mountains, northern Michigan, July 2y, 1904, and undoubt-
edly bred there.
Winter Range. — Northern South America ; the West Indies in
migration.
Spring Migration. — This is one of the few species that seems to
travel different routes during the two yearly migrations. The spring
migration is through Florida to the Mississippi Valley and thence
north to the breeding grounds. The few records of spring migra-
tion note the arrival of this species in southern Florida May 4-19;
northern Florida. Mav lo-ii; Chester Countv, S. C, May 10; St.
242
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Louis, Mo., May 14-22 ; English Lake, Ind., May 4, 1891 ; Oberlin, O.,
May 7, 1904; Glen Ellyn, III, May 12, 1896; southern Michigan, May
17, 1894; southern Ontario, May 16, 1892.
Fall Migration. — The vicinity of Chicago is one of the few places
visited by the Connecticut Warbler during both spring and fall migra-
tion. Here the average period of fall occurrence is from August 31
to September 10, with extremes of August 30 and September 17. The
path of fall migration passes principally east of the Allegheny Moun-
tians and some dates of occurrence along the Atlantic slope are at
Saco, Me., September 8-15; Shelburne, N. H., September 14; Pitts-
ford, Vermont, September 20; Portland, Conn., September 17 to Octo-
ber i; southeastern New York, August 26 to October 12; Engle-
wood, N. J., September 3 to October 1 1 ; Washington, D. C, August
28 to October 12; Raleigh, N. C, October 14-24; southern Forida,
October 9. So far as known, the Connecticut Warbler has not been
recorded anywhere during the half of the year from October 22 to
April 9.
The Bird and its Haunts. — During the spring migration the
Connecticut Warbler seems to be confined to the Mississippi Valley
where, at this season, as well as in the fall, it is generally considered
a rare bird. In its return migration, however, it is often common
in the Atlantic states. At this time they may usually be found in
low, damp woods with abundant undergrowth, though not infre-
quently they are flushed from weedy growths bordering hedgerows
some distance from the woods. They are now excessively fat, no
other Warbler, as far as I am aware, approaching them in this
respect. While, locally Connecticut Warblers seem to come in flights,
being common some years and rare others, the census of light-house-
striking Warblers shows that the bird is a regular autumnal visitor.
At Cambridge, Brewster^ writes: "We used to find Connecticut
Warblers oftenest among the thickets of clethra, Andromeda ligus-
trina, shad-bush and black alder, which formed a dense swamp, and
in the beds of touch-me-not (Impatiens) that covered some of its
wetter portions. They were also given to frequenting the banks of
numerous intersecting ditches, especially where the deadly night-
shade, clinging to the stems of the bushes, trailed its gray-green
foliage and coral-red berries over the black mud or coffee-colored
water. In such places they often literally swarmed, but so retiring
and elusive were they that by anyone unacquainted with their habits
they might easily have been overlooked. They spent most of their
time on the ground under or among rank vegetation, where they
CONNECTICUT WARBLER
243
would often remain securely hidden until nearly trodden on. Indeed
we learned eventually that the only certain method of starting all the
birds that a thicket contained was to beat the place closely and sys-
tematically many times in succession. When flushed they would
usually fly up into the low bushes and sit there motioness in thrush-
like attitudes, gazing at us intently with their large dark eyes. If fur-
ther disturbed, they were nearly sure to take long flights to distant
parts of the swamp During cloudy weather we sometimes found
them feeding with Blackpoll Warblers in the tops of large willows,
fifty or sixty feet above the ground. The earliest date on which they
were ever seen by us was September 7, and the last stragglers usually
departed for the south before the ist of October. They never appeared
in spring, nor is there a single record in which I have full confidence of
their occurrence at that season in an}^ part of Massachusetts."
At Monadnock, Gerald Thayer (MS.) writes that the Connecticut
Warbler is "sometimes fairly common at Monadnock in the fall, from
mid-September to early October, in bushy roadside copses and damp
thickets in and near woods. In spring it is very rare here, we have
seen only two or three in the course of a dozen years."
With Brewster he comments on the bird's thrush-like appearance,
saying : "As it appears about Monadnock in the Autumn, the Connecti-
cut has a curiously quiet and thrush-like demeanor. Starting up from
the ground, where it has been walking, it stops on a low perch and sits
dead still for several seconds, sometimes for a half minute or more,
before moving on, and then it usually flies rather far. The only note I
have ever heard from it is a very quick, sharp call, with a clipped-short
metallic ring, plink, easily remembered and differentiated among War-
bler chips. In immature plumage, as we commonly see it, it looks very
dark, and shows no definite markings whatever beyond the rather con-
spicuous white eye-ring, which adds to the effect of thrush-likeness."
According to Ernest Seton\ who alone has found the Connecticut
breeding, the bird, in Manitoba, summers in tamarac swamps. Gault's*
observations in Aitkin County, Minn., indicate the breeding of the
species in similar localities at that place, while the taking of fledglings
by Warren^, on August 10, near Palmer, in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan, considerably extends the probable nesting range of the
species. Warren remarks that at this point he saw over fifty Connecti-
cut Warblers on August 29, an observation which suggests that the
species is much more common in the Mississippi Valley than existing
records would lead us to believe.
244 MOURNING WARBLER
Song. — I have never heard the song of this species. The call-note,
hov^^ever, is a sharp, characteristic peek. Ernest Seton^ writes that the
song "may be suggested by the syllables heecher-heecJier-bceclicr-
beecher-heecher-heecher. It is like the song of the Golden-crowned
Thrush [=Oven-bird], but differs in being in the same pitch through-
out. * * *
"Besides the song already recorded I have noted another type ; it
nearly resembles the syllables frn-chapple fru-chapple fru-chapple
whoit, and is uttered in a loud, ringing voice, quite unlike the weak,
hurried lisping of the Wood Warbler * * * "
"On first hearing the song it reminded me strongly of the Northern
Yellow-throat's. It is, however, more vigorous and resonant than the
Yellow-throat's. It does not repeat the song very often. The descrip-
tion fru-chapple fru-chapple fru-chapple, zvhoit, is good. Or, some-
times, it seems to say too-too-whit. He shakes his body all over when
he sings and his wings and tail vibrate furiously." (FarzvelL MS.)
Nesting Site. — On the ground (Seton^).
Nest. — What appears to be the only authentic nest of this species
Avas found by Ernest Seton^ near Carberry, Manitoba, June 21, 1883.
It is described by him as being "composed entirely of fine grass."
Eggs. — The nest discovered by Seton contained 4 eggs. Their
color before being blown is described as "a delicate creamy white, with
a few spots of lilac-purple, brown, and black, inclined to form a ring
at the large end." Size ; .75X.56.
Nesting Dates. — Porcupine Mts., Ontonagon Co., ]Mich., July 2y,
female with bare abdomen and young of year, Maclean (Barrows) .
Biographical References
(i) E. T. Seton, Nest and Habits of the Connecticut Warbler, [in Mani-
toba], Auk, I, 1884, 192. (See also Proc. U. S. N. M., XIII, 1890, 621. (2)
W. L. Collins, Note on Oporornis agilis, [near Philadelphia], Bull. Nutt. Orn.
Club, V, 1880, 50. (3) O. B. Warren, Notes from the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan, Auk, XII, 1895, 192. (4) B. T. Gault, Geothlypis agilis, A Possible
Breeder in Northern Minnesota, Auk, XIV, 1897, 222. (5) Wm. Brewster,
Birds of the Cambridge Region, 351.
Mourning Warbler
OPORORNIS PHIALDELPHIA (Wils.) Plate XIX
Distinguishing Characters. — The Mourning and Macgillivray's Warblers
closely resemble one another but may be distinguished by the following char-
acters ; the adult o Mourning has no white in the eye-ring, the lores are black-
ish, the breast jet black with few or no grayish tips at its junction with the
yellow of the underparts ; the adult c? Macgillivray's has a white mark in the
Plate XIX
1. Macgillivray's Warbler, Male. 3. Mourning Warbler, Male.
2. Macgillivray's Warbler, Female. 4. Mourning Warbler, Female.
5. Mourning Warbler. Young Male.
MOURNING WARBLER 245
eye-ring above and below the eye, the lores are black, the breast slate-black,
usually widely and more or less evenly tipped with grayish. The $ and young
c? of these species can be less readily determined since in such specimens the
Mourning develops a more or less well-marked whitish eye-ring. It is, how-
ever, usually incomplete and this fact in connection with the bird's shorter tail
will serve to separate it from Macgillivray's. Length (skin), 4.90; wing, 2.50;
tail, 2.00; bill, .45.
Adult (S, Spring. — Head bluish slate, back, wings, and tail olive-green, no
white markings, no white eye-ring ; lores gray or blackish ; throat heavily tipped
with gray, these tips gradually decreasing in width posteriorly, leaving, usually,
a black area on the breast at its junction with the yellow of the rest of the
underparts, sides greenish.
Adult S, Fall. — No specimens in early Fall plumage seen, but judging from
G. tolmiei, similar to adult <S in Spring but throat and breast more widely tipped
with whitish, the crown tipped with brownish.
Young c?. Fall. — Similar to adult <S in Spring but crown brownish olive-
green slightly browner than back, a nearly complete whitish eye-ring, throat
and upper breast yellowish, the former paler, the feathers of the latter dusky
or blackish basally.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult 3 in Spring but bluish slate of head and
olive of back browner ; an inconspicuous whitish or gray eye-ring ; throat
and upper breast brownish gray.
Adiilt 9, Fall. — Not seen.
Young 5, Fall. — Above uniform olive-green, head without trace of gray;
below yellow, throat with a more or less evident trace of dusky, sides greenish ;
eye-ring less distinctly whitish than in adult ?.
Nestling. — Above dark olive-brown, browner than in nestling of Gcuthlypis
trichas, sides and breast a more yellow brown, belly yellowish buff, median
and greater wing-coverts tipped with cinnamon-brown.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America ; north to Nova
Scotia and Manitoba ; west almost to the Plains.
Summer Range. — The Alourning Warbler is most common in sum-
mer near the northern limit of its range, in Manitoba, northern Minne-
sota, and central Ontario; and less common in eastern Assiniboia. It
is not uncommon as a breeder in Michigan (Porcupine Mountains).
southern Ontario (Toronto, Guelph), northern New York (Oneida,
Niagara, Ontario Counties), Vermont (Londonderry, Townsend),
New Hampshire (Mt. Moosilauke, North Woodstock, Intervale),
Massachusetts (Berkshire County), Maine (Franklin County), New
Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. It breeds also in
the Catskills and in some of the mountains of Pennsylvania (West-
moreland, Sullivan, Cambria, Clinton Counties), and West Virginia
(spruce belt).
With the exception of a probably accidental occurrence in South
Carolina, it has not been recorded outside the mountains at any time
of the vear in the Atlantic and Gulf States from North Carolina to
246
MOURNING WARBLER
Mississippi. It is a rare migrant in Louisiana, but is fairly common in
migration in Texas, and has been noted in eastern Kansas (Topelca,
Neosho Falls), eastern Nebraska (Omaha, NeHgh), and eastern North
Dakota (Cando).
Its distribution in the United States is, therefore, fan-shaped.
Touching the Gulf of Mexico along the coast of Louisiana and Texas,
a distance of six hundred miles, the lines of migration extend north to
Manitoba and northeast along the west side of the Alleghenies to New-
Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Magdalen Islands. The east and
west extension of the breeding ground is nearly two thousand miles.
Winter Range. — Nicaragua to Ecuador.
Spring Migration. — The Mourning Warbler is one of the latest
of the family to arrive from its winter home in Central and South
America. It probably reaches the United States late in April or the
first week in May.
PIvACE
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Scarboro, N. Y
St. Johnsbury Vt
Montreal, Can
St. John, N. B
North River, Prince Edward Island
San Antonio, Texas
Victoria County, Texas
Brookville, Ind
Oberlin, O
St. Louis, Mo
Chicago, 111
Southern Mich
Listowel, Ont
Parry Sound District, Ont
Ottawa, Ont
Lanesboro, Minn
White Earth, Minn
Aweme, Man
years
record
6
6
7
4
13
Average date of
spring arrival
May II
May II
May 10
May 7
May 15
May 19
May 17
May 17
May 22
May 23
May 18
Earliest date of
spring arrival
May
May
May
May
May
May
June
April
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
6, 1902
4, 1896
9, 1897
20, 1900
30, 1888
24, 1 89 1
IS, 1888
24, 1890
3, 1887
7, 1881
5. 1899
10, 1886
17, 1902
14, 1892
8, 1900
17, 1895
10, 1891
13, 1886
18, 1885
23, 1900
Fall Migration. — An unusually early migrant was seen at Lanes-
boro, Minn., July i, 1888. The species moves south in July and August,
and reaches Costa Rica the first of September. The last has been noted
at Ottawa, Ont., August 28, 1896 ; North River, Prince Edward Island,
September 3, 1890; Cleveland, Ohio, September 26, 1896; Renovo, Pa.,
September 26, 1899; Cambridge, Mass., September 30; New Orleans,
La., October 7, 1896.
MOURNING WARBLER 247
The Bird and its Haunts. — Both while nesting and when migrat-
ing, the Alourning Warbler appears to be a more or less rare bird
throughout its range. At Englewood, I know it only as an occasional
late spring migrant and have no record of it in the fall.
At Cambridge, according to Brewster^, there are definite records
of the occurrence of but fifteen individuals of this species of which only
two were observed in the fall. Most of the birds, Brewster states,
"were found either in swampy thickets or among dense shrubbery in
gardens."
At Monadnock, Gerald Thayer (MS.) writes, the Mourning War-
bler is rare, "we have seen several here in the spring and one or two
in autumn. It may possibly breed here. Its call-notes I have never
heard, wittingly, and its full-voiced, highly-modulated singing I have
heard too seldom to warrant my attempting a detailed description of it.
In migration, it is a somewhat shy and quick-moving Warbler, like a
Yellow-throat with a dash of Water-Thrush blood. It hops about in
thickets like a Yellow-throat, but is prone to visit also the overgrowth
of deciduous woods and hedge-rows. The first one I ever saw I shot
from the top of a seventy-foot maple, whither it had flown from a blos-
soming apple tree. The Mourning has also manners in common with
its close cousin the Connecticut, notably the habit of stopping very short
and sitting quite still for a few seconds."
In Maine, Swain* writes, the Mourning Warbler's nesting haunts
are in "dense underbrush on the margin of some lowland woods or
second growth swamps or on some hillside covered with brush, near a
deep wooded ravine."
At Branchport, N. Y., Burtch (MS.) says a favorite nesting
resort is a bushy clearing with an abundance of blackberry briars, and I
have found the bird, in June, in a similar location in northern Cayuga
County, N. Y.
Song. — "The males would sit for a long time on the limb of a dead
tree, motionless, but for the occasional utterance of their brief song.
In quality their song is much like that of the Maryland Yellow-throat ;
but the song, as I heard it, consists of five notes, the first three just
alike, followed by two others, louder and fuller. The whole is loud,
clear and ringing and forms an interesting song. * * * " (Roberts'^)
"In quality and style this Warbler's songs bears a strong resem-
blance to that of the Water-Thrush, the variations having the same gen-
eral quality, but the song is considerably less in volume and lacks the
wild thrill of the Water-Thrush. The song which I have heard most
frequently is tee te-o te-o te-o zve-se, the last couplet accented and much
248
MOURNING WARBLER
higher pitched. A less common form slightly resembles the crescendo
chant of Oven-bird, but is weaker. It is rather a swell than a cres-
cendo. Dr. Merriam describes a variation which I have never heard :
'true 'true 'true 'tri'i 'too, the last and next to the last syllables with fall-
ing inflection and more softly. The song is clear and whistling,
"Song is incessant during the northward movement, but there is
apparently none on the return journey." (Jones.)
Miss Paddock sends four renderings and writes : "The quality
is very full and rich and the rhythm unmistakable."
^
■*•
db
M m m. M C. £ — 2.
I .11 .1 IJ .rTTl J
.W tt «> m — = — ^ — *^ — •■-
::=- >
u rf f^ F^^ f^. -^^
:z:
Nesting Site. — In briars or weedy growths in thickets usually six
to twenty inches above the ground.
Nest. — Swain* describes a Maine nest as bulky but neat and com-
pact, made externally of dry leaves and vine stalks with an inner wall
of dead, coarse, flat-bladed grass, with finer grasses and a few weed
stalks, all through this wall a few small, dead white maple leaves being
interwoven. The lining was composed of fine grasses and a few horse-
hairs.
A nest found by Tabor^ in northern Cayuga County, N. Y., is
"composed of weed stalks with layers of leaves mixed in, and is lined
with fine black rootlets."
Eggs. — Usually 4. Ground color white, sparingly spotted and
blotched with rufous red, brownish and light hazel in form of an indis-
tinct wreath about large end and few scattering marks over rest of
AIACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER
249
egg. Size; a typical set of four measure .71X.56, .70X.55, .74X.56,
.73X.55- (Figs. 102. 103.)
Xesting Dates. — Lancaster, N. H., June 8 (Spaulding) ; between
Athens and Hartland, Me., June 16 (Knight) ; Listowel, Ont., June
3-June 14 (Kells) ; Kalkuska Co., Mich., June 7, DunTiam — Onton-
agon Co., nestlings, July 15, Peet (Barrozvs).
Biographical References
(i) T. S. Roberts, A Partial List of the Birds of St. Louis and Lake
Counties, Minn., Rep. Geol. and Nat. Hist. Surv. Minn, for 1879, IS8. (2) W. L.
Kells, Nesting of the Mourning Warbler, (in Ontario), Orn. and 061., XIV,
1889, 4; Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, 1904, 65. (3) E. G. Tabor, Nrsting of the
Mourning Warbler, Orn. and 051., XV, 1890, 68. (4) J. M. Swain, Contribu-
tions to the Life-History of the Mourning Warbler, Journ. Me. Orn. Soc, VII,
1905, 14. (5) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 353.
Macgillivray's Warbler
OPORORNIS TOLMIEI (Town*.) Plate XIX
Distinguishing Characters. — For a comparison of this species with the Con-
necticut and Mourning Warblers, see those species. Length (skin), 5.00; wing,
2.50; tail, 2.10; bill, .45.
Adult (S, Spring. — Head bluish slate, back olive-green, wings and tail olive-
green without white markings ; a white mark above and another below the
eye, lores black; throat and upper breast blackish or slaty-black rather evenly
and widely tipped with grayish white, rest of underparts yellow, the sides
greenish.
Adult ^, Fall. — Similar to adult d" in Spring but crown tipped with brown-
ish, throat more widely tipped with grayish.
Young c?. Fall. — Similar to adult <S in Fall but crown olive-brown without
slate, lores grayish or brownish, throat and breast yellowish or brownish gray.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but bluish slate of head
and olive of back browner ; white eye-marks less conspicuous, cheeks and lores
grayish, throat and breast gray slightly tinged with brown.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but crown brown, browner than
back, throat with brownish tinge more pronounced. Not certainly distinguish-
able from young S in Fall.
Young 5, Fall. — like adult $ in Fall but throat averaging browner.
Nestling. — Not seen.
General Distribution. — Western United States.
Summer Range. — A common and characteristic species of the
western United States, breeding from New Mexico and Arizona to
British Columbia; it occurs east regularly to the foothills of the Rockies
and occasionally far out on the Plains to North Dakota (Musselshell
River), western Nebraska (Sioux County), southeastern Colorado
(Springfield) and central Texas (Gainesville, San Antonio).
Winter Range. — Lower California to Colombia. South America.
250
MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER
Spring Migration. — The earliest migrants of Macgillivray's War-
bler seen in the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, were recorded April
II, 1902. In southern California a few have been seen as early as
the last of March, but the general time of arrival in the southern part
of the state is the first ten days in April. The average date of arrival
in northern Colorado is May 13; at Cheyenne, Wyo., May 14, and at
Great Falls, Mont., May 28. Some records of the first birds noted are :
Dayton, Ore., about May 2 ; Camp Harney, Ore., about May i ; Port-
land, Ore., April 29, 1897; Olympia, Wash., April 12, 1904; Tacoma,
Wash., April 16, 1905 ; southern British Columbia, average of three
years. May 5, earliest. May 2, 1905.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Macgillivray's Warbler is a generally
common bird in favorable localities throughout the west, I have found
it even in the midst of the Wyoming sage plains, where a few willows
bordered a snow-bom stream. Undergrowth of some kind it requires
but the scrub of a dry hillside apparently answers its wants as well
as the bushes near water. It is much less demonstrative than a Yellow-
throat (Geothlypis) and seems to try to avoid being seen either by
remaining in cover or by a quick low flight to more distant cover, and
were not its song too pronounced to be overlooked the bird might
easily escape attention.
In California, Walter Fisher (MS) writes: "This is a very quiet
little bird and is common in the Sierra Nevada Mountains among
prickly ceanothus, deer-brush, wild cherry, and clumps of willow, often
frequenting the vicinity of water, but as often found far from it. It
lives in much the same country that is occupied by the Calaveras War-
bler, from which it may be readily distinguished by its gray head and
more retiring habits. There is something wren-like in the way Mac-
gillivray's Warbler moves through its miniature jungle, shyly eyes the
observer, and then vanishes noiselessly."
v^OM^.— "Their ordinary song-notes, chee-chee-chee-chee , I could
not positively discriminate from those of Wilson's Black-cap [=Wil-
sonia p. pileolata], when the two sang on either side of me in a thicket.
To these chee-che-chii, or a few terminal notes, may be added. Some-
times, however, in May, this little Warbler has a fit of ecstasy, and, with
a short, nervous flight bursts into sweet song, although not so liquid
as his eastern cousin's." (Minof^.)
Nesting Site. — The nest is generally placed in briars or small
bushes from six inches to two feet from the ground, but Minot^ re-
cords an unusually situated one from Colorado, as built in a scrub oak
five feet from the ground.
NORTHERN YELLOW-THROAT 251
Nest. — Minot^ describes the nest as recalling a coarse type of
Chestnut-sided Warbler architecture. Nests in the Crandall collection
from Colorado are composed of grasses and rootlets lined with hair;
while a nest from California is described as small and loosely made,
composed of grasses, principally 'wild oats,' lined with fine grasses and
a little hair.
E-ggs. — 3 to 5, usually 4, very rarely 5. Ground color white to
slightly creamy, marked with many shades of brown, dark lilac, rufous,
purplish black and numerous under shell spots of lavender ; these mark-
ings occur in the form of specks, spots, blotches, in some cases much
run together, and irregular lines, heavier at the larger end where they
often form an indistinct wreath; in many types the smaller half of
the tgg is almost devoid of markings. Size; average, .71X.52;
extremes measure .66X.50 and .77X. 56. (Figs. 104-106.)
Nesting Dates. — Estes Park, Colo., June 15 (C W. C.) ; Sonoma,
Calif., May 2 (C W. C.) ; Tacoma, Wash., June 11-18 (Bozules).
Biographical References
(i) H. D. MiNOT, Notes on Colorado Birds, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, V,
1880, 227.
Genus GEOTHLYPIS Cabanis
Geothlypis is characterized chiefly by its short wing and rounded
tail. The wing in our species is never more than .25 inches longer than
the tail and sometimes equals it in length, and averages only two and
three-fourths times as long as the tarsus; the outer primary is always
shorter than the second and the outer tail-feather is about .25 inches
shorter than the longest ; the tarsus is longer than middle-toe and nail,
the hind-toe not so long as its nail.
As here restricted, Geothlypis contains about twelve species, only
two of which are North American, while one is Bahaman and the
others range southward through Mexico to Argentina.
The species of Geothlypis appear to respond to the influences of
their environment more readily than do other North American War-
blers. Seven forms of the Bahaman bird are recognized and of our
G. trichas an equal number are current. In several instances, however,
the great individual variation which characterizes these birds, so
obscures their subspecific differences that identification is often attended
with much uncertainty.
Northern Yellow-throat
GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS BRACHIDACTYLA (Swains.) Plate XX
Distinguishing Characters.— Thys species and its several races may always be
distinguished from other North American Warblers by the characters given
252
NORTHERN YELLOW-THROAT
under the genus Geothlypis. The black 'mask' of the males is an unmistakable
mark and while this is lacking in the female she possesses enough of the Yellow-
throat individuality of manner to be easily recognized in life.
The form here described under the name brachidactyla includes also the
race lately known as Geothlypis trichas trichas from Maryland and southward in
the Piedmont region. Birds from this region average smaller and have less
yellow on the abdomen than northern examples but as I have elsewhere said
(The Auk, Jan. 1907) they do not seem to me to deserve recognition by name,
and, furthermore, the name trichas is not applicable to them, but to the race here-
tofore known as Geothlypis trichas ignota. Length (skin), 4.50; wing, 2.20;
tail, 2.05 ; bill, .42.
Adult S, Spring. — A broad, black 'mask' across the forehead and on the
sides of the head bordered posteriorly by bluish gray; upperparts olive-green
with a grayish or a brownish tinge strongest on the hindhead; wings and tail,
externally, olive-green without white patches or bars, bend of wing yellow,
outer vane of outer primary whitish ; throat and breast yellow, belly whitish
generally more or less tinged with yellow, sides brownish, under tail-coverts
\"ellow.
Adult (^, Fall. — Similar to adult 3 in Spring but browner above and on
sides, forehead and auriculars more or less tipped with grayish, the gray of
forehead and crown tipped with brown.
Young (^, Fall. — With a general resemblance to the adult ? in Fall but
with more or less black basally, grayish tipped feathers in the auriculars and
below the eye, and, in some specimens, a few in the forehead ; lores dusky
yellowish. The adult plumage is acquired by partial molt the following Spring.
Adult 9, Spring. — No black 'mask'; above olive-green washed with grayish
or with brownish, brightest on the forehead where sometimes distinctly reddish
brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts greener ; tail and wings, externally, olive-
green without white patches or bars, bend of the wing yellow, outer vane of
outer primary whitish, eye-ring whitish ; throat and upper breast yellow or yel-
lowish in varying amount, belly whitish more or less buffy, sides brownish,
tinder tail-coverts yellowish.
Adult 5, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but browner above, on sides
and on belly ; throat and upper breast yellower, the yellow washed with buflfy.
Young ?, Fall. — Upperparts uniform brownish olive-green; throat faintly
tinged with yellow or buffy without yellow ; belly whitish washed with buff
or yellowish ; sides brownish. Like adult ? in Fall but forehead not noticeably
browner than back, throat and upper breast much paler.
Nestling. — Above olive-brown, browner in some specimens, greener in others
wing-coverts tipped with cinnamon ; below dusky yellowish olive, belly and
under tail-coverts yellower and without dusky wash.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America.
Summer Range. — Eastern North America west to the Great
Plains region, north from the northern part of the Aitstroriparian
fauna to Manitoba and southern Labrador.
Plate XX
1. Belding's Yellow-throat, Adult Male. 3. Maryland Yellow-throat, Adult Male.
2. Belding's Yellow-throat, Adult Female. 4. Maryland Yellow-throat, Adult Female.
5. Maryland Yellow-throat, Young Male.
(.One- half natural size.)
NORTHERN YELLOW-THROAT
253
Winter Range. — From the Gulf States to the Bahamas, Greater
Antilles, Mexico, and Central America.
Spring Migration. — It is not possible to apportion the migration
notes with any degree of accuracy among the various subspecies of
Yellow-throats. Locality must, therefore, be taken as an index to
identity.
PI<ACE
Atlantic Coast —
Raleigh, N. C
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Germantown, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Southeastern New York
Jewett City, Conn
Boston, Mass
Southern New Hampshire
Southern Maine
Quebec, Can
St. John, N. B.
Central Nova Scotia
North River, Prince Edward Isl.
Mississippi Valley —
Rodney, Miss
Helena, Ark
Eubank, Ky ,
St. Louis, Mo
Brookville, Ind. ,
Waterloo, Ind
Wauseon, Ohio
Oberlin, Ohio
Chicago, 111
Petersburg, Mich
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont.
Ottawa, Ont
Keokuk, Iowa
Grinnell, Iowa
Lanesboro, Minn
Elk River, Minn
Aweme, Man
No. of . J i r
years' Average date of
record
spring arrival
Western United States —
Onaga, Kans
Cheyenne, Wyo
Great Falls, Mont
Columbia Falls, Mont
Osier, Saskatchewan
Beaverton, Ore
Southern British Columbia
13
9
6
8
5
7
14
8
15
9
10
7
II
5
3
7
6
7
5
ID
7
ID
4
II
15
9
9
8
6
7
7
5
March 30
April 21
May 4
May 4
April 29
May
May 5
May 4
May 7
May 1 1
May 14
May 17
May 18
May 25
March 28
April IS
April 15
April 18
April 26
April 25
April 30
April 29
May I
May I
May 8
May 18
May 16
April 27
April 30
May 5
May 12
May 22
April 28
May II
May 12
May 10
April 6
Earliest date of
spring arrival
March 20,
April 18,
April 30,
May 2,
April 24,
April 30.
April 30,
April 29,
May 2,
May
May
May
May
May
June
6,
7,
13,
II,
18,
6,
1894
1888
1899
1900
1886
1902
1900
1902
1896
1902
1902
1899
1888
1896
1891
March 25, 1890
April 9, 1898
April ID, 1892
April 14, 1887
April 18, 1896
April 19, 1891
April 26, 1891
April 26, 1899
April 27, 1902
April 24, 1886
May 3, 1901
May 13, 1899
May 4, 1905
April 22, 1893
April 22, 1890
April 30, 1888
May 9, 1890
May 18, 1902
April 23, 1896
May 9, 1889
May ID, 1892
May 9, 1895
May 25, 1893
March 21, 1885
April 4, 1889
254
NORTHERN YELLOW-THROAT
Fall Migration.
PI^ACE
Columbia Falls, Mont
Great Falls, Mont
Central South Dakota
Lanesboro, Minn
Ottawa, Ontario
Chicago, 111
Waterloo, Ind
North River, Prince Edward Island
St. John, N. B
Southern Maine
Eastern Massachusetts
Southeastern New York
New Providence, N. J
Renovo, Pa
Germantown, Pa
Washington, D. C
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
September ii
September 28
September 18
September 28
October I
September 4
September 26
October 3
October 3
October 2
October 3
October 4
October 13
lyatest date of
last one seen
September 24, 1896
October 5, 1889
September 15, 1902
October 5, 1885
September 27, 1889
October 2, 1894
October 8, 1887
September 11, 1887
October 3, 1891
October 13, 1901
October 11, 1895
October 14, 1887
October 23, 1891
October 6, 1899
October 30, 1888
October 20, 1890
The Bird and Its Haunts. — The Yellow-throac, for a Warbler, is
possessed of unusual individuality. This is due not only to its mode of
life and peculiar markings, but more particularly to its responsiveness.
The tree-top Warblers pass us by without so much as a chirp of
recognition, but the Yellow-throat is evidently interested in us; his
notes are interrogative and so clearly occasioned by our presence that
they seem to be actually addressed to us. With nervous animation the
bird hops here and there, appearing and disappearing, its bright eyes
shinning through its black mask, its personality so distinct, that one
is tempted to believe it a feather-clad sprite of the bushes. The bird,
however, is far from being confined to bushy tracts, wet or dry, in the
woods or out, but is distinctly partial to cat-tail meadows, a trait far
more pronounced in its western relatives.
It is difficult to believe that this haunter of thickets mounts high
in the sky to pursue its air-line flight to or from its summer home,
but the large number of Yellow-throats included among the victims of
lighthouses show that, like other retiring birds, it is a night migrant.
At Berwyn, Pa., F. L. Burns (MS.) writes that the Yellow-throat
is "a common summer inhabitant of the open swampy thickets, damp
woods, and to a lesser degree, the borders of the dense upland second
growth. It is more often met with in the upland clearings during
August and September, than earlier in the season.
"Incubation seems to be performed by the female alone. I have
found her on the nest at almost all hours of the day. When flushed
she seems very timid and usually keeps well hidden. Often she flies
from the nest with whirring wings and always dives into the under-
NORTHERN YELLOW-THROAT 255
growth. All attempts to ascertain the period of incubation and of
the time the young are in the nest have met with disaster. I have seen
parents with young in family groups up to July 25.
"On June 10, 1897, I found a nest containing apparently one large
nestling unfledged — a close look showed it to be a very fat Cow-bird,
and under it were two puny young of the owner, one dead and the
other scarcely larger than when hatched. A little later in the day I
duplicated this experience as far as nest and contents were concerned,
except that both young of the owner were alive, though as small and
weak as the one in the first nest."
At Branchport, N. Y., Burtch (MS.) writes that the Yellow-throat
"is common in wet woods or swamps where the grass grows in rank
tufts. It is found in Potter Swamp with the Water-Thrush in the more
open places and along the edges. The birds are very energetic and lively
and make their presence known the moment one enters their territory,
when they spring up from the ground uttering their alarm note and,
after looking at you to satisfy their curiosity, they disappear in the
bushes."
Song. — The call-note of this species is a characteristic, impatient
pit, chit, quit or chack ; the song, while variable has a certain rhythm
which readily lends itself to syllabification though few writers agree
as to what the bird seems to say. Hence we have witchery witchery
witchery; rapity rapity rapity ; rap-pittitty rap-pittitty, rap-pittitty rap;
zvhat a pity, what a pity, what a pity, pit; I beseech you, I beseech you,
I beseech you; witch-a-zvee-o, witch-a-ivee-o, witch-a-zvee-o ; wee-see-
see-see, wee-see-see-see, zvee-see-see-see, etc. The songster himself
however, can be identified without difficulty and may best be left to
render his own music.
The flight song, uttered as the bird springs a few feet into the air,
is a confused stuttering jumble of notes often followed by the normal
song as the bird returns to its perch.
"There is probably a dual season of song with this species, which
is obscured by variation in the singing-time of individuals. Though it
usually remains in song all through the summer, in the last weeks of
July and the first of August singing is less general and less spirited
than either before or after. Often after the middle of August songs
will be louder and more frequent than for weeks previously. Singing
may cease at any time from about the middle of August to the end of
the month, or first part of September (August 12 and 19, to September
3, 4, II and 13) ; but September singing is unusual." (BicknelP).
256 NORTHERN YELLOW-THROAT
"A whistled z^'ic/iity zvichity zvichity about describes the common
song. On May 8, 1898, half a dozen Yellow-throats temporarily located
in the corner of a swamp, uttered unusual songs. One male sang
che-e-e-e-c-e like the Worm-eating Warbler. The five other males,
no females noted, sang che-a-we-a che-a-we-a che-a-we-a occasionally
transposing the syllables -we-a-che-a. The alarm note is a reedy
tsip or chip, not to be mistaken for that of any other of our Warblers.
The period of song is from arrival or shortly after, to about June
11-20, when they appear to be less active, until July 2-6 to July 10-
August 2." {Burns, MS.)
"The Yellow-throat is a full-voiced and rather irregular singer.
Not only does its prevalent song-form vary greatly with regions, but
different individuals in the same region have notable peculiarities of
utterance, both constant and occasional. The typical form of its song
around Alonadnock sounds to me like Witty-titty, witty-titty, etc.,
but this type is often widely varied from. Still, the Yellow-throat seems
to be a bird with one rather than two or more main songs. Like the
Chestnut-side, it sometimes mocks, or seems to mock, other birds.
Queerly enough, in the only case of this I was ever witness to, the bird
mimicked was a Swamp Sparrow, just as with the Chestnut-side. The
imitation was equally adequate and convincing, and was repeated many
times ; — a long, loud, rattling Swamp Sparrow trill, ending with a few-
normal witti-titty notes of Yellow-throat song. Like the Chestnut-
side, too, this bird lived among Swamp Sparrows. Their clear chant
seems to be peculiarly catching.
"Among the Yellow-throat's several peculiar call-notes, none is
more characteristic than the grating, wren-like Brrrrrr — a little,
long-drawn snarl, — which does not seem often to have been described.
Its flight-song, uttered from a height of five to fifty feet above the
hush-tops, is made, like the Oven-bird's, of a hurried jumble of ordin-
ary song and different song and call-notes. It is uttered oftenest in
late summer, but is far from rare throughout the breeding season, from
April onwards." (Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock sends four notations :
> a^ n ^ n
}[Ji rr^n
SOUTHERN YELLOW-THROAT 257
Xesting Site. — On the ground, at the base of a bush or bunch of
weeds, often in a clump of weeds or tussock of grass, sometimes in
bushes or briery tangles as high as five feet from the ground.
Nest. — The nest is bulky and loosely made. Externally it is com-
posed of coarse grasses, leaves, grapevine bark, weed-shreds, etc.,
internally, of fine grasses and, sometimes, horse-hairs.
Eggs. — 4 or 5, usually 4. Ground color a clear glossy white,
marked with specks, spots, blotches and in some cases irregular hair-
like lines of reddish brown, dark umber and purplish black, the latter
appearing in heavy blotches of color; some specimens are very spar-
ingly marked, others more profusely, the markings being mostly con-
fined to the large end in form of a wreath more or less well defined,
only in a few examples do the markings occur over rest of egg. Size ;
average, .71X.54; extremes, .76X.56, .60X.50. (Figs. 107-109.)
Nesting Dates. — West Chester, Pa., May 26- June 10 (Jackson) ;
Waynesburg, Pa., May i8-June 2 (Jacobs) ; New York City, May 25-
June 15 (F. M. C.) ; New Haven, Conn., May 28-June 18 (Bishop) ;
Cambridge, Mass., full sets, first laying. May 25-June 5 (Brewster) ;
Lancaster, N. H., June 3-21 {Spaiilding) ; Bangor, Me., May 28-June
12 (Knight) ; Listowel, Ont., June 9-22 (Kelts) ; Oberlin, O., May 5-
June 20 (Jones) ; Milton Tp., Du Page Co., Ills., May 25 (Gaitit).
Biographical References
C. S. Phillips, The Maryland Yellow-throat (in Mass.), Young Oologist,
L 1884, 156. (2) E. P. BicKNEi.L. A Study of the Singing of our Birds, Auk,
L 1884, 215. (3) J. P. N[0RRis], A Series of Eggs of the Maryland Yellow-
throat, Orn. and 061.. XVT. 180T. 150.
Southern Yellow-throat
GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS TRICHAS (Linn.)
SubspeciHc Characters. — Similar to Geothlypis t. brachidactyla but with
longer tarsus, tail, and bill ; wing more rounded, outer primary shorter than
sixth from it ; adult (S with yellow below of a deeper shade and greater extent ;
flanks darker, richer brown; upperparts browner, particularly the hindhead;
facial mask wider, its grayish margin usually broader. Adult $ darker above,
throat and upper breast yellower, flanks browner than in 5 of brachidactyla.
Ad. d", wing. 2.25; tail, 2.32; tarsus, .84; bill, .50.
General Distribution. — Southeastern United States and Gulf coast
to Texas.
258 SOUTHERN YELLOW-THROAT
Summer Range. — Florida west along the coast to Louisiana and
doubtless northeastern Texas ; north along the coast to the Dismal
Swamp, Virginia.
Winter Range. — South Carolina to Cuba.
The Bird and its Haunts. — In Florida this resident form of the
Yellow-throat is so commonly found only in scrub palmettos that it is
known as the 'Palmetto Bird.' I have also found it about the bushy
borders of 'bay-galls' surrounded by scrub palmetto, while in the Kis-
simmee region it lives in the lower growth (largely young palms) of
cabbage palms.
In Virginia W. Palmer found this bird in cypress swamps and
canebrakes. In Mississippi Allison (MS.) writes that it frequents
"heavy thickets of blackberry, trumpet creeper, and the other wayside
vines of the South ; rank weeds ; hedges of Cherokee rose ; — in short,
all thickets not shaded by woods, attract this Warbler. On the Gulf
coast, it is frequent in thickets of reeds in the salt marshes."
Song. — The song of this bird, as I have heard it in Florida, is
full and strong and while unmistakably that of a Yellow-throat, is still
recognizably different from that of the Yellow-throats about New York
City.
"The usual note is a drawling chip, sometimes prolonged as if the
bird were exhausted. The song is generally uttered from a perch more
elevated than the low thicket in which most of the time is spent, and
the singer elevates the head and depresses the tail in the manner of a
wren; it is variously rendered, but the most poetic and accurate version
is, Witchery , witchery, witchery often somewhat extended: Witcher-
cheree, zvitcher-cheree, witcher-cheree. There is considerable indi-
vidual variation. It is uttered all through the spring and summer ; but
in early spring a more elaborate song, reminding me somewhat of the
Hooded Warbler's, is rather frequent. The flight song begins as the
singer launches forth from his thicket, reaches its climax at a height of
fifteen or twenty feet, when the head is thrown back as when singing at
rest, and gradually dies away as the bird sinks down with rapidly vi-
brating wings; it resembles the following: Chee, chee, chce, chee, che-
witchery, zvitchery, zvitchery, witchery." {Allison, MS.)
Eggs. — 4 or 5. Ground color, markings, etc., the same as in the
Northern Yellow-throat. Size ; an average set of 4 eggs from Florida
measures, .71X.55, .70X.53, .71X.54, .72X.55.
Nesting Dates. — Charleston, S. C, May 9-June 11 (Wayne).
Biographical References
(i) Elliott Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1871, 20.
Figs.
97- 99-
100, lOI.
102, 103.
104- 106.
107-109.
110- 112.
Townsend's Warbler.
Kentucky Warbler.
Mourning Warbler.
Macgillivray's Warbler.
Northern Yellow-throat.
Yellow-breasted Chat.
Figs
113-115.
116-118.
121.
124.
126.
119-
125.
Hooded Warbler.
Pileolated Warbler.
Canadian Warbler.
American Redstart.
Painted Redstart.
western yellow-throat
Western Yellow-throat
GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS OCCIDENTALIS Brewst.
259
SubspeciHc Characters. — The largest and most richly colored of our Yellow-
throats; the underparts are often continuously orange-yellow from throat to
crissum, the sides being brownish, the belly washed with the same color. As a
rule, however, the belly shows some buffy whitish, though rarely as much as
in brachidactyla; the back averages grayer than in hrachidactyla, but the main
character of this form is the broad, nearly white but sometimes yellow-tinged,
posterior border of the black mask of breeding specimens. Arizona specimens
average, wing, 2.30; tail, 2.10; bill, .44. A specimen from Fort Custer measures,
wing, 2.38; tail, 2.20; bill, .42.
General Range. — Western United States.
Summer Range. — Northern Mexico, north to the Canadian border,
east to the Great Plains, west to CaUfornia, reaching the coast in the
southern half of the state. The bird's exact relations w^ith G. t. arizela
in California remain to be determined.
Winter Range. — Southern California (there a permanent resident
=G. t. scirpicola Grinnell), and the Mexican border south into
Mexico.
The Bird and its Haunts. — In its general habits the Western Yel-
low-throat so closely resembles its eastern relatives that observers have
considered a statement to this effect, all that was necessary in recording
its status. Cooke states that in Colorado it is a common summer resi-
dent almost confined to the plains, though it has been found breeding
as high as 9,ocK) feet.
At Flathead Lake, Montana, Silloway lists it as not uncommon in
the bushes along Crow Creek, and common in the bushes and weeds of
Daphnia Pond. In Nevada, Ridgway "found this bird abundant in all
the bushy localities in the vicinity of water, but it was confined to the
lower portions, never being seen high up on the mountains, nor even in
the lower portions of the mountain canons." (B. B. & R.)
Walter Fisher, however, writes that it occurs about Lake Tahoe,
his statement of its status in California being as follows : "The Western
Yellow-throat ranges into California by way of the back-door and
occurs very locally the whole length of the state, east of the Sierra
Nevada Mountains. It pushes westward into the Shasta Valley, north
of Mount Shasta, and ascends the Sierras as high as about 6,000 feet
(Lake Tahoe). In the coast district of southern California, south of
latitude 35°, it is a permanent resident of the freshwater tule beds, this
resident form having been separated under the name scirpicola.
Wherever the tule or bulrush is found whether in marshes or by
streams, lakes, or even spring-holes, the Yellow-throat takes up its
26o PACIFIC YELLOW-THROAT
abode, many miles of arid unfavorable country often separating neigh-
boring colonies."
Eggs. — 4 or 5, usually 4. Ground color and markings the same in
all respects as in the eastern subspecies. Size ; a set of 4 from Utah
measures, .74X.54, .74X.54, .73X.54 and .75^-54'
Pacific Yellow-throat
GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS ARIZELA Ober.
Subspccifii Characters. — In Oregon, as far east, at least, as the Klamath
Lakes, Washington, and British Columbia the breeding Yellow-throat shows an
approach to the eastern form in the decrease in yellow on the imderparts, and
the somewhat narrower margin of the grayish border to the black mask. These
characters, however, are variable, some specimens having the mask border fully
as wide as in extreme examples of occidcntalis though it averages a shade
bluer in color.
In central California, whether in the interior or on the coast, the name
arizela can be applied with no precision. Breeding specimens from Stockton
may be referred to either arizela or occidcntalis and, in fact, have been referred
to both. A breeding bird from Monterey is assuredly to be referred to occidcn-
talis rather than to arizela.
Specimens from Westminster, Ducks, Revelstoke, and Banff exhibit the
intermediate character which distinguishes arizela and it may possibly prove to
be desirable to restrict this name to the Yellow-throats breeding at the northern
part of the range of occidcntalis. Wing, 2.20; tail, 2.1c; bill, .42.
General Distribution. — Northwestern United States and southern
British Columbia.
Summer Range. — Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and
southern British Columbia eastward, at least, to Banff. ( See, however,
under a discussion of the bird's characters.)
Winter Range. — Mexico.
Tlie Bird and its Haunts. — In the vast tule-grown areas of the
Klamath Lake region this bird was even more abundant than I have
ever found the eastern form, which, it may be added, it resembles in
actions.
Walter Fisher (MS.) writes of this form: "In California the
Pacific Yellow-throat breeds in favorable spots west of the Sierra Ne-
vada and north of the Tehachapi Mountains. Like other Yellow-throats
it is local in occurrence, frequenting tule patches that border sloughs,
lakes or sluggish rivers. In the northwest coast district the patches of
high grass and tule are usually of limited extent, so that the colonies are
small, but along the sloughs of Clear Lake the birds are abundant."
Song. — The song resembles in form that of the eastern Yellow-
throat but differs from it sufficiently to sound somewhat strange and
unfamiliar to ears accustomed to the sone of North Atlantic coast birds
SALT MARSH YELLOW-THROAT 261
^ii^- — 3 to 5, usually 4. The eggs of this subspecies are not so
profusely marked and average somewhat smaller than those of the
eastern forms ; more of the irregular hair like lines, so common to eggs
of the Orioles and Blackbirds, occur in some examples, forming a
regular network about the large end, the rest of the egg being almost
entirely free from markings. Size; average, .70X.53.
Nesting Dates. — Tacoma, Wash., May 4, half incubated-June 10,
one-third incubated {Bowles).
Biographical References
(i) J. C. Merrill, Birds of Fort Klamath, Oregon, Auk, V, 1888, 362. (2)
W. L. Finley, Two Oregon Warblers, Condor, VI, 1904, 31. (3) A. W.
Johnson, Notes on Unusual Nesting Sites of the Pacific Yellow-throat, Condor,
VI, 1904, 129.
Salt Marsh Yellow-throat
GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS SINUOSA Grinnell
SuhspectHc Characters. — This small race of the Yellow-throat appears to
resemble specimens of Geothlypis trichas arizela having the posterior border to
the black mask narrower and darker than in occidentalis. It may always be
known, however, by its small size. Wing, 2.00; tail, 1.80; bill, .40.
General Distribution. — Permanent resident of the salt marshes
about San Francisco Bay.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This is not only the smallest of the
Yellow-throats, but it has the most restricted range. Walter Fisher
(MS.) writes: "This race dwells in the salt marshes surrounding San
Francisco Bay, California. These diminutive, rather deeply-colored
birds are found in the tules and tall grasses bordering the almost in-
numerable sloughs which meander the broad salicornia-covered flats.
It is a permanent resident, whereas the Yellow-throat which occurs
in fresh-water swamps to the north and south, is a migratory race."
Eggs. — 4. The eggs of this race resemble in character those of
Geothlypis trichas occidentalis.
Belding's Yellow-throat
GEOTHLYPIS BELDINGI Ridgway
Distinguishing Characters. — A black masked Yellow-throat much larger
than any member of the G. trichas group, with the mask of the c^ bordered
posteriorly by yellow. Length (skin), 5,75; wing, 2.70; tail, 2.40; bill, .60.
Adult S, Spring. — A broad band across the forehead and on the cheeks
and ear-coverts black, bordered behind by yellow ; rest of upperparts, wings and
tail olive-green, no white markings ; underparts entirely yellow. In about
262 BELDING'S YELLOW-THROAT
one-half the large number of specimens examined the black of the head is
wider on the left side than on the right, its posterior margin, therefore, pass-
ing diagonally from right to left.
Adult (S, Fall. — Similar to adult ^ in Spring but back browner, nape and
flanks strongly washed with brown which partly conceals the yellow behind
the black 'mask'.
Young (^, Fall. — Like the adult c? in Fall but black band on forehead not
so wide, and tipped posteriorly with grayish. There is, however, much less dif-
ference than in G. trichas, the black cheeks being acquired by beldingi in the
first Fall.
Adult 2, Spring. — Above olive-green, forehead more yellow; below yellow
becoming paler on the abdomen and more olive on the flanks.
Adult ?, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but browner above, especially
on crown, sides strongly washed with brownish.
Young $, Fall. — Resembles adult $ in Fall.
Nestling. — Above grayish cinnamon-brown; below brownish white; wing-
coverts fuscous tipped with rusty buff. Paler and less olive above than nestling
of trichas.
General Distribution. — Resident in Lowrer California, northward
to San Ignacio on the west coast and Comondu on the east coast.
(Brezi'ster^.)
The Bird and its Haunts. — At San Jose del Cabo, Lower Cali-
fornia, Frazar, as recorded by Brewster^ found this well-differentiated
form of Yellow-throat an abundant inhabitant of rushes often where
the water was three or four feet deep.
At Comondu, Bryant- found it common, keeping "mainly within
the bulrushes and bushes of the creek."
Song. — Brewster^, quoting Frazar, says that "the song resembles
that of the Maryland [=Northern] Yellow-throat, but is so much
heavier and fuller that it can be easily recognized." He adds that "the
bird occasionally mounts into the air and sings on the wing."
Bryant^ writes: "I frequently heard them singing, sometimes in
the top of a low tree. Their notes are rather loud and quite clear, an
interval of a few seconds occurring between each song."
Nesting Site. — Loosely woven in cat-tails. (Bryanf^.).
Nest. — Bryant^ describes a nest found at Comondu as resembling
some Song Sparrows' nests and being thinly Hned with fine fiber and
horse hair.
Eggs. — The nests discovered by Bryant contained from two to
four eggs each, but the set of two was probably abnormal. These
eggs are described as "white, with shell-spots and dots of lilac-gray
and a few surface spots and pencilings of black." Size; as given by
Bryant (converted from millimeters), average, .77X. 59; extremes
.76X.59, .77X.57. .77X.61.
RIO GRANDE YELLOW-THROAT 263
Nesting Date. — Comondu, Lower California, March 25 (Bryant).
Biographical References
(i) W. L. Bryant, A Catalogue of the Birds of Lower Calif., Proc.
Calif. Acad. Sci. 2nd Ser. II, 1889, 20. (2) Ibid., 310. (3) Wm. Brewster,
Birds of the Cape Region of Lower California, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., XLI,
1902, 187.
Genus CHAM^THLYPIS Ridgway
Chamcethlypis appears to be a connectant between Icteria and Geo-
thlypis. In general appearance it suggests Geothlypis but the bill is
stouter and strongly decurved, in fact, chat-like ; the wing is even more
rounded than in Geothlypis but the tail is decidedly longer than in that
genus. The two known species inhabit Central America and Mexico
and one of them reaches our limits on the Lower Rio Grande.
Rio Grande Yellow-throat
CHAM^THLYPIS POLIOCEPHALA POLIOCEPHALA (Baird) Plate XVII
Distinguishing Characters. — The heavy, curved bill, slaty head and black
lores, in connection with the yellow throat, distinguish this species from any
other of our Warblers. Length (skin), 5.25; wing, 2.15; tail, 2.35; bill, .50.
Adult <S, Spring. — Crown slaty with a slight olive wash, lores black, this
color extending below the eye; a white mark on eye-ring above and below
the eye ; back, wings and tail olive-green without white markings, bend of
wing yellow ; throat and breast bright yellow becoming paler on the belly and
brownish on the flanks.
Adult ^, Fall. — "Similar to. the Spring and Summer plumage, but plumage
softer, more blended ; back, etc., more buffy olive or bright olive-brown ; feathers
of pileum (at least the occiput) tipped with brown, and flanks more decidedly
buffy." (Ridgw.)
Young c?. Fall. — "Similar in general to the adult plumage, but duller, the
pileum concolor with back, or nearly so, and lores dull brownish gray or dusky,
not distinctly different from color of pileum." (Ridgw.)
Adult and young $. — Resemble young (^ in Fall.
Nestling. — Not seen.
General Distribution. — Northeastern Mexico north to Browns-
ville, Texas.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Nothing appears to have been written
concerning the habits of this species.
Genus ICTERIA Vieillot
Icteria virens, the single species in this genus, is our largest mem-
ber of the family Mniotiltidse. In addition to size it is further distin-
264 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
guished by its short, stout, vertically compressed, strongly arched, un-
notched bill; rounded wings, as short as or shorter than the tail, and
rounded tail.
Icteria is found throughout the greater part of the United States,
and breeds southward to the Valley of Mexico. It appears not to occur
in Florida or the West Indies.
Yellow-breasted Chat
ICTERIA VIRENS VIRENS (Linn.) Plate XXI
Distinguishing Characters. — The Chat is the largest of our Warblers and,
in connection with its size, may be known by its large bill, white line from the
base of bill and bright yellow throat and breast. Length (skin), 6.40; wing,
2.95 ; tail, 2.90 ; bill, .55.
Adult cJ", Spring. — Upperparts, wings, and tail olive-green; bend of wing
and under wing-coverts yellow; line from nostril over eye, upper and lower
portions of eye-ring, and a short line from lower mandible at the side of the
throat, white; lores black; auriculars grayish; throat and breast bright yellow,
lower abdomen and crissum white, the flanks olive or brownish ; bill shining
black.
Adult <S, Fall. — Similar to adult d* in Spring but slightly greener above,
flanks and crissum browner; upper mandible brownish, lower, horn color.
Young c?. Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Fall but lores grayer.
Adult $, Spring. — Not always distinguishable from adult c? in Spring but
generally duller in color, lores grayish, the lower mandible basally paler.
Young $, Fall. — Not seen, doubtless closely resembles young <^ in Fall.
Nestling. — Above dull brownish gray with an olive tinge; a narrow white
superciliary line; wings and tail dull olive-green; throat and belly white, flanks
brownish, breast with an olive-gray band.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States.
Summer Range. — Chats do not occur in Florida, but from northern
Georgia and the Gulf states, and west to the Plains, they are common
north to southern New York and Iowa ; they also occur less commonly
to southern New England, Massachusetts (rare and local), Vermont
(Pownal, June 16, 1896), Maine (accidental, Portland, North Bridg-
ton, Elliott), New York (Albany, West Seneca, Oneida, Orleans, and
Yates Counties), Ohio (Oberlin), southern Ontario (Hamilton, Water-
down, Point Pelee), Michigan (Detroit, Grosse Pointe Farms), Wis-
consin (Stevens Point), Minnesota.
Winter Range. — Mexico to Costa Rica.
Spring Migration. — The summer home of the Chat extends from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. The species has been separated into an
eastern and a western form, and in the following tables, the notes for
Colorado and the Pacific Coast refer to the western form (Icteria
virens longicauda), the rest to the eastern form {Icteria viren.'; firens.)
Plate XXI
1. Hooded Warbler, Male.
2. Hooded Warbler, Adult Female.
3. Hooded Warbler, Young Female.
4. Yellow-breasted Chat, Adult.
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
265
PLACE
Atlantic Coast —
Savannah, Ga
Atlanta, Ga. (near)
Southeastern South Carolina . .
Raleigh, N. C
Asheville, N. C. (near)
Variety Mills, Va
White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.
French Creek, W. Va
Washington, D. C
Beaver, Pa
Berwin, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Portland, Conn
Cambridge, Mass
Mississippi Valley —
New Orleans, La
Southern Mississippi
Helena, Ark
Eubank, Ky ,
St. Louis, Mo
Brookville, Ind
Petersburg, Mich
Oberlin, O
Chicago, 111
Rockford, 111
Keokuk, la
Hillsboro, la
Indianola, la
â– Grinnell, la
Iowa City, la
Western United States —
Fort Brown, Texas . .
San Antonio, Texas . .
Northern Texas
Onaga, Kans
Southeastern Nebraska
Central Colorado
Southern California . . .
Central California ....
Oregon
Chelan, Wash
No. of
years'
record
5
16
6
17
5
5
9
4
5
8
7
4
5
5
7
II
6
6
10
3
5
10
5
4
.S
5
4
5
6
II
7
5
4
5
5
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 17
April 21
April 25
April 23
April 26
April 29
May
May
May
May
May
May
May 9
May 13
April 19
April 18
April 22
April 23
Aprli 24
April 30
May 5
May 16
May 17
May 3
May I
May 7
May 6
May 5
March 30
April 10
April 19
May 4
May 6
May 18
April 18
April 22
May 14
April 14, 1902
April 16, 1894-95
April 14, 1891
April 18, 1888
April 21, 1891
April 18, 1896
April 29, 1897
April 26, 1893
April 26, 1904
April 29, 1890
May 6, 1902
May 5, 1894-95
May 5, 1886
May 8, 1894
May 15
April II, 1903
April 17, 1890
April 16, 1896
April 19, 1889
April 21, 1885
April 26, 1886
May 3, 1894
May I, 1903
May 10, 1897
May 12, 1889
April 28, 1896
April 26, 1897
May 4, 1902
May I, 1887
May 2, 1 89 1
March 26
April 5, 1890
April 16, 1886
April 26, 1896
April 29, 1886
May 14, 1894
April 5, 1885
April 14, 1885
May 4
Max 28, 1896
Fall Migration. — The Chat migrates early. It deserts the northern
limit of its range in August and by the first of September few are left
north of 39 degrees latitude. Some dates of the last noted are at
Englewood, N. J., August 29, 1885; Renovo, Pa., September 21, 1897;
Berwyn, Pa., September 2, 1898; Washington, D. C., September 19,
1886; Raleigh, N. C, September i, 1888; Brookville, Ind., September
7, 1886; Bicknell, Ind., September 2y, 1894; Chicago, Ills., August 16,
266 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
1895; Hillsboro, la., September 4, 1898; Onaga, Kan., September 21,
1897; New Orleans, La., September 12, 1899; Bonham, Texas., Sep-
tember 20, 1889.
The Bird and its Haunts. — Assuredly no other Warbler, and in-
deed few of our passerine birds, are possessed of the Chat's individ-
uality. Its characteristics of form, habits, and notes are exceptionally
pronounced and, in consequence, we have here a bird of more than
usual interest.
Although the Chat avoids rather than seeks observation, he by
no means shuns the haunts of man and when favorable cover was
available I have known these birds to nest in a village. Generally,
however, the tangled undergrowth which the Chat requires disappears
as the human population increases and, for the Chat, only the waste
places are left. Not only does the dense, often briery growth, which this
bird requires, develop more freely near water but here, because of the
often less habitable nature of the ground, it is left longest and for
these reasons one generally finds the Chat in wet or swampy places,
though he evidently is quite as contented in upland thickets, when they
are available.
No small part of the impression the Chat creates is due to the
nature of his haunts. In them he has the bird student at complete dis-
advantage. When seemingly almost within reach he is still invisible ;
and one might well imagine that he intentionally led us through the
most impenetrable part of his home merely to enjoy our futile efforts
to see him. To the Chat, therefore, more than to any other American
bird, might be applied Wordsworth's familiar lines :
"O Cuckoo ! Shall I call thee bird
Or but a wandering voice?"
If, however, you would see the Chat satisfactorily, fight him
with his own fire. Seat yourself in the thicket where as pursuer you
are at the bird's mercy, and with pursed lips squeak gently but persist-
ently. Soon there will be an answering chut, and with due patience
and discretion you may induce this elusive creature to appear before
you.
I do not recall a more suspicious bird than the Chat. Even the
Crow's innate caution is sometimes forgotten ; but a Chat is always on
guard. So far as I am aware, no one has as yet succeeded in photo-
graphing a Chat on its nest. F. L. Burns (MS.) writes that "the nest
is watched very closely although its owner is seldom flushed from it,
while a disturbed nest will almost invariably be deserted after the
bird has pierced or broken its eggs. While the Cowbird frequently
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT 267
deposits her egg in the Chat's nest it is never incubated but is destroyed
by the bird with her own."
Song. — As a vocaUst the Chat is unique among the Warblers, and
indeed, so far as my experience goes, among birds at large. No
description does justice to his singular medley of calls and whistles.
Heard at night, when, especially if it be moonlight, the Chat often
sings freely, the performance takes high rank among the songs of
North American birds; not for its fluency or spiritual quality, but for
its striking originality. The Chat's calls are an emphatic chut chut
and an intense, concentrated kee-yuck.
"Regularly up to the middle of July, and sometimes through the
third or even fourth week of the month, this species continues in song.
Imperfect songs may be heard in early August, but rarely later,
although my record extends to August 14. Dates of fairly perfect final
songs range between July 15 and August i." (Bicknell^).
"The voice of this bird is flexible to an almost unlimited degree. It
has no notes suggesting its place among the Warblers. Perhaps the
commonest note is a harsh, rather nasal, chuck, often prolonged into
chuck-uck. The song is almost impossible to describe ; it begins with
two slow, deep notes ; then follows one high-pitched and interrogative
note ; then several, rapid and even, and from that point on to the end,
I have never been able to give any rendering of the clucking and gurg-
ling that completes the long song. As far as I have described, it may
be rendered thus: Quoort-quoort! wheef whew-whew-ivhew !
"It is generally uttered from a perch at or near the top of a small
tree among the thickets ; but often the bird mounts high into the largest
tree available — but never far from the heavy undergrowth, — utters
part of the song there, then launches into the air, wings held high, and
flapping slowly, almost meeting over the back ; legs dangling, and
tail wagging extravagantly up and down. Singing madly, he lets him-
self slowly down, and finally drops into the thicket." (Allison, MS.).
"His love song is a woodland idyl and makes up for much of his
short comings. From some elevated perch from which he can survey
the surrounding waste for a considerable distance he flings himself into
the air, straight up he goes on fluttering wings — legs dangling, head
raised, his whole being tense, and spasmodic with ecstasy. As he rises
he pours forth a flood of musical gurgles, and whistles that drop from
him in silvery cascades to the ground, like sounds of fairy chimes.
As he reaches the apex of his flight, his wings redouble their beatings,
working straight up and down, while the legs hanging limply down,
268 LONG-TAILED CHAT
remind the observer of drawings we sometimes see from the brushes
of Japanese artists. He holds his hovering position for an instant then
the music gradually dies away and as he sinks toward the ground, he
regains his natural poise, and seeks another perch like that from which
he started." (Taverner^.)
Nesting Site. — The nest is placed in a small bush or sapling, or
among briers at from one to five, but, usually, about three feet from
the ground.
Nest. — Nests from near New York are coarse, bulky but rather
compact structures made chiefly of dried grasses, leaves, grapevine
and inner bark, and all lined chiefly with fine grasses. The use of
coarse grasses exteriorly and the absence of rootlets in the lining appear
to be characteristic.
Eggs. — 3 to 5, usually 4, very rarely 5. Ground color a
clear white sometimes tinged with pinkish; again a greenish shade
is noticeable ; the majority of specimens show a high gloss ; the mark-
ings consist, for the most part, of specks and spots, but often good
sized blotches occur, these are either well distributed over the entire
egg or clouded together at the large end usually in form of a wreath,
they are of varying shades of reddish, cinnamon rufous and chestnut
with under shell spots of lavender, in most specimens the markings
are very bold and v^ell defined. Size; average, .88x.68; extremes,
.96X.71, .74X.60, .86X.72, .76X.68. (Figs. 110-112.)
Nesting Dates. — Chatham Co., Ga., May 7; Augusta, Ga., June
23 (C. IV. C.) ; Iredell Co., N. C, May 17 (C. JV. C.) ; West Chester,
Pa., May 23-June 6 (Jackson) ; Waynesburg, Pa., May lo-july 2
(Jacobs) ; New York City, May 23-July 6 (F. M. C.) ; New Haven,
Conn., May 22- July 7 (Bishop) ; Oberlin, O., May 15-July 15 (Jones) ;
Monroe Co., Mich., May 26, Trombly (Barrozvs).
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, Observations on the Birds of Ritchie County, West
Virginia, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist., N. Y., XI, 1875, I37- (2) E. P. Bicknell, A
Study of the Singing of Our Birds, Auk, I, 1884, 216. (3) P. A. Taverner,
The Yellow-breasted Chat; a Character Sketch, Bird-Lore, VIII, 1906, 131.
Long-tailed Chat
ICTERIA VIRENS LONGICAUDA (Lawrence)
SuhspeciHc Characters. — Similar to Icteria virens virens but wings and
tail longer, bill more slender, upperparts grayer, yellow averaging deeper, white
stripe at side of throat more extended, sometimes passing behind auriculars
Wing, 3.10; tail, 3.40; bill, .57.
General Distribution. — Western United States.
HOODED WARBLER 269
Summer Range. — Northern Mexico, west to the Pacific; east to
the Plains; north to North Dakota (Musselshell River), southern Mon-
tana (Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers), British Columbia (Sumas,
Okanagan).
IV inter Range. — Mexico to Costa Rica.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This slightly differentiated form of
the Chat is a locally common bird throughout the west. So far as
my experience goes its habits differ in no respect from those of the
eastern birds. At Sargents, California, where the growth bordering
the river is strongly eastern in its general character, the bird was not
uncommon, while in the scrubby pastures in the Klamath River Valley
at Beswick, and the bushy hillsides of the town of Klamath Falls, in
Oregon, it was as numerous as I have ever found its eastern relative.
Nesting Site. — The nest is placed in small bushes or saplings or
among briers usually at a height of from two to three feet.
Nest. — Nests from Fort Davis, Texas, are described as composed
of "dry leaves, strips of reeds and dry grasses without a dift'erent lin-
ing." (C. W. C.) Sonoma County, California, nests are described as
made of dead leaves and grasses and lined with finer grasses.
(C. W. C.)
Eggs. — Similar to those of the Yellow-breasted Chat, showing
the same variation, but averaging a trifle smaller.
Nesting Dates. — Comal Co., Texas, April 2; Fort Davis, Texas,
July 16 (C. W. C.) ; Tucson, Ariz., June 2 {Stephens) ; San Jose,
Calif., May 18 (C. W. C.)
Genus WILSONIA Bonaparte
In correlation with its flycatching habits Wilsonia has a flat bill
and conspicuously developed rictal bristles. Measured at the nostrils
the bill is as wide or wider than it is high. The wing is less than .50
inches longer than the tail, the second, third, and fourth primaries
are longest, the outer tail-feathers are slightly the shortest; the feet
are pale, the tarsus but little longer than the middle-toe and claw.
Omitting Sylvania mcridionalis (Pelz.), of Colombia and Ecua-
dor, which probably does not belong to this genus, Wilsonia contains
three species, two of which are eastern, while the third, W. pusilla,
ranges across the continent; an eastern, a Rocky Mountain, and a
Pacific Coast form being recognized.
Hooded Warbler
WILSONIA MITRATA (Gmel.) Plate XXI
Distinguishing Characters. — The male of this beautiful species cannot be
mistaken for any other Warbler; the female may be known by its entirely
270
HOODED WARBLER
yellow underpants (the throat often blackish), yellow cheeks, absence of white
wing-bars, and largely white outer tail-feathers. Length (skin), 4.90; wing,
2.50; tail, 2.20; bill, .40.
Adult (S, Spring. — Forehead and cheeks bright yellow, crown and nape
shining black spreading laterally and connected with the black throat, rest of
upperparts olive-green ; two outer tail-feathers largely white on inner web,
third to fourth feathers with a variable amount of white; no wing bars; black
of upper breast sharply defined from yellow of the rest of underparts, flanks
slightly greenish ; bill black.
Adult S, Fall. — Similar to adult d* in Spring, but bill brownish.
Young S, Fall. — Similar to adult <S in Fall, but black of throat, and, to a
lesser degree of nape, narrowly tipped with yellowish, chin yellower.
Adult $, Spring. — Similar to the c? but duller, the yellow of crown and
cheeks more or less washed or obscured with dusky; the black 'hood' usually
but partly developed on the crown and nape, indicated by a narrow line border-
ing the auriculars, and a blackish wash on the throat or upper breast. In nine
out of thirty specimens the black is entirely wanting, in one it is nearly as well-
developed as in a young c? in the Fall, in two it is well-developed only on
the crown and nape, while the remaining eighteen specimens are variously
intermediate.
Adult $, Fall. — Not distinguishable from adult $ in Spring.
Young 2, Fall. — Appears to have less black than the adult $, and it is
possible that the development of the 'hood' in the female is dependent upon age.
Nestling. — Above yellowish brown, breast paler, the belly pale straw yellow;
wing-coverts edged with brownish.
General Distribution. — Eastern United States; north to Massa-
chusetts and Wisconsin ; west nearly to the Plains.
Slimmer Range. — With the exception of Texas and Florida, this
species breeds throughout its range in the United States. It is an
abundant breeder in the eastern portion of the lower Mississippi
Valley; less common west of the river to eastern Kansas (Leaven-
worth), southeastern Nebraska (Nemaha River), north to southern
Wisconsin (Milwaukee), central Michigan, southern Ontario (Port
Rowan, Hamilton, Cataraqui), central New York (Oneida, Cayuga,
and Wayne Counties). Casual in Massachusetts (Brookline, June 25,
1879; Provincetown, June 25, 1888; Taunton, May 8, 1888; Framing-
ham, October 15, 1893), and Rhode Island (Kingston). In migration
it is common in northern Florida, rare in the southern part, and occurs
in eastern Texas to San Antonio and Waco. Accidental in southern
Minnesota (Heron Lake, May 16, 1889), northeastern New York
(Lewis County, September 9, 1878), and southern Maine (Falmouth,
September 9, 1904).
Winter Ran^e. — Mexico to Panama.
HOODED WARBLER
271
Spring Migration. — From its winter home the species reaches the
United States by a flight across the Gulf of Mexico, avoiding the
West Indies and (for the most part) southern Florida.
PIvACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Atlantic Coast —
Northern Florida
Southeastern Georgia .
Atlanta, Ga. (near) . .
Raleigh, N. C
Asheville, N. C. (near)
Lynchburg, Va
French Creek, W. Va.
Washington, D. C
Englewood, N. J
Renovo, Pa
Mississippi Valle\ —
New Orleans, La. . .
Southern Mississippi
Helena, Ark
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo
Central Indiana . . .
Oberlin, O
Keokuk, la
6
3
9
14
7
4
7
5
7
4
10
3
7
7
6
6
4
5
March 28
April 4
April 10
April 18
April 19
April 29
April 17
May 2
May 4
May 13
March 22
March 30
April II
April 14
April 23
April 29
May 9
May 10
March 19,
March 29,
April 3,
April 10,
April 12,
April 23,
April 20,
April 27,
May 2,
May 10,
1885
1902
1902
1893
1893
1900
1891
1892
1897
1901
March 13, 1897
March 22, 1902
April 3, 1898
April 8, 1890
April 17, 1883
May
May
8, 1905
5, 1898
The Hooded Warbler has also been taken at Chicago, III, April
28, 1884, and May 3, 1895, and at Grinnell, la.. May 18, 1888. The
Texas dates are at Refugio County, March 30, 1898, March 13, 1899;
San Antonio, March 31, 1890, April 7, 1894; Bee County, April 3,
1886, April 10, 1887.
Fall Migration. — The fall migration is hardly in full swing before
the latter part of August. The earliest dates at Key West, Fla., are
August 30, 1887, and August 19, 1889; at Truxillo, Honduras, Sep-
tember 26, 1887, and in southeastern Nicaragua, September 24, 1892.
The bulk leave the northern breeding grounds by the middle of Sep-
tember and the last have been noted at Renovo, Pa., Sepember 26,
1900, October 13, 1903; Beaver, Pa., September 25, 1890, October 3,
1891 ; Englewood, N. J., September 15, 1886; Washington, D. C.
September 15, 1890; French Creek, W. Va., September 29, 1892;
Lynchburg, Va., October 10, 1899; Raleigh, N. C, October i, 1891 ;
Asheville, N. C, September 20, 1890, Sedan, Ind., October 5, 1893;
Brookville, Ind., October 20. 1884; Eubank, Ky., September 29, 1889;
New Orleans, La., October 19, 1895 and 1897, October 25, 1899. The
latest record for the United States is the — probably accidental — occur-
rence of this species at Germantown, Pa., November 19, 1887.
2/2 HOODED WARBLER
The Bird and its Haunts. — To my mind there is no Warbler to
which that much misused word "lovely," may be so aptly applied as
to the present species. Its beauty of plumage, charm of voice, and
gentleness of demeanor, make it indeed not only a lovely, but a truly
lovable bird. Doubtless, also, the nature of the Hooded Warbler's
haunts increase its attractiveness, not merely because these well-
watered woodlands are in themselves inviting, but because they bring
the bird down to our level. This creates a sense of companionship
which we do not feel with the birds ranging high above us, and at the
same time it permits us to see this exquisitely clad creature under
most favorable conditions.
As we approach the bird's nest she protests with a chirp which
one soon learns to recognize. It is not the sharp, insistent note of the
Oven-bird, but of a milder tone uttered as the bird flits from bush to
bush displaying her white outer tail feathers in flight or jetting them
when perching. The male often ascends to a height of twenty to forty
feet, his song being more frequently delivered from a perch well above
the undergrowth than from the undergrowth itself.
In Mississippi, Allison (MS.) writes, that the Hooded Warbler
inhabits "low, heavily shaded woods, with thick undergrowth. Where
convenient cover, such as a brake of switch-cane, extends to the border
of the woods, the bird has no objection to an open, light, situation;
and along the Gulf coast, where the only swampy situations are the
narrow 'bay-galls,' the thickets of rose-bay (Illicium) and azalea
aflford sufficient seclusion for a few. Damp woods such as are aflforded
by river and creek bottoms, however, are more favored."
The same writer adds : "I find the following note on the behavior
of the males during courtship (New Orleans, Apr. 28) : 'We saw
* * * a very interesting fight between two male Hooded War-
blers, for the possession of a female ; the two began the contest in
a tree, fluttered down into the mud and water, and the upper one, who
had the other by the head, was in a fair way to drown or disable his
opponent, when we frightened them off.' "
Song. — The song of the Hooded Warbler is distinguished by an
easy, sliding gracefulness. To my ear the words you must come to
the woods or you zvon't see me, uttered quickly, and made to run one
into the other exactly fit the bird's more prolonged vocal efforts, though
they are far from agreeing with the attempts at syllabification of
others. The call is a high, sharp cheep, easily recognized after it
has been learned.
HOODED WARBLER
273
"The first song-period of this species seems rarely to pass early
July — latest dates July 10 and 15. Perfect songs heard in the fourth
week of August locate the second song period." {Bicknell^.)
"The usual note is a clear and nervous, but not metallic, chirp.
Little sound of any kind is made in the fall, when the chirp is more
subdued. There are two common songs, both uttered on every possi-
ble occasion in spring, when the woods are ringing with them. The
most frequent is a short one of four syllables, Se-whit, se-wheer; the
longer song may be rendered, PVhee-whee-whee-a-ivhecr," accented as
marked. A sharper, very clear-cut chirp is sometimes to be heard late
in the evening, about dusk." {Allison, MS.).
Nesting Site. — The nest is placed in a small bush or sapling at
from one to five, but usually about three feet from the ground. At the
southern limit of the bird's nesting range canes are generally chosen,
at the northern limit laurel is frequently selected. Where neither of
these growths is present various species of bushes or saplings are
used.
Nest. — Nests from near New York are generally compactly built
with a well-woven rim and composed largely of soft inner bark and
sometimes plant-down w^ith often an outer wrapping of dead leaves
and leaf skeletons, and are lined with fine grasses.
Nests from South Carolina are described as made of cane leaves,
lined with dry weeds and rootlets or black 'moss,' possibly the dead,
inner fiber of Tillandsia.
Eggs. — 3 to 5, usually 4, very rarely 5. Ground color white to
creamy white, well wreathed about the large end with spots and small
blotches of deep, rich chestnut red, purplish red and lilac-gray, with
under shell markings of pale lavender; sometimes the markings
extend very sparingly over the entire egg, but this is rare, and only
the lighter shades occur. Size ; average, .73X.54, extremes, .80X.55,
.67X.52, .76X.58, .68X.48. (Figs. 113-115-)
Nesting Dates. — Charleston, S. C, April 30-June 26, three eggs,
small embryos (Wayne) ; Bertie Co., N. C.„ May 9; Waynesburg, Pa.,
June 6, only two records (Jacobs) ; New York City, May 26-June 15
(F. M. C.) ; New Haven, Conn., May 27- June 24 (Bishop) ; Kalama-
zoo Co., Mich., June 10, Gibbs — Macatawa, Ottawa Co., August 22,
feeding two young Cowbirds, Smith (Barrozvs).
Biographical References
(i) Wm. Brewster, Observations on the Birds of Ritchie County, West
Virginia, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist., N. Y., XI, 1875, 138. (2) J. N. Clark, Hooded
Warblers, Nesting in Southern Connecticut, Orn. and Ool., VL 1881, 9, 102.
274
WILSON'S WARBLER
(3) J- P- N [orris], a Series of Eggs of Myiodioctes mitratus, Orn. and 061.,
XII, 200. (4) A. B. Blackmore, The Hooded Warbler (in La.), Oologist, XII,
1895. (5) E. P. BiCKNELL, A Study of the Singing of Our Birds, Auk, I, 1884,
216.
WILSON'S Warbler
WILSONIA PUSILLA PUSILLA (Wils.) Plate XXII
Distinguishing Characters. — The (S and generally also the $, may be known
by its black cap, entirely yellow underparts, and absence of white in the wings
and tail. Females in which the cap is lacking (young?) resemble the young
Hooded Warbler but are smaller and have no white in the tail. Length (skin),
4.25; wing, 2.10; tail, 2.00; bill, .32.
Adult (S, Spring. — Crown shining black, forehead, cheeks, including line
over eye, bright yellow; rest of upperparts bright olive-green; wings and tail
narrowly edged with same color and without white marks; underparts entirely
bright yellow ; upper mandible brownish black, lower, flesh color.
Adult (S, Fa/^— Similar to adult <S in Spring but black cap narrowly tipped
with olive.
Young c?. Fall. — Similar to adult cJ" in Fall but cap more widely tipped with
olive, yellow of forehead and above eye duller.
Adult ?, Spring. — Sometimes not distinguishable from adult d* in Spring
but usually with black cap less sharply defined and conspicuously tipped with
olive-green; yellow duller. In this plumage closely resembles young d* in Fall.
Adult 2, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but crown more widely tipped
with olive-green.
Young 9, Fa//.— Similar to adult $ in Fall, but black cap absent, or if
present, so broadly tipped with olive-green as to be concealed.
Nestling. — Above hair-brown, breast lighter, belly yellowish white, the sides
brownish, lesser and median wing-coverts tipped with brown-tinged white
forming two well-marked wing-bars.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America.
Summer Range. — Principally in Canada, a few nesting in northern
Maine (casually south to Pittsfield, Me., and accidentally at Lancaster,
N. H.), central Ontario (Ottawa, Madoc, Lansdowne), northern Min-
nesota, Manitoba and Hudson Bay region. Casual in the Rocky Moun-
tain region during migrations.
Winter Range. — Mexico to Panama; accidental once in the West
Indies.
Fall Migration. — Some dates of the last one seen are at New-
port, Ore., August 30, 1900; Berkeley, Cal., September 17, 1888;
Columbia Falls, Mont., September 14, 1894; Cheyenne, Wyo., Septem-
ber II, 1888; Cooney, New Mex., October 9, 1889; Aweme, Man.,
average six years September 8; Lanesboro, Minn., average of four
years September 20, latest September 25, 1887; Grinnell, la., average
four years September 21, latest September 25. 1888; Ottawa, Ont.,
AMERICAN REDSTART ON NEST.
Photographed by T. L. Hankinson, at Ithaca, N. Y.
HOODED WARBLER ON NEST.
Photographed by Frank M. Chapman, at Englevvood, N. J.
WILSON'S WARBLER
275
average four years September 19, latest September 29, 1890; Pictou,
N. S., August 24, 1894; St. John, N. B., September 17, 1896; Renovo,
Pa., average six years, September 21, latest September 30, 1895;
Germantown, Pa., October 15, 1889.
Spring Migration. — The locality will be sufficient to indicate
which form of this species the following notes refer to :
PLACE
Atlantic Coast —
Rising Fawn, Ga
Raleigh, N. C
French Creek, W. Va
Washington, D. C
Englewood, N. J
Beaver, Pa
East Hartford, Conn
Eastern Massachusetts
Southern New Hampshire . . . .
Southern New Brunswick . . . .
Godbout, Que
Hamilton River, Que
Mississippi Valley —
St. Louis, Mo
Chicago, 111
Waterloo, Ind
Oberlin, O
Southern Michigan
Ottawa, Ont
Mouth Rio Grande, Tex
Grinnell, la
Lanesboro, Minn
Elk River. Minn
Aweme, Man
Ft. Chippewyan, Alberta
Western America —
Southern Arizona
Northern Colorado
Great Falls, Mont
Kowak, Alaska
Central California
Southwestern British Columbia
No. of
years'
record
3
2
6
3
6
7
ID
6
7
Average date of
spring arrival
May 13
May 10
May 9
May 13
May 15
May 13
May 17
May 17
May 26
5
May 5
9
May 14
b
May 15
4
May 14
8
May 17
9
May 20
2
April 28
5
May II
9
May 8
4
May 14
b
May 15
2
May 26
6
May 12
2
May 25
4
March 30
3
May 6
Earliest date of
spring arrival
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
I, 1885
II, 1893
9, 1893
7, 1905
II, 1902
8, 1889
10, 1894
10, 1897
13, 1898
May 19, I
June
May
3, li
31
April 29, 1885
May ID, 1902
May ID, 1903
May 5, 1902
May II, 1888
May 14, 1893
April 26, 1878
May 4, 1890
May 2, 1887
May II, 1886
May II, 1904
May 23, 1901
April 12, 1902
May 10, 1905
May 23, 1892
June 3, 1899
March 23, 1889
May 3, 1889
The Bird and its Haunts. — As a migrant I find Wilson's Warbler
usually in bushes bordering woodland waters. At the northern base
of Monadnock, Gerald Thayer (M.S.) writes: "This jaunty little War-
bler-flycatcher is often common in the spring migration, from the
9th to the end of May. It haunts damp alder-copses, orchards, and
small deciduous second growth along roadsides, and seems to avoid
the upper parts of the mountain and of the surrounding hills.
276 WILSON'S WARBLER
"In actions, call-notes and song, this is a decidedly individual
little bird. Like the Canada, it is both a gleaner and a darting fly-
catcher, but it has a more perky restlessness of manner than the Can-
ada. It twitches its tail up and down, not methodically and almost
uninterruptedly, like the Palm Warbler, but with spasmodic irregu-
larity. Now the tail will go sharply flip-flip-flipping for many seconds
together, and again it will be perfectly still for a longer time. Add to
this Warbler's individual manners and sufficiently peculiar notes, his
very rich yellow and yellow-green coloration, relieved by a round,
glossy, blue-black crown-spot (of erectile feathers) as the sole mark-
ing, and you have a bird easily identified. The females usually and
the young always lack the distinguishing crown-cap; but their man-
ners betray them."
In Maine, MorrelP says, "Wilson's Warbler may safely be classed
as one of the rarest Warblers which breed regularly in the State. It
is nowhere common, even as a migrant, arriving during the second
week in May with the main army of migrating Warblers. I always see
it singly or in pairs, never in flocks, at this time. They are birds of
the bush, never going into large woods as do the Black-throated Green
and Blackburnian Warblers, but spend the summer in knoUy, bush-
grown pastures bordering young growths."
Song. — "The singing as a rule is done from a perch, between
sallies into the air, but sometimes it is accomplished during one of the
little darting flights. It is highly changeable, in everything but tone-
quality. Though only just loud enough, at its best, to give the bird
rank among full-voiced Warblers, it has much of the ringing clarity
of the Canada's and Hooded's songs. The commonest form of it, a
rapid, bubbled warble, of two nearly equal parts, the second lower-
toned and sometimes diminuendo, has always reminded me of a
Northern Water-Thrush song. But it falls short of that utterance in
vivid 'suddenness.' It is also somewhat like the Nashville's songs, par-
ticularly the less common, softer one. It is fully as clear-toned, but
far less loud, and more hurriedly delivered. Sometimes the Wilson's
sings only half his song, — using either of the two parts, — and the
second part thus used is occasionally prolonged into a full-length
song. Another regular variation is an inversion of the common two-
fold utterance. Again, the complete song is sometimes uttered in a
very soft undertone — fairly whispered. But all these variations — all
I have yet heard — seem to be based on one main song. Of call-notes,
the bird has at least two perfectly distinct kinds, both fairly constant.
One is a very fine, quick lisp, and the other an unusually low-toned and
WILSON'S WARBLER 277
slightly harsh chut much like the Yellow-throat's commonest call, but
easily distinguishable." {Thayer, MS.}.
"Rarely sings in migration. May 25, 1897 o"e sang repeatedly
a full chord-like chee-chee-chee followed by a Goldfinch-like trill,
the latter varied somewhat, but the opening notes are all usually
the same. Another time I heard the jumbled warble without the clear
chee-chee-chee." (Farzvell, MS.)
Nesting Site. — A nest found by Spaulding^ at Lancaster, N. H.,
"was situated among some short bushes on a small grassy knoll in
wet, swampy land. The nest was sunken in the ground and well con-
cealed by fine swamp grass."
At Pittsfield, Maine, Morrell- has found two nests ; one was
placed "at the base of a small shrub," the other was "in the side of a
depression on the ground, well concealed by overhanging grass and
shrubs." Swain^ records a nest, found near Bangor, Maine, "under
a thick mass of grasses and weeds at the foot of an alder bush."
Nest. — Spaulding's^ nest "was almost wholly of fine dry grass,
lined with a very few hairs, deeply cupped and quite substantial for a
Warbler." Morrell describes the first nest found by him as "mainly
constructed of short pieces of grass, fairly well woven together, with
a very few hairs mingled with the grass lining, and some moss and
leaves exteriorly." Morrell's second nest resembled the first "with
the exception of the hair, in the place of which were a few black, hair-
like roots." The nest found by Swain^ "was made up outside of fine
dead grasses (neatly woven, yet a frail structure), lined with fine
grasses and a few horse-hairs."
Eggs. — Usually 4. A set collected by Mr. F. B. Spaulding^ is
described by him as follows : "The ground color of the eggs is pure
white ; number one has a light wreath of small dark specks about the
crown, number two has the crown completely covered by larger spots,
number three is the same but has in addition some large light-brown
splashes over half of the egg, and number four has large light-brown
splashes and spots that cover the small end."
Nesting Dates. — Lancaster, N. H., June 6 (Spaidding) ; Bangor,
Me., June i-June 19 (Knight).
Biographical References
(i) F. B. Spaulding, Nesting of Wilson's Black-capped Warbler, (in N.
H.), Nidologist, II, 1894, 13; cf. also Journ. Me. Orn. Soc, VI, 1904, 70. (2)
C. H. Morrell, Osprey, III, 1899, 5. (3) J- M. Swain, Contributions to the
Life History of Wilson's Warbler, Journ. Me. Orn. Soc, VI, 1904, 59.
278 PILEOLATED WARBLER
PiLEOLATED WARLBER
WILSONIA PUSILLA PILEOLATA (Pallas)
Subspecific Characters. — Similar to Wilsonia p. pusilla but forehead
much more intense, orange rather than yellow ; olive-green of back and yellow
of underparts deeper, richer; averages slightly larger.
As with Hehninthophila celata orestera, the Rocky Mountain bird, while
intermediate in color between Atlantic and Pacific coast specimens, is slightly
larger than either. Wing, 2.25; tail, 2.00; bill, .35.
General Distribution. — Rocky Mountain region.
Summer Range. — Breeding throughout the Rocky Mountain dis-
trict, from western Texas (Chisos Mountains), New Mexico (?) and
Arizona (?) in higher mountains, northward to Alaska, including coast
district (Kadiak, Yakutat, Sitka, etc.) as well as throughout the in-
terior, westward to eastern Oregon (Fort Kalmath; Tillamook) and
Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia ; during migration over the
whole of western North America (less commonly along the Pacific
coast of United States) and eastward across the Great Plains to Min-
nesota (Fort Snelling, May), western Missouri (Independence), etc.
Winter Range. — Southward over whole of Mexico and Central
America to Chiriqui (Boquete). {Ridgw.)
The Bird and its Haunts. — In Colorado, Cooke^ writes, this bird
reaches its summer home just above timber-line by the end of June
and is then the most numerous insect-eating bird at that altitude. The
center of abundance during the breeding season is about 11,000 feet,
but it has been known to breed from 6,000 to 12,000 feet.
In Alaska, Nelson- states that this Warbler is "one of the com-
monest of the bush-frequenting species in the north and extends its
breeding range to the shores of the Arctic Ocean, where it is found
breeding about Kotzebue Sound as well as along the eastern coast of
Norton Sound wherever shelter is afforded."
Song. — "Song, Chee-chee-chce-chee (or this syllable repeated
seven times), thus dififerent from their song as I recall it in the East.
Certain low querulous notes are indescribable." {Minot^).
Nesting Site. — A nest found June 22, near Seven Lakes, Colo-
rado, by Minot^ "was sunken in the ground on the eastern slope or
border of the swamp, at the end of a partly natural archway of long,
dry grass, opening to the southward, beneath the low, spreading
branch of a willow."
Nest. — The nest above mentioned is described as "composed of
loose shreds, with a neat lining of fine stalks and a few hairs, and
with a hollow two inches wide and scarcely half as deep."
GOLDEN PILEOLATED WARBLER 279
^SS-^- — 4 to 6, usually 4 or 5. Ground color white, sometimes
tinged with creamy, specked and spotted with reddish brown and
lavender gray, very few under shell markings; some specimens show
the markings well distributed, others have them in a wreath about
large end with scattering spots over rest of egg. Size : average .63X
.49. Figs. (116- 1 18.)
Nesting Dates. — Boulder Co., Colo., altitude 9,500 feet, June 16
(C. JV. C).
Biographical References
(i) H. D. MiNOT, Notes on Colorado Birds, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, V, 1880,
228. (2) E. W. Nelson, Report upon Natural History Coll. made in Alaska,
204. (3) W. W. CooKE, The Birds of Colorado, 117. (The notes of both
Nelson and Cooke are given under the head of "Sylvania pusilla.")
Golden Pileolated Warbler
WILSONIA PUSILLA CHRYSEOLA Ridgw.
SubspeciUc Characters. — Similar to W. p. pileolata but smaller and of a
still brighter, deeper yellow. Wing, 2.15; tail, 1.96; bill, .32.
General Distribution. — Pacific coast district of United States and
British Columbia.
Stiimner Range. — Breeding from southern California (San Ber-
nardino, Los Angeles, and Ventura Counties) northward to British
Columbia (New Westminster, Mount Lehman) ; during migration
southward and eastward to eastern Oregon (Fort Klamath, May,
August), Arizona (Pinal County, September, October; Lowell, April;
Fort Verde, May; San Francisco Mountains, August 31; Cienega ;
Tucson), Chihuahua (San Diego, April 15), Sonera (San Jose
Mountains, October), and Lower California (to Cape St. Lucas).
(Ridgw.)
Winter Range. — Mexico and Central America.
The Bird and Its Haunts. — "In California," Walter Fisher (MS)
writes, "the Golden Pileolated Warbler frequents copses along water
courses of the valleys, or willow thickets near mountain streams and
meadows, and in the moist northern coast region is found almost
anywhere in the luxuriant undergrowth. I have also encountered
a few in manzanita chaparral, where their yellow colors harmonized
perfectly with the vivid yellow-green of the sun-lit foliage. In the
Sierras I have found them tame but preoccupied, as Mrs. Bailey
aptly writes. One usually catches only a fleeting glimpse, when
the black cap is a most excellent aid in identification."
Nesting Site. — In California, Barlow^ records this bird as build-
ing about three and one-half feet from the ground, placed upon a
28o CANADIAN WARBLER
mass of drift material in the crotch of a dead hmb, and in bunches of
nettles, weeds or ferns ; while Silliman^ writes that the nests are situat-
ed in "damp, shaded places, often in a wild blackberry vine and well
hidden. They are always placed near the ground, never over five feet
above. In one instance the bottom of the nest touched the ground."
Emerson\ however, records a nest found in blackberry vines eight
feet from the ground.
Nest. — Barlow- describes the nest as "made of grasses, fine leaves
and material gathered from debris in the creek, while the lining
is of fine white rootlets or grass which resembles horse-hair." Silli-
man^ states that "a typical nest of this species has a loose exterior of
dry leaves, bark fibers, lichens, weed-stems, roots and a few pieces of
straw."
^SS^- — 3 to 5, usually 4, very rarely 5. Ground color and mark-
ings show the same range of variation as in the Pileolated Warbler,
only in some extreme examples the markings in the wreath are heavier
and more profuse. Size ; average about the same, .64X.49 ; extremes
.71X.50, .61X.51, .62X.46.
Ncsti)i^ Dates. — Los Angeles, Calif., April 24-May 31 (Grin-
nell) ; San Geronimo, Calif., May i (Mailliard) ; Tacoma, Wash.,
June 17, only nest found (Bowles).
Biographical References
(i) W. O. Emerson, Black-capped Yellow Warbler [in Calif.], Orn. and
061., VI, 1881, 62. (2) C. Barlow, The [Golden] Pileolated Warbler, Nidolo-
gist, I, 1893, 44. (3) SiLLiMAN, The [Golden] Pileolated Warbler, Nidologist,
II, 1894, 28.
Canadian Warbler
WILSONIA CANADENSIS (Linn.) PlawXXII
Distinguishing Characters. — The Canadian Warbler may always be known
by its gray upperparts, absence of white on wings or tail, and necklace of spots
across the breast. In the adult c? these are black and conspicuous, in the $
and young of both sexes they are dusky and less sharply defined, but I have not
seen a specimen in which they were wholly wanting. Length (skin), 5.00; wing,
2.50 ; tail, 2.20 ; bill, .40.
Adult ^, Spring. — Upperparts gray, crown spotted with black, the forehead
usually wholly black ; line from bill to eye and eye-ring yellow ; wings and tail
externally the color of the back and without white markings ; lores and malar
stripe black, running into a band of black spots across the breast ; rest of under-
parts yellow, crissum white.
Adult S, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but a faint wash of greenish
on back ; black breast-spots narrowly tipped with yellow.
Plate XXII
1. Wilson's Warbler, Male. 3. Canadian Warbler, Adult Male.
2. Wilson's Warbler, Female. 4. Canadian Warbler, Adult Female.
5. Canadian Warbler, Young Female.
(one-half natural size.)
CANADIAN WARBLER
281
Young ^, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Fall but crown greenish without
black, lores dusky, no black malar stripe, yellow duller, breast spots dusky and
not sharply defined. Not certainly distinguishable from adult $ in Fall.
Adult 2, Spring. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but duller throughout, crown
gray tinged with yellowish, especially on forehead, and without black, lores
dusky, no black malar stripe; breast spots dusky and not sharply defined.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but slightly greener above.
Young $, Fall. — Not certainly distinguishable from adult ? in Fall but
averaging browner above especially on crown, and with the breast spots fainter.
Nestling. — Resembles nestling of Wilsonia pusilla.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America; north to New-
foundland and Athabasca; west to the Plains.
Summer Range. — Breeding principally in Canada, a few nest in
the northern United States south to Massachusetts (Berkshire, Bristol,
Brookline, Templeton, and Wellesley), Rhode Island (Noyes Beach,
Johnston), northwestern Connecticut, central New York (Oneida
County), southern Ontario (Ottawa, Kingston, London, Toronto,
Guelph), central Michigan, northeastern Illinois, central Minnesota
(St. Louis, Lake and Cass counties) ; in the Allegheny Mountains, it
breeds south to North Carolina and occurs from 3,000 feet nearly to
the top of the highest peaks.
The great bulk of the species passes along the Atlantic coast and
westward to and including the valley of the Ohio. In the interior the
bird is a rare migrant from eastern Texas (San Antonio, Gainesville),
eastern Kansas (Neosho River), eastern Nebraska (Richardson
County, May 1875), through the valley of the Red River of the
North to Manitoba. Accidental in central Texas (Concho), southern
New Mexico (Fort Thorn), and eastern Colorado (Lake, May 23,
1899).
Winter Range. — Guatemala to Peru.
Spring Migration. —
PLACE
Atlantic Coast —
Asheville, N. C. (near)
French Creek, W. Va. .
Washington, D. C
New Providence, N. J.
Englewood, N. J
Philadelphia, Pa. (near)
Beaver, Pa
Renovo, Pa
Southeastern New York
Lockport, N. Y
No. of
years'
record
Average
date of
Earliest date of
spring arrival
spring arrival
2
May
2
April
29, 1886
4
May
9
May
4, 1893
6
May
8
May
s. 1905
5
May
16
May
10, 1888
3
May
15
May
13, 1899
6
May
15
May
10, 1890
5
May
5
May
3, 1899
8
May
8
May
4, I poo
9
May
20
May
II, 1890
5
May
15
May
II, 1889
282 CANADIAN WARBLER
Spring Migration. — {continued)
PIvACE
Atlantic Coast — f continued J
East Hartford, Conn
Eastern Massachusetts
St. Johnsbury, Vt
Southern New Hampshire
Southern Maine
Southern New Brunswick ,
Mississippi Valley —
San Antonio, Texas
St. Louis, Mo
Chicago, 111
Waterloo, Ind
Oberlin, O
Petersburg, Mich
Northern Michigan
Southern Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ont
Ottawa, Ont
Lanesboro, Minn
Northern Minnesota
Aweme, Man
No. of
years'
record
5
12
4
8
6
7
3
6
II
5
2
12
4
15
9
4
Average date of
spring arrival
May 19
May 14
May 21
May 18
May 19
May 25
May I
May 9
May 15
May 2
May 8
May 13
May 28
May 12
May 21
May 21
May 19
May 22,
Earliest date of
spring arrival
May 12, 1888
May 10, 1896
May 16, 1900
May 13, 1902
May 15, 1897
May 15, 1903
April
April
May
April
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
26, 1887
28, 1888
11, 1897
28, 1903
4, 1905
ID, 1894
24, 1895
5, 1896
17, 1887
12, 1905
14, 1891
21, 1900
20, 1899
Fall Migration. — Some dates of the last birds seen are at Grand
Rapids, Athabasca, August 20, 1901 ; Aweme, Man., August 30, 1901 ;
Ottawa, Ont., September 5, 1890; Chicago, III, September 16, 1894;
Waterloo, Ind., September 28, 1902; Petitcodiac, N. B., August 21,
1886; Pittsfield, Me., September 12, 1897; Amherst, Mass., September
29, 1891 ; Renovo, Pa., average of seven years, August 14; German-
town, Pa., October i, 1889; Englewood, N. J., October 2, 1886; Bay
St. Louis, Miss., October 15, 1899.
The Bird and its Haunts. — As a spring migrant I find this Warb-
ler in much the same situations Wilson's Warbler frequents ; but while
travelHng southward in August and September, when the foliage is so
much denser than that of May, it is less restricted in its choice of
haunts and may be found in the tree-tops.
At Branchport, N. Y., Verdi Burtch (MS.) reports the Canadian
Warbler to breed not uncommonly in two entirely different locations.
While not common they are frequently found in the wettest part of
Potter Swamp associated with the Northern Water-Thrush and
Northern Yellow-throat. They are also found along the gully banks
usually in the lower branches or on the ground.
CANADIAN WARBLER
283
Gerald Thayer writes : "I have already, in my notes on the Black-
burnian, described this Warbler's breeding haunts about Monadnock.
It is a bird of rich deciduous undergrowth in the deep, damp forest, —
a ranger between the bush-tops and low tree-branches and the ground.
It avoids purely coniferous woods, and so is almost wholly wanting
from the closely-spruce-clad northern slopes of Mt. Monadnock,
though abundant in the deep mixed timber all about its northern base.
On the eastern slopes of the mountain, where the forest is more largely
deciduous, the Canada is fairly common almost up to the rocky back-
bone ridge, at heights of from 2,300 to 2,700 or so feet.
"The Canadian is a sprightly, wide-awake, fly-snapping Warbler,
vivid in movement and in song; clearly marked and brightly colored.
In actions it is like the Wilson's, a sort of mongrel between a Den-
droica, an American Redstart, and a true Flycatcher. It darts after
flying insects like one of the Tyrannidae, and its bill may sometimes
be heard to 'click' when it seizes something; it has much of the Red-
start's insistent nervousness of motion, but is a less airy 'flitter' ; and,
finally, it glides and gleans among leaves and twigs like a true gleaning
Warbler." {Thayer, MS.)
Song. — "Sings a great deal in migration — the song is liquid, un-
certain, varied, bright, sweet — sounds like the syllables t'le we, t'le we,
t'le we, t'le we, t'l it zvit; often begins with a little whirr or snap.
(Farwell, MS.)
"Suggests to me the unfinished song of a Goldfinch more than
that of a Warbler. It is very broken and energetic and also possesses
a larger quality." (Fuertes, MS.).
"The strong and snappily-changeful modulation of this Warbler's
clear, rippling song can scarcely be suggested by English syllables,
and I shall avoid the attempt. It is one of the most delightful as well
as one of the commonest summer bird-songs of the deep woods about
]\Ionadnock. It varies a good deal, but I have yet to discover that the
bird has more than one constant, main song as a basis for the varia-
tions. Nevertheless, it ranks very high in the full-voiced group, as
does its beautiful black-hooded relative of the South. In late summer
and autumn the young male Canadas of the year often try to sing, as
is the case with all or most Wood Warblers ; and,— as is also commonly
the case, — their performances are obscure and queer, and barely recog-
nizable.
"The Canada's commonest summer call-note is fairly charcteristic,
having a certain peculiar little 'tang' and harshness. It sounds a little
like the chock of the Yellow-throat, but is less pronouncedly different
284
CANADIAN WARBLER
from the common run of Warbler 'chips.' The bird has also several
slighter and less distinctive calls." (Thayer , MS.)
Miss Paddock sends notations of six songs and writes : "The
rhythm is not unlike the Yellow-throat's, but its quality is different,
and it is more energetic. The notes are always in triplets or groups
of four."
J . FTT3 rv
^*^/c-
rup-it-che rup-i-chip-it
1
S
:z±
,sr^,„rP Q^n .
Nesting Site. — The Canadian Warbler nests on the ground con-
cealing its nest in moss or beneath roots.
Burtch (MS.) writes that "in Potter Swamp near Branchport,
N. Y., the nest is usually placed under the edge of a stump or log, or
in the side of a mound of moss covered with logs and brush. One
nest was placed on top of a moss-covered log, the lowest in a criss-
cross pile, another log being over it and forming a roof. In the gullies
the nest is placed from ten to thirty feet above the bottom of the gully,
in a hole in the moss-covered bank."
Nest. — Burtch describes the nest as usually bulky and rather flat-
tened, made of dead leaves and grass, lined with fine grass.
Eggs. — 3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color and markings about like
the eggs of the Pileolated Warbler, except in the present species the
markings are not so profuse and less inclined to wreathe around the
large end, being more evenly distributed over the entire egg. Size;
average, .67X.52; extremes, .73X.53, .64X.54, .65X.51. (Figs. 119-121.)
RED-FACED WARBLER 285
Nesting Dates. — Lancaster, N. H., June 9-June 13 (Spaulding) ;
Bangor, Me., May 30-June 4, young a few days old (Knight) ; Listo-
wel, Ont., May 22-June 18 (Kells) ; Bay City, Mich., June 2, Eddy
(Barroii's).
Biographical References
(i) W. L. Kells, Nesting of the Canadian Flycatching Warbler, (in
Ontario), Orn. and 061., XII, 1887, 12; (2) Ibid., Ottawa Naturalist, XV,
1902, 230.
Genus CARDELLINA DuBus
Although in Cardellina the bill is short and titmouse-like in
character, the rictal bristles are still fairly well-developed, though less
evident than in Wilsonia.
The wing is rather long, and pointed by the second, third, and
fourth primaries, the first (outer) primary about equalling the fourth;
the tail is long, the feathers of about the same length ; the feet are dark
and slender.
Cardellina rubrifrons, the only species in this genus, ranges from
southern Arizona and New Mexico south to Guatemala. The sexes
are virtually alike in color, an exception to the prevailing rule among
brightly colored birds.
Red-faced Warbler
CARDELLINA RUBRIFRONS (Giraud) Plate XXIV
Distinguishing Characters. — This species is so unlike any other of our
Warblers as to render comparison unnecessary. Length (skin), 4.80; wing,
2.70; tail, 2.40; bill, .30.
Adult 3, S/Ttng.— Forehead, cheeks, most of eye-ring, throat, upper breast
and band back of auriculars bright red, crown and auriculars black, nuchal
patch white, sometimes tinged with pink, back, wings and tail gray; rump
white sometimes tinged with pink, median wing-coverts tipped with white ; lower
breast and belly tinged with pink.
Adult <S, Fa//.— Similar to adult d" in Spring but nape and rump often
rose-tinged, back sometimes suffused with red.
Young (S, Fa//.— Similar to adult 3 in Fall, but plumage sometimes with a
brownish wash in places.
Adult ?, S'/'HW^.- Similar to adult ^ in Spring and generally indistinguish-
able from it but red sometimes duller.
Adult $, Fa//.— Not certainly distinguishable from adult c? in Fall.
Young $, Fa//.— Like adult $ in Fall.
Nestling. — Above grayish brown; crown browner, nape buffy; rump white;
throat and breast grayish brown, belly white; wing-coverts fuscous edged with
brown and narrowly but distinctly tipped with buff.
General Distribution. — Mexican Tableland north to Arizona and
New Mexico.
286 RED-FACED WARBLER
Summer Range. — Mexican Tableland north to southern Arizona
(Santa Catalina Mountains) and southern New Mexico.
Winter Range. — Mexico south to Guatemala.
Spring Migration. — Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, April 20.
The Bird and its Haunts. — This singularly colored Warbler was
added to our fauna July 12, 1874, by H. W. Henshaw^ who found it
near Camp Apache and on Mount Graham in southern Arizona. In
the latter locality, later in the month, it proved to be common, "flocks
of ten or fifteen being not unusual among the pines and spruces ; it
frequented these trees almost exclusively, only rarely being seen on the
bushes that fringed the streams. Its habits are a rather strange com-
pound, now resembling those of Warblers, again recalling the Red-
start's, but more often, perhaps, bringing to mind the less graceful mo-
tions of the familiar Titmice. Their favorite hunting places appeared
to be the extremities of the limbs of the spruces, over the branches of
which they passed with quick motion, and a peculiar and constant side-
wise jerk of the tail."
Nesting Site. — Although the nest of this species was first dis-
covered by Mearns^ on June 19, 1886, in the Mogollon Mountains,
Arizona, this naturalist did not publish his observations until July,
1890. In the meantime. Price- had found it breeding in the Huachuca
Mountains, on May 31, 1888, and later its nesting habits were studied
by Howard*. The nests found by these ornithologists were all placed
on the ground beneath a tuft of grass, a hillside being a favorite
location.
A'est. — Price^ describes the nest as such a "poor attempt at nest
building and made of such loose materials that it crumbled to frag-
ments on being removed. The chief substance was fine fibrous weed
stalks while the lining consisted of fine grass, rootlets, plant fibers, and
a few hairs."
Eggs. — 4. The set collected by Price is described by Bendire as
follows : "They are ovate in shape. Their ground color is a delicate
creamy white, and they are spotted with small blotches of cinnamon
rufous and a few dots of heliotrope purple and pale lavender. These
form a wreath around the larger end. They resemble the eggs of
Helminthophila lucice and H. virginice to a certain extent." Size;
"They measure .66X.50, .67X.50, .66X.50 and .66X.50."
Biographical References
(i) H. W. Henshaw, Z06I. Expl. W. looth Merid., 211. (2) W. W.
Price, Nesting of the Red-faced Warbler in the Huachuca Mountains, Southern
Arizona, Auk, V, 1888, 385. (3) E. A. Mearns, Observations on the Avifauna
AMERICAN REDSTART 287
of Portions of Arizona, Auk, VII, 1890, 261. (4) O. W. Howard, Summer
Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club (=Condor), I, 1899, 65.
Genus SETOPHAGA Swainson
Setophaga differs but little in structure from Wilsonia and were
it not for its markedly different coloration would doubtless be grouped
with it by some authors. In 5". ruticilla the bill is broader at the base,
the rictal bristles longer, but this is not true of 6". picta in which the
rictal bristles average shorter than in Wilsonia. The wing is much as
in Wilsonia but the tail is more rounded, the outer feathers being
decidedly the shortest.
The genus contains two species of which 6". ruticilla ranges
throughout eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains and
northwest to Alaska, while 5". picta is found from southern Arizona
and New Mexico south to Honduras.
Both are distinguished for the beauty of their plumage but while
the adult male of S. ruticilla is strikingly different from and brighter
than the female, the sexes in 6^. picta are alike. Furthermore, 5". picta
dons its full plumage in the first molt, shortly after leaving the nest,
while 6^. ruticilla does not acquire its mature dress until after its first
nesting season, or at the beginning of its second year.
AMERICAN Redstart
SETOPHAGA RUTICILLA (Linn.) Plate XXIII
Distinguishing Characters. — No difficulty will be experienced in recognizing
this strikingly marked species, the salmon or yellow markings in wings and
tail alone affording a sufficient clue to its identity. But one should be careful
to avoid mistaking the young male for the female, this being one of the few
Warblers, in which the male does not assume its adult plumage before the first
nesting season after its birth. As a rule, however, the young Spring male
has some black feathers on the underparts, a character not shown by the
female. Length (skin), 4.75; wing, 2.50; tail, 2.25; bill, .35.
Adult (S, Spring. — Upperparts shining black; central pair of tail-feathers
black, next pair basally salmon-orange on the outer web, remaining four feathers
entirely orange for basal two-thirds, the terminal third black; wings black with
a band of orange, increasing in width from without inward, across their base;
sides of head, throat, and breast black extending to the sides of the body;
belly white, more or less tinged with orange; sides of breast brilliantly salmon-
orange extending backwards to flanks in decreasing amount. As might be
expected, even in adult specimens, there is much variation in the intensity and
extent of the orange markings.
Adult (S, Fall. — Not certainly distinguishable from c^ in Spring, but feathers
of throat and breast often with white tips, those of back tipped with brown.
288 AMERICAN REDSTART
Young (^, Fall. — Generally resembles adult $ in Spring but the back is
often more olive or more ruddy brown, and the patches at the side of the
breast average deeper in tone. In some specimens the back is suffused with
reddish and the breast patches are orange. I have seen two specimens (Bishop
Coll.) with a few black patches showing that in some instances the bird begins
to acquire adult plumage, the first Fall.
Young ($, Spring. — Similar to young (^ in Fall but with a few black feathers
on the breast and generally with additional black feathers on the chin, lores,
cheeks, or crown. There is no regularity as regards the part of the breast
or head in which these black feathers appear, but I have yet to see a Spring
c? in which they were entirely wanting. There appears to be no transition
plumage between the one just described and the mature orange and black
dress which, as molting specimens in Dr. Dwight's collection seem to prove,
is acquired after the first breeding season or at the beginning of the second
year of the bird's life.
Adult 9, Spring. — Crown and cheeks gray, back olive-green with a grayish
tinge, upper tail-coverts blackish ; basal two-thirds of three outer tail-feathers
yellow their tips blackish, two-thirds of outer vane and sometimes part of
inner vane of next two yellow, their end and inner pair of feathers blackish;
wings brown edged with greenish, orange wing-band of adult c? replaced by
yellow and, externally, appearing chiefly on the basal half of outer web of
secondaries; underparts grayish white, the sides of the breast with yellow
patches, sides of body more or less washed with same color.
Adult $, Fall. — Similar to adult $ in Spring but back more olive, throat
and breast washed with buffy.
Young ?, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Fall but with less yellow in wing,
in the closed wing this color being often entirely concealed.
Young $, Spring. — Similar to young ? in Fall but throat whiter.
Nestling. — Above brownish gray, crown paler, throat and breast grayer,
belly whiter; wing-coverts brownish tipped with whitish.
General Distribution. — Eastern North America; north to New-
foundland, Labrador and Alaska ; west to the Rocky Mountains.
Summer Range. — From its far northern home, almost to the Hmit
of tree growth, the Redstart breeds south commonly to Maryland and
Iowa, and not rarely to North Carolina, Arkansas, and Kansas. Excep-
tional breeding records, south of this normal breeding range are at
Greensboro, Ala., Hopefield, and Jackson, Miss., and Fort Union, New
Mexico. The regular western range includes Colorado, Utah, Idaho,
eastern Washington and British Columbia. The species has occurred
casually in Oregon (John Day River, July i, 1889), California (Hay-
wards, June 20, 1881 ; Marysville Buttes, June 6, 1884), Arizona (Tuc-
son, spring; Catalina Mountains, August 12, 1884), Lower California
(Miraflores, La Paz).
Winter Range. — Mexico and the West Indies to Ecuador and
British Guiana.
Plate XXIII
1. American Redstart, Adult Male.
3. American Redstart, Young Male.
2. American Redstart, Female.
4. Painted Redstart, Adult.
AMERICAN REDSTART
289
Spring Migration.-
PLACE
Atlantic Coast —
Southern Florida Lighthouses . .
Northern Florida
Atlanta, Ga. (near)
Raleigh, N. C
Asheville, N. C. (near)
Washington, D. C
Renovo, Pa
Beaver, Pa
Berwyn, Pa
Englewood, N. J
Alfred, N. Y
Ballston, N. Y
Portland, Conn
Jewett City, Conn
Eastern Massachusetts
Randolph, Vt
St. Johnsbury, Vt
Durham, N. H
Southwestern Maine
Montreal, Que
Quebec, Que
St. John, N. B
Pictou, N. S
North River, Prince Edward Isl
Mississippi Valley —
New Orleans, La., and vicinity
Southern Texas
Helena, Ark
Eubank, Ky
St. Louis, Mo
Onaga, Kans
Brookville, Ind
Waterloo, Ind. (near)
Wauseon, Ohio
Oberlin, Ohio
Keokuk, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Grinnell, Iowa
Lake Forest, 111
Chicago, 111
Rockford, 111
Milwaukee, Wis
Detroit, Mich
Locke, Mich
Petersburg, Mich
Livonia, Mich
Southwestern Ontario
Listowel, Ont
Ottawa, Ont
Parry Sound District, Ont
Lanesboro, Minn
Aweme, Man."
Great Falls, Mont
Columbia Falls, Mont
Fort Simpson, Mack
No. of
years'
record
4
5
7
16
4
14
6
4
8
7
8
II
5
IS
IS
8
9
4
16
8
IS
ID
7
6
4
5
8
8
4
7
7
8
10
10
TO
7
6
6
14
7
6
17
24
9
6
12
13
18
II
7
9
3
3
4
Average date of
spring arrival
April 12
April 7
April 23
April 10
April 29
April 23
May 2
April 29
May 15
May 4
May 14
May 14
May 6
May 12
May 6
May II
May 13
May 12
May 14
May 16
May 15
May 20
May 27
May 26
April 7
April 15
April 13
April 16
April 18
May 5
April 29
April 29
May I
May I
May 3
May 5
May 4
May 6
May 8
May 7
May II
May 3
May 7
April 30
May 4
May 5
May 12
May 16
May 19
May II
May 15
May 21
May 24
May 24
Earliest date of
spring arrival
April 3,
March 20,
April 6,
April 2,
April 19,
April 19,
May I,
April 26,
May 6,
April 26,
May 9,
May 8,
May 3,
May 4,
April 30,
May 9,
May 8,
May ID,
May 6,
May II,
May 6,
May 17,
May 21,
May 19,
April 5,
April 10,
April 9,
April 12,
April 17,
May I,
April 20,
April 27,
April 25,
April 27,
April 26,
May 3,
May
May
May
May
May
April 27,
April 30,
April 23,
May I,
May 2,
May 2,
May 3,
May 13,
May 2,
May 8,
May 18;
May 20,
May 20,
1890
894
888
902
891, 1896
897 [1903
889
896
899
885
894
888
896, 1902
897, 1900
890, 1891
888, 1902
901
900
887, 1889
902
89s
894
902
886
898
890
888
892
897
896
885, 1889
887
905
896
886, 1890
897
902
878
885
892
890
896
887
897
887
899
889
895
860
290
AMERICAN REDSTART
Fall Migration. — Since the Redstart breeds over most of the
eastern United States, it is not possible to determine the beginning of
its fall migration in that portion of its range from which were received
the fullest records of spring arrival. Just south of the breeding range,
in the South Atlantic and Gulf states, the dates show that the Red-
start is one of the earliest of fall migrants. The earliest migrant in
Chester County, South Carolina, was seen July 10; at Key West, Fla.,
July 22, 1889, and near there, at Sombrero Key lighthouse, July 28
and 29, 1886. It has been taken in Jamaica by August 10; in Costa
Rica, August 13; Colombia, South America, September 2, and on
the island of Antigua, Lesser Antilles, September 6. These dates are
especially interesting because they prove so conclusively that the
southernmost breeding birds start first in their migration, and pass at
once to the southern portion of the winter range. The date of Sep-
tember 6, at Antigua, is interesting because the Redstart is one of the
very few migrant land-birds from the United States that range
throughout the West Indies, even to the Windward Islands and Trini-
dad ; and the early date shows that the flights from island to island
are interspersed with but few and short intervals of rest.
Fall migration in the Mississippi Valley is not quite so early; still
the first were seen at New Orleans, La., July 21, 1899, July 29, 1900,
and July 30, 1897. The earliest migrants reach central Texas the
last of August and have been noted the first of September in Mexico,
nearly at the southern limit of the bird's winter range in that country.
The regular tide of migration in southeastern United States sets
in early in August, and the striking of the Redstart against the Florida
lighthouses has been reported on nineteen nights in that month. The
largest flocks pass through the Middle Atlantic states about the middle
of September, and the greatest number strike the Florida lighthouses
the first half of October.
P1,ACE
Atlantic Coast —
North River, P. E. I. . .
St. John, N. B
Montreal, Can
Lewiston, Me
Eastern Massachusetts .
Portland, Conn
Hartford, Conn
Southeastern New York
Englewood, N. J
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
August 17
September 5
August 24
September 18
September 20
September 19
October 16
September 20
September 29
I<atest date of
last one seen
September 7, 1890
September 25, 1891
August 29, 1891
September 27, 1898
September 24, 1896
September 26, 1890
October 26, 1901
September 28, 1890
October 3, 1886
AMERICAN REDSTART
291
Fall Migration. — {continued)
PI.ACE
No. of
years'
record
Average date of
last one seen
Latest date of
last one seen
Atlantic Coast — (continued J
Germantown, Pa
5
6
5
3
8
October 3
September 25
September 25
September 25
October 9
October 8, 1888
Berwyn, Pa
October 3, 1894
Renovo, Pa
September 29, 1902
September 24, 1890
September 30, 1890
Washington, D C
French Creek, W. Va
Raleigh, N. C
October 13, 1891
Weaverville, N C
October 28, 1894
Florida Lighthouses
November 4, 1888
PLACE
Mississippi Valley —
Columbia Falls, Mont. . . .
Great Falls, Mont
Aweme, Man
Lanesboro, Minn
Grinnell, la
Keokuk, la
Ottawa, Ont
Palmer, Mich
Mackinaw Island, Mich. .
Livonia, Mich
Detroit, Mich
Wauseon, O
Sedan, Ind
Chicago, 111
Eubank, Ky
Ariel, Miss
Rodney, Miss
New Orleans and vicinity
No. of
years'
record
3
12
7
4
Average date of
last one seen
September 15
September 12
September 20
September 17
September 21
September 28
September 19
September 15
September 28
September 19
October 18
Latest date of
last one seen
September
September
September
September
September
October 20,
September
September
September
September
October 5,
September
October 11,
October 5,
October 7,
October 18,
October 15
October 27
6, 1895
14, 1889
23, 1904
22, 1887
28, 1885
, 1900
29, 1890
10, 1893
14, 1889
28, 1891
. 1905
30, 1895
, 1889
, 1902
, 1891
, 1897
, 1888
1899
The Bird and its Haunts. — With the Redstart we reach the acme
of Warbler activity. If a bird exists which is more constantly in
motion and in a greater variety of ways, I have yet to see it. But it
is at feeding that the bird excels ; not the somewhat sedate, pendulum-
like wing-feeding of the true Flycatcher who, sitting quietly in wait,
swings out from his perch, makes his capture and returns to his
starting point, but a mad series of darts and dives and whirls, ot
onward rushes and as sudden stops, which yield not one insect but
many and, at the same time, display the bird's brilliant plumage in a
manner to set at defiance all laws of aggressive coloration. With what
dainty grace he spreads his tail, half opens his wings, and pirouettes
292
AMERICAN REDSTART
from limb to limb like a village belle with coquettishly held skirts trip-
ping the mazes of a country dance !
The Redstart is at home in almost any kind of more or less open
deciduous woodland, but prefers lowland woods with a sapling under-
growth. The increase in trees in towns is fortunately tempting it to
widen its range, and in Cambridge, Mass., Brewster states it nests,
in places, "almost if not quite so numerously as in the Fresh Pond
swamps, or in the wilder parts of Arlington, Belmont, and Waverly."
At times the Redstart descends to the ground to feed. Gerald
Thayer writes: "Like butterflies, of which they so much remind one,
— like many of the shy, high-flying butterflies, — the usually tree-hunt-
ing Redstarts are wont at times to descend to earth to do strange sca-
venging work. Horse-manure, with its attendant insects, mightily
attracts them, and near Monadnock it is a common thing to see them
skipping about on the muck of travelled high-roads. I have known
a male to spend most of his time this way, in one spot, for several
days in succession."
Annie Lyman Sears of Waltham, Mass., sends an interesting
study of a pair of Redstarts which on May 12, 1895, began to build
a nest on the bracket above a Venetian iron work lantern hanging
before the front door of her home. The female constructed the nest
alone and, unaided, performed the task of incubation. Miss Sears
writes: "It took (as nearly as I could tell) twelve days for the eggs
to hatch. After that the male was as busy as the female in supplying
the five hungry mouths with food. He never seemed at home on the
nest, and after feeding the young birds, would stand on a branch of
the lantern watching for his mate to return. When he saw her
approaching he would utter a little cry, fly down onto the piazza or steps
and sing. The female, on the contrary, after feeding the little ones,
settled down on the nest and stayed till the male brought more food.
They brought gnats, flies, green caterpillars, which they sometimes
appeared to break up in their own mouths before giving to the young
birds. Both birds became very tame, hopping about the chairs and steps
and nearly alighting on our persons. The male sang constantly.
The young left the nest on June 15, and as late as July 17, presumably
the same birds were seen in charge of the male who was still feeding
them."
Song. — The song of the Redstart can be readily recognized by
those who know it but like so many Warblers' songs of what may be
called the weechy type, loses all character when it is reduced to sylla-
bles.
AMERICAN REDSTART 293
"Has several distinct songs; the zee-zee-zee with the sharp, un-
finished ending, and the saw-filing one, Hke the Black and White
Creeper's, only more robust in quality, are the two I hear the oftenest."
(Farwell, MS.).
"In some years I have found this species songless soon after the
beginning of July. In seasons when it thus becomes silent, singing is
resumed in the first part of August and continues for two or three
weeks. But the period of July silence is inconstant and sometimes
, singing is little interrupted through the month. When this is the
case singing seems to cease finally at the end of the month, or early in
August, and is followed by no supplementary song-period. * * * In
the summer a song is commonly heard from the Redstart which is
weaker and otherwise different from the normal, and which is probably
produced by immature males." (Bicknell.)
"Of all the Wood Warblers I know, the Redstart comes nearest
to spoiling the rule that an adult Warbler's song can never be wholly
disguised for the practiced human ear. The bird is, indeed, an almost
lawlessly versatile songster, and few and far between must be the
bird-students who could not be mystified by any of the occasional
extreme vagaries of its singing. The fundamental tone-quality varies
as widely, though not as commonly, as the form and accentuation.
Time after time have I been puzzled by some perfectly new and sur-
prising freak of Redstart song, and that after years of acquaintance
with the bird's varied singing. Ranking on the whole among the
full-voiced Warblers, and singing commonly in a smooth, clear tone,
he will come out sometimes with a bunch of weak, buzzy notes, like
an exaggeration of all that is peculiar in the Parula's song, and in
almost every detail of form and delivery widely different from a nor-
mal Redstart utterance. Again, he will shrill in hair-thin, glassy notes,
like a Blackpoll, or loudly wheeze like a Black-throated Blue ; and
sometimes he will combine one or more of these foreign song-tones in
one phrase with his normal, clear, strong notes. As for the variations
and strange hybridisms of his phrasing and accenting, they are quite
beyond classification or description. One hears a noticeable new one
every few days, in summer, if one lives among New Hampshire Red-
starts. It is hard even to decide whether the bird should be said to
have one main song, or two, or three, or four, or five. But I believe
that three are comparatively constant, and could perhaps be traced as
the bases of all the variations. To add to the confusion of the matter,
the young males, for two years dull-colored, sing almost as freely as
their black-and-orange fathers ; but, — especially in the first autumn, —
294
AMERICAN REDSTART
often with phrases of their own, in addition to more or less imperfect
renderings of the adults' phrases. But never in any variation of the
Redstarts singing have I heard an unmistakable imitation of other
bird-notes, — as sometimes in the cases of the Chestnut-side and the
Northern Yellow-throat. He seems merely to be a singer so laxly
versatile that he occasionally chances into the song-styles of other
Warblers. His two or three call-notes are more constant. The com-
monest one is easily recognizable, though it has much likeness to the
calls of several other Warblers." (Thayer, MS.)
Miss Paddock sends notations of three songs and writes: "The
Redstart's voice is shrill and penetrating with a wiry quality. There
are two songs, the second less explosive and something like the Chest-
nut-sided Warbler's second song."
Tircce 8vai.
i
a
jjjjjri
^
we-see, we-see, wc-see
Nesting Site. — The Redstart usually selects an upright crotch from
two to thirty feet high in a sapling, the average height being from eight
to ten feet. Maples, beeches and elms are frequently chosen but the nest
is also placed in other deciduous trees. Burtch (MS.) writes of a nest
found June lo, 1900, at Branchport, N. Y., which was saddled on the
horizontal branch of a beech twelve feet from the ground.
Nest. — The nest is usually symmetrical in outline and compactly
made. It suggests in general appearance the nest of the Yellow War-
bler but contains less plant-down, or none at all. In other respects,
however, the Redstart's nest is often not to be distinguished from that
of D. cestiva. Externally it is composed largely of bits of spiders' webs
and silver-gray plant fibers wrapped about firmly woven inner bark
shreds and grasses; the lining consists chiefly of fine grasses, brown
root-like fibers, and hairs. In some instances feathers are used in the
lining. (Short^.)
Burtch (MS.) describes a nest found at Branchport, N. Y., June
I, 1903, as composed of weed bark and dead grass, lined with fine
grass and hair. It was handsomely decorated with the white egg
PAINTED REDSTART
295
cases of some insect, and with a fine, green, thread-like moss. The
same writer once found a Redstart using a Red-eyed Vireo's nest.
Eggs. — 3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color varies from white to
creamy, grayish or greenish white ; the markings consist of fine specks,
spots and blotches in various shades of cinnamon-brown, lilac-gray
and reddish, v^rith very few under shell markings of lavender. The
distribution of the markings is subject to considerable variation ; some
types are beautifully wreathed around the large end, with scattering
spots over rest of egg, others are quite heavily blotched over most of
the great end, and again the egg is evenly sprinkled all over. Size;
average, .63X.48; extremes, .56X.48, .58X.46, .70X.48, .69X.51. (Figs.
122-124.)
Nesting Dates. — Raleigh, N. C, May 12 (C W. C.) ; Waynes-
burg, Pa., May 19- June 6 (Jacobs) ; New York City, May 17-June 24
(F. M. C.) ; New Haven, Conn., May 20-June 27 (Bishop) ; Cam-
bridge, Mass., full sets, first laying, June 2-8 (Brewster) ; Lancaster,
N. H., May 30- June 13 (Spaulding) ; Bangor, Me., June 2-June 30
(Knight) ; Listowel, Ont., June 6- June 18 (Kelts) ; Oberlin, O., May
10- June 20 (Jones) ; River Forest, Cook Co., Ills., June i (Gault) ;
Petersburg, Mich., May 29 (C. W. C).
Biographical References
(i) Ernest H. Short, A Study in Orange and Black, (Redstart in W.
N. Y.), Oologist, X, 1893, 185. (2) W. L. Kells, Nesting of Some Canadian
Warblers, Ottawa Naturalist, XV, 1902, 227. (3) J. C. Wood, Some Notes on
the Life History of the American Redstart, Bull. Mich. Orn. Club. V, 1904, 33-
Painted Redstart
SETOPHAGA PICTA PICTA Swains. Plate XXIII
Distinguishing Characters.— This bird not only differs in color from any
known Warbler but the sexes are alike in plumage and the young assumes
mature dress the first autumn; all facts which tend to simplify the identifica-
tion of the species at any season. Length (skin), 4.75; wing, 2.75; tail, 2.50;
bill, .35-
Adult S, Spring.— Above shining black, tail black the three outer feathers
terminally white diminishing in amount from without inward; wings black,
outer primary and secondaries edged with white, middle and greater coverts
largely white forming a large white patch; throat and sides black, breast and
belly scarlet, ventral region white, under tail-coverts black tipped with white.
Adult ^, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring.
Young c?. Fa//.— Similar to adult d" in Fall.
Adult and young ?. — Similar to d*.
Nestling.— Sooty black, the belly more or less mixed with whitish; wings
and tail as in adult.
296 PAINTED REDSTART
General Distribution. — Mountains from Honduras to southern
Arizona and New Mexico.
Summer Range. — Mountains of Mexico north to Santa CataHna
Mountains, Arizona and Grant County, New Mexico.
Winter Range. — Mexico to Honduras.
Spring Migration. — Southern New Mexico, March 26; southern
Arizona, March 15.
The Bird and its Haunts. — The Painted Redstart was added to our
fauna by Major (then Lieutenant) Bendire, near Tucson, Arizona,
April 4, 1872. Henshaw, who found it in the same territory, in 1873
and 1874, states that "it appears not to inhabit the high mountains nor
the extreme lowlands, but to occupy an intermediate position, and to
find the rocky hills covered with sparse growth of oak most congenial
to its habits. * * *
"Their motions are almost an exact reflection of those of the com-
mon Redstart, which they so much resemble in form. With half shut
wings and outspread tail, they pass rapidly along the limbs of trees,
now and then making a sudden dart for a passing fly, which secured
they again alight and resume their search. They are constantly in
motion, and rarely remain in the same tree many moments. It not
infrequently may be seen cHnging to the trunk of a tree while it seizes
a grub or minute insect which its sharp eyes have detected hidden in
the bark."
Brewster- writes that Stephens found this species at an elevation
of fully 7,000 feet in the Chiricahua Mountains where it occurred most
numerously among the pines ; an experience differing from that of
Henshaw, as recorded above.
Howard^ found this Warbler breeding in the Santa Catalinas at
between 5,000 and 8,000 feet elevation. "With their wings partly
open and tail spread they may be seen hopping about on mossy banks
or stumps of large trees, generally in the vicinity of a spring or water-
fall ; now and then they will fly up to catch some insect, much after
the manner of the Flycatcher."
Nesting Site. — The nest of this species appears to have been first
discovered by Herbert Brown in June 1880, in the Santa Rita Moun-
tains of Arizona. (Bryant^) The following year it was found in
the same region by Stephens^, and later the bird was studied by
Howard^ and Breninger*. From the researches of these naturalists we
learn that, wholly unlike its eastern relative (Setophaga ruticilla), the
Painted Redstart places its nest on the ground, preferably on a bank
Plate XXIV
1. Pine Warbler, Adult Male.
3. Red-faced Warbler. Adult Male.
2. Pine Warbler, Female.
4. Red-faced Warbler, Female.
PAINTED REDSTART
297
or hillside, usually beneath a projecting rock or bunch of grass and,
Howard^ adds, in the vicinity of a. spring or waterfall.
Nest. — Brewster^ describes the nest as "large, flat and shallow,"
and as composed of bark, coarse fibers from weed-stalks, and fine
bleached grasses, the latter, with a few hairs forming a simple lining;
a description which seems to fit the average nest of this species.
Eggs. — Usually 4, Ground color white, finely dotted, in form of
wreath around large end, with reddish brown and lavender gray, and a
very few scattering dots over rest of tgg. Size; a typical set of 4
measures .65X.51, .65X.51, .66X.51, .64X.51. (Figs. 125,126.)
. Nesting Dates.— Sainta. Rita Mts., May 18 (Stephens).
Biographical References
(i) W. E. Bryant, Nest and Eggs of the Painted Flycatcher (in Arizona),
Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI, 1881, 176. (2) Wm. Brewster, On a Collection
Birds lately made by Mr. F. Stephens in Arizona, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VII,
1882, 140. (3) O. W. Howard, Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull.
Cooper Orn. Club (=Condor), I, 1899, 65. (4) G. F. Breninger, The Painted
Redstart (in Arizona), Condor, III, 1901, 147.
Hypothetical List
The following list contains those Warblers whose specific validity,
or whose occurrence in North America has not been definitely estab-
lished.
Cincinnati "Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA CINCINNATIENSIS (Langdon)
The single specimen known is generally considered to be a hybrid
between Helminthophila pinus and Oporornis formosa. See Langdon
Journ. Cine. Soc. Nat. Hist, III, 1880, 119, pi. 6; Bull. Nutt. Orn.
Qub V, 1880, 208, pi. 4; Ridgway, Ibid., 237.
BREWSTER'S Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA LEUCOBRONCHIALIS (Brewst.)
Apparently a color phase of Helminthophila pinus. See, however,
page 73, where the bird's status is discussed at length.
LAWRENCE'S Warbler
HELMINTHOPHILA LAWRENCEI (Herrick)
Doubtless a hybrid between H. pinus and H. chrysoptera. See
page 72 for a discussion of its status.
Carbonated Warbler
DENDROICA CARBONATA (Aud.)
This bird is known to us only from Audubon's plate and descrip-
tion based on two specimens taken by him at Henderson, Kentucky,
in May, 181 1 (Orn. Biog., i, 308 pi. 60).
Small-headed Warbler
WILSONIA MICROCEPHALA !Ridgw.)
This bird is known to us only from the descriptions and figures
of Wilson and Audubon. It was described by Wilson under the name
Muscicapa minuta. (Am. Orn. VI, 1812, 62), but in 1838 was referred
by Bonaparte to the genus Wilsonia. In 1885 Ridgway substituted
the name microcephala for that of minuta, the latter proving to be
preoccupied.
300
HYPOTHETICAL LIST
Whatever may have been the original of Wilson's Muscicapa
minuta there can be no question that no such bird as he described now
nests, as he supposed, in New Jersey. Of Kentucky, where Audubon
secured his specimen, so positive a statement is perhaps not
warranted, the recent discovery in that state of the nest of Bach-
man's Warbler indicating that our knowledge of its bird-life is still
far from complete.
Red-bellied Redstart
MYIOBORUS MINIATUS MINIATUS (Swains.)
A species of the Mexican tableland which was recorded from
"Texas" by Giraud ('Sixteen Species Texas Birds', 1841, pi. 7, fig. i),
but the seventy years which have passed since its alleged discovery in
what are now the United States make it reasonably sure that Giraud
did not get his specimen north of the present Mexican boundary, and
there seems to be no further excuse for extending to his record the
'benefit of the doubt.'
Red Warbler
ERGATICUS RUBER (Swtins.)
Recorded from Texas by Giraud as Parus leucotis ('Sixteen
Species of Texas Birds,' 1841, pi. 4, fig. i), but there appear to be no
definite records north of Durango and Sinaloa. See remarks under
the preceding species.
Brasher'S Warbler
BASILEUTERUS CULICIVORUS BRASHERI (Giraud)
A species of northeastern Mexico recorded from "Texas" by
Giraud ('Sixteen Species of Texas Birds,' 1841, pi. 6, fig. 2), but it
appears to be unknown north of Victoria, Tamaulipas. See remarks
under the two preceding species.
BELL'S Warbler
BASILEUTERUS BELLI BELLI (Giraud)
A species of southern Mexico recorded from "Texas" by Giraud
('Sixteen Species of Texas Birds,' 1841, pi. 4, fig. 2), but it appears
to be unknown north of the State of Vera Cruz. See remarks under
preceding species.
INDEX
ESTIVA, Dendroica ESTIVA, migration
of, i8; biography of, 113; figure of,
frontispiece ; eggs of figured, facing
144; nest of figured, facing 188.
agilis, Oporornis, biography of, 241 ; fig-
ure of, facing 236.
Alaskan Yellow Warbler, biography of,
120.
albilora, Dendroica dominica, biography
of, 184.
americana, Compsothlypis americana,
biography of, 103.
American Redstart, biography of, 287 ;
figure of, facing 288; eggs of figured,
facing 258 ; nest of figured, facing 272.
arizela, Geothlypis trichas, biography of,
260.
auduboni, Dendroica auduboni, biog-
raphy of, 147 ; figure of, facing 1 18 ;
eggs of figured, facing 144.
Audubon's Warbler, biography of, 147;
figure of, facing 118; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
aurocapillus, Seiurus, biography of, 219;
figure of, facing 226 ; eggs of figured,
facing 176; nest of figured, facing 200.
BACHMANi Helminthophila, biography
of, TJ\ figure of, facing 64.
Bachman's Warbler, biography of, ^T,
figure of, facing 64.
Basileuterus belli belli, 301.
Basileuterus culicivorus brasheri, 301.
Bay-breasted Warbler, biography of,
192; figure of, facing 138; eggs of
figured, facing 144.
beldingi, Geothlypis, biography of, 261 ;
figure of, facing 252.
Belding's Yellow-throat, biography of,
261 ; figure of, facing 252.
belli, Basileuterus belli, 301.
Bell's Warbler, 301.
brachidactyla, Geothlypis trichas, biog-
graphy of, 251; figure of, facing 252;
eggs of figured, facing 258.
brasheri, Basileuterus culicivorus, 301.
Brasher's Warbler, 301.
Brewster's Warbler, biography of, Ti\
figure of, facing 72.
Black and White Creeping Warbler,
same as Black and White Warbler,
which see.
Black and White Warbler, biography of,
38; song of, 131; figure of, facing 38;
eggs of figured, facing 44.
Black and Yellow Warbler, same as
Magnolia Warbler, which see.
blackburnise, Dendroica, biography of,
175; song of, 200; figure of, facing 50;
eggs of figured, facing 176.
Blackburnian Warbler, biography of,
175; song of, 200; figure of, facing
50; eggs of figured, facing 176.
Black-capped Flycatching Warbler, same
as Wilson's Warbler, which see.
Black-fronted Warbler, biography of,
151-
Blackpoll Warbler, mortality among, 36;
biography of, 196; figure of, facing
38 ; eggs of figured, facing 144 ; nest
of figured, facing 200.
Black-throated Blue Warbler, biography
of, 133; figure of, facing 112; eggs of
figured, facing 144.
Black-throated Gray Warbler, biography
of, 151; figure of, facing 152; eggs of
figured, facing 176.
Black-throated Green Warbler, biog-
raphy of, 157; figure of, facing 162;
eggs of figured, facing 176.
Blue Golden-winged Warbler, same as
Golden-winged Warbler, which see.
Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, same as
Parula Warbler and Northern Parula
Warbler, which see.
Blue-winged Warbler, biography of, 65 ;
figure of, facing •]2; eggs of figured,
facing 44.
Blue-winged Yellow Warbler, same as
Blue-winged Warbler, which see.
C^RULESCENS, DeNDROICA C^RULESCENS,
biography of, 133; figure of, facing
112; eggs of figured, facing 144.
cairnsi, Dendroica caerulescens, biog-
raphy of, 140.
Cairns' Warbler, biography of, 140.
Calaveras Warbler, biography of, 97.
302
INDEX
Canada Warbler, same as Canadian
Warbler, which see.
canadensis, Wilsonia, biography of, 280;
figure of, facing 280; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Canadian Warbler, biography of, 280;
figure of, facing 280; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Cape May Warbler, biography of, 128;
figure of, facing 214; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
carbonata, Dendroica, 299.
Carbonated Warbler, 299.
Cardellina rubrifrons, biography of, 285 ;
figure of, facing 296.
castanea, Dendroica, biography of, 192;
figure of, facing 138; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
castaneiceps, Dendroica bryanti, biog-
raphy of, 121; figure of, frontispiece;
eggs of figured, facing 144.
celata, Helminthophila celata, biography
of, 86; figure of, facing 86.
cerulea, Dendroica, biography of, 170;
figure of, facing 112; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Cerulean Warbler, biography of, 170;
figure of, facing 112; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Chamaethlypis poliocephala poliocephala,
biography of, 263 ; figure of, facing
226.
Chestnut-sided Warbler, biography of,
187; figure of, facing 138; eggs of
figured, facing 144; nest of figured,
facing 188.
chryseola, Wilsonia pusilla, biography
of, 279.
chrysoparia, Dendroica, biography of,
162; figure of, facing 162; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 176.
chrysoptera, Helminthophila, biography
of, 60 ; figure of, facing 72 ; eggs of
figured, facing 44.
cincinnatiensis, Helminthophila, 299.
Cincinnati Warbler, 299.
citrea, Protonotaria, biography of, 54;
figure of, facing 50; eggs of figured,
facing 44; nest of figured, facing 58.
Compsothlypis americana americana, bi-
ography of, 103.
Compsothlypis americana usneae, biog-
raphy of, 104; song, 173; figure of,
facing 104; eggs of figured, facing 44;
nest of figured, facing 58.
Compsothlypis pitiayumi nigrilora, biog-
raphy of, 109; figure of, facing 104.
Connecticut Warbler, biography of, 241 ;
figure of, facing 236.
coronata, Dendroica, biography of, 141 ;
figure of, facing 118; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Creeper, Black-and-White, same as
Black and White Warbler, which see.
Dendroica jestiva .estiva, migration
of, 18; biography of, 113; figure of,
frontispiece ; eggs of figured, facing
144; nest of figured, facing 188.
Dendroica sestiva rubiginosa, biography
of, 120.
Dendroica sestiva sonorana, biography
of, 119.
Dendroica auduboni auduboni, biog-
raphy of, 147; figure of, facing 118;
eggs of figured, facing 144.
Dendroica auduboni nigrifrons, biog-
raphy of, 151.
Dendroica blackburniae, biography of,
17s; song of, 200; figure of, facing 50;
eggs of figured, facing 176.
Dendroica bryanti castaneiceps, biog-
raphy of, 121; figure of, frontispiece;
eggs of figured, facing 144.
Dendroica caerulescens cserulescens, bi-
ography of, 133; figure of, facing 112;
eggs of figured, facing 144.
Dendroica caerulescens cairnsi, biog-
raphy of, 140.
Dendroica carbonata, 299.
Dendroica castanea, biography of, 192 ;
figure of, facing 138; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Dendroica cerulea, biography of, 170;
figure of, facing 112; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Dendroica chrysoparia, biography of,
162; figure of, facing 162; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 176.
Dendroica coronata, biography of, 141 ;
figure of, facing 118; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Dendroica discolor, biography of, 209;
figure of, frontispiece ; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
Dendroica dominica albilora, biography
of, 184.
Dendroica dominica dominica, biog-
raphy of, 180; figure of, facing 152;
eggs of figured, facing 176.
Dendroica graciae graciae, biography of,
185 ; figure of, facing 152.
Dendroica kirtlandi, biography of, 206;
figure of, facing 126; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
Dendroica maculosa, biography of, 121 ;
figure of, facing 126; eggs of figured,
facing, 144.
Dendroica nigrescens, biography of, 151;
INDEX
303
figure of. facing 152; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
Dendroica occidentalis, biography of,
167; figure of, facing 170.
Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea, biog-
raphy of, 216; eggs of figured, facing
176.
Dendroica palmarum palmarum, biog-
raphy of, 213; figure of, facing 214.
Dendroica pensylvanica, biography of,
187; figure of, facing 138; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 144; nest of figured, fac-
ing 188.
Dendroica striata, mortality among, 36 ;
biography of, 196; figure of, facing 38;
eggs of figured, facing 144; nest of
figured, facing 200.
Dendroica tigrina, biography of, 128;
figure of. facing 214; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Dendroica tovvnsendi, biography of, 154;
figure of. facing 170; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Dendroica vigorsi vigorsi, biography of,
201 ; figure of, facing 296 ; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 176.
Dendroica virens, biography of, 157 ; fig-
ure of, facing 162; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
discolor, Dendroica, biography of. 209;
figure of. frontispiece; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
dominica, Dendroica dominica, biog-
raphy of, 180; figure of, facing 152;
eggs of figured, facing 176.
Dusky Warbler, biography of, 90.
Ergaticus ruber, 300.
Florida Yellow-throat, same as
Southern Yellow-throat, which sec.
formosa, Oporornis, biography of, 235 ;
figure of. facing 236; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Geothlypis beldingi, biography of, 261 ;
figure of, facing 252.
Geothlypis trichas arizela, biography of,
260.
Geothlypis trichas brachidactyla, biog-
raphy of, 251; figure of, facing 252;
eggs of figured, facing 258.
Geothlypis trichas occidentalis. biog-
raphy of, 259.
Geothlj'pis trichas sinuosa, biography
of. 261.
Geothlypis trichas trichas, biography of,
257-
Golden-cheeked Warbler, biography of,
162; figure of, facing 162; eggs of
figured, facing 176.
Golden-crowned Thrush, same as Oven-
bird, which see.
Golden Pileolated Warbler, biography
of, 279.
Golden Swamp Warbler, same as Pro-
thonotary Warbler, which see.
Golden Warbler, same as Yellow War-
bler, which see.
Golden-winged Warbler, biography of,
60 ; figure of, facing 72 ; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
Grace's Warbler, biography of, 185;
figure of, facing 152.
graciae, Dendroica gracias, biography of,
185 ; figure of, facing 152.
Grinnell's Water-Thrush, biography of,
234-
gutturalis, Helminthophila rubricapilla,
biography of, 97.
Helinaia swainsoni, biography of,
44; figure of, facing 64; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
Helminthophila bachmani, biography of,
77', figure of, facing 64.
Helminthophila celata celata, biog-
raphy of, 86; figure of, facing 86.
Helminthophila celata lutescens, biog-
raphy of, 90; eggs of figured, facing
44.
Helminthophila celata orestera, biog-
raphy of, 89.
Helminthophila celata sordida, biog-
raphy of, 90.
Helminthophila chrysoptera, biography
of, 60; figure of. facing 72; eggs of
figured, facing 44.
Helminthophila cincinnatiensis, 299.
Helminthophila lawrencei, biography of,
72 ; figure of, facing 72.
Helminthophila leucobronchialis, biog-
raphy of, 72, ; figure of, facing 72.
Helminthophila Incise, biography of,
100; figure of, facing 98; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
Helminthophila peregrina, biography of,
83; figure of, facing 86; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
Helminthophila pinus, biography of, 65;
figure of. facing 72; eggs of figured,
facing 44.
Helminthophila rubricapilla gutturalis,
biography of. 97.
Helminthophila rubricapilla rubricapilla,
biography of, 92; figure of, facing 86;
eggs of figured, facing 44.
Helminthophila virginiae, biography of,
98; figure of. facing 98; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
304
fNDEX
Helmitheros vermivorus, biography of,
48; figure of, facing 64; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
Hermit Warbler, biography of, 167;
figure of, facing 170.
Hooded Warbler, biography of, 269;
figure of, facing 264; eggs of figured,
facing 258; nest of figured, facing 272.
hypochrysea, Dendroica palmarum, bi-
ography of, 216; eggs of figured, fac-
ing 176.
IcTERiA viRENs LONGiCAUDA, biography
of, 268.
Icteria virens virens, biography of, 264;
figure of, facing 264; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Kentucky Warbler, biography of, 235 ;
figure of, facing 236; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
kirtlandi, Dendroica, biography of, 206;
figure of, facing 126; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
Kirtland's Warbler, biography of, 206 ;
figure of, facing 126; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
Large-billed Water-Thrush, same as
Louisiana Water-Thrush, which see.
lawrencei, Helminthophila, biography
of, 72 ; figure of, facing 72.
Lawrence's Warbler, biography of, 72;
figure of, facing 72.
leucobronchialis, Helminthophila, biog-
raphy of, 73 ; figure of, facing 72.
longicauda, Icteria virens, biography of,
268.
Long-tailed Chat, biography of, 268.
Louisiana Water-Thrush, biography of,
226; figure of, facing 226; eggs of
figured, facing 176.
lucise, Helminthophila, biography of,
100; figure of, facing 98; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
Lucy's Warbler, biography of, 100; fig-
ure of, facing 98; eggs of figured,
facing 44.
lutescens, Helminthophila celata, biog-
raphy of, 90; eggs of figured, facing
44.
Lutescent Warbler, biography of, 90 ;
eggs of figured, facing 44.
Macgillivray's Warbler, biography of,
249 ; figure of, facing 244 ; eggs of
figured, facing 258.
maculosa, Dendroica, biography of, 121 ;
figure of, facing 126; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Magnolia Warbler, biography of, 121 ;
figure of, facing 126; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Mangrove Warbler, biography of, 121 ;
figure of, frontispiece; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 144.
Maryland Yellow-throat, same as
Northern Yellow-throat, which see.
microcephala, Wilsonia, 299.
miniatus, Myioborus miniatus, 300.
mitrata, Wilsonia, biography of, 269;
figure of, facing 264; eggs of figured,
facing 258; nest of figured, facing
272.
Mniotilta varia, biography of, 38; song
of, 131; figure of, facing 38; eggs of
figured, facing 44.
motacilla, Seiurus, biography of, 226;
figure of, facing 226; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
Mourning Warbler, biography of, 244;
figure of, facing 244; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Myioborus miniatus miniatus, 300.
Myrtle Bird, same as Myrtle Warbler,
which see.
Myrtle Warbler, biography of, 141 ; fig-
ure of, facing 118; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
Nashville Warbler, biography of, 92;
figure of, facing 86; eggs of figured,
facing 44.
nigrescens, Dendroica, biography of,
151; figure of. facing 152; eggs of
figured, facing 176.
nigrifrons. Dendroica auduboni, biog-
raphy of, 151.
nigrilora, Compsothlypis pitiayumi, bi-
ography of, 109; figure of, facing 104.
Northern Parula Warbler, same as
Parula Warbler, which see.
Northern Water-Thrush, biography of.
230; figure of, facing 226; eggs of
figured, facing 176.
Northern Yellow-throat, biography of,
251 ; figure of. facing 252; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 258.
notabilis, Seiurus noveboracensis, biog-
raphy of, 234.
noveboracensis, Seiurus noveboracensis,
biography of, 230; figure of, facing
226; eggs of figured, facing 176.
occiDENTALis, Dendroica, biography of,
167; figure of, facing 170.
occidentalis. Geothlypis trichas, biog-
raphy of, 259.
olivaceus, Peucedramus, biography of,
no; figure of, facing 98; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 144.
Olive Warbler, biography of. no; fig-
ure of, facing 98; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
INDEX
305
Oporornis agilis, biography of, 241 ; fig-
ure of, facing 236.
Oporornis formosa, biography of, 235 ;
figure of, facing 236; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Oporornis Philadelphia, biography of,
244; figure of, facing 244; eggs of
figured, facing 258.
Oporornis tolmiei, biography of, 249;
figure of, facing 244; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Orange-crowned Warbler, biography of,
86; figure of, facing 86.
orestera, Helminthophila celata, biog-
raphy of, 89.
Oven-bird, biography of, 219; figure of,
facing 226; eggs of figured, facing
176; nest of figured, facing 200.
Pacific Yellow-throat, biography of,
260.
Painted Redstart, biography of, 295 ;
figure of, facing 288; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
palmarum, Dendroica palmarum, biog-
raphy of, 213; figure of, facing 214.
Palm Warbler, biography of, 213; fig-
ure of, facing 214.
Parula Warbler, biography of, 104;
song of, 173; figure of, facing 104;
eggs of figured, facing 44; nest of
figured, facing 58.
pensylvanica, Dendroica, biography of,
187; figure of, facing 138; eggs of
figured, facing 144; nest of figured,
facing 188.
peregrina, Helminthophila, biography
of, 83; figure of, facing 86; eggs of
figured, facing 44.
Peucedramus olivaceus, biography of,
no; figure of, facing 98; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 144.
Philadelphia, Oporornis, biography of,
244; figure of, facing 244; eggs of
figured, facing 258.
picta, Setophaga picta, biography of,
295; figure of, facing 288; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 258.
pileolata, Wilsonia pusilla, biography of,
278; eggs of figured, facing 258.
Pileolated Warbler, biography of, 278;
eggs of figured, facing 258.
Pine-Creeping Warbler, same as Pine
Warbler, which see.
Pine Warbler, biography of, 201 ; fig-
ure of, facing 296; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
pinus, Helminthophila, biography of.
65; figure of, facing 72; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
poliocephala, Chamaethlypis polioceph-
ala, biography of, 263; figure of, fac-
ing 226.
Prairie Warbler, biography of, 209; fig-
ure of, frontispiece; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
Prothonotary Warbler, biography of,
54; figure of, facing 50; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44; nest of figured, fac-
ing 58.
Protonotaria citrea, biography of, 54;
figure of, facing 50; eggs of figured,
facing 44; nest of figured, facing 58.
pusilla, Wilsonia pusilla, biography of,
274; figure of, faring 280.
Red-bellied Redstart, 300.
Red-faced Warbler, biography of, 285 ;
figure of, facing 296.
Red-poll Warbler, same as Palm War-
bler, which see.
Red Warbler, 300.
Rio Grande Yellow-throat, biography of,
263; figure of, faring 226.
Rocky Mountain Orange-crown, biog-
raphy of, 89.
ruber, Ergaticus, 300.
rubiginosa, Dendroica aestiva, biography
of, 120.
rubricapilla, Helminthophila rubricapilla,
biography of, 92 ; figure of, facing 86 ;
eggs of figured, facing 44.
rubrifrons, Cardellina, biography of,
285 ; figure of, facing 296.
ruticilla, Setophaga, biography of, 287;
figure of, facing 288; eggs of figured,
facing 258 ; nest of figured, facing 272.
Salt Marsh Yellow-throat, biography
of, 261.
Seiurus aurocapillus, biography of, 219;
figure of, facing 226; eggs of figured,
facing 176; nest of figured, facing
200.
Seiurus motacilla, biography of, 226;
figure of, facing 226; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis, biog-
raphy of, 234.
Seiurus noveboracensis noveboracensis,
biography of, 230; figure of, facing
226; eggs of figured, facing 176.
Sennett's Warbler, biography of, 109;
figure of, facing 104.
Setophaga picta picta, biography of,
295; figure of, facing 288; eggs of
figured, facing 258.
Setophaga ruticilla, biography of, 287;
3o6
INDEX
figure of, facing 288; eggs of figured,
facing 258; nest of figured, facing
272.
sinuosa, Geothlypis trichas, biography
of, 261.
Small-billed Water-Thrush, same as
Northern Water-Thrush, which see.
Small-headed Warbler, 299.
sonorana, Dendroica asstiva, biography
of, 119.
Sonora Yellow Warbler, biography of,
119.
sordida, Helminthophila celata, biog-
raphy of, 90.
Southern Parula Warbler, biography of,
103.
Southern Yellow-throat, biography of,
257-
striata, Dendroica, mortality among, 36;
biography of, 196; figure of, facing
38; eggs of figured, 144; nest of fig-
ured, facing 200.
Summer Yellow-bird, same as Yellow
Warbler, which see.
swainsoni, Helinaia, biography of, 44;
figure of, facing 64; eggs of figured,
facing 44.
Swainson's Warbler, biography of, 44 ;
figure of, facing 64; eggs of figured,
facing 44.
Sycamore Warbler, biography of, 184.
Tennessee Warbler, biography of, 83;
figure of, facing 86; eggs of figured,
facing 44.
tigrina, Dendroica, biography of, 128;
figure of, facing 214; eggs of figured,
facing 144.
tolmiei, Oporornis, biography of, 249;
figure of, facing 244; eggs of figured,
facing 258. *
Tolmie's Warbler, same as Macgilli-
vray's Warbler, which see.
townsendi, Dendroica, biography of,
154; figure of, facing 170; eggs of
figured, facing 258.
Townsend's Warbler, biography of,
154; figure of, facing 170; eggs of
figured, facing 258.
trichas, Geothlypis trichas, biography
of, 257.
USNE^, COMPSOTHLYPIS AMERICANA,
biography of, 104; song of, 173; fig-
ure of, facing 104; eggs of figured,
facing 44; nest of figured, facing 58.
VARiA, Mniotilta, biography of, 38;
song of, 131; figure of, facing 38;
eggs of figured, facing 44.
vermivorus, Helmitheros, biography of.
48; figure of, facing 64; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
vigorsi, Dendroica vigorsi, biography of,
201; figure of, facing 296; eggs of
figured, facing 176.
virens, Dendroica, biography of, 157;
figure of, facing 162; eggs of figured,
facing 176.
virens, Icteria virens, biography of,
264; figure of, facing 264; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 258.
virginise, Helminthophila, biography of,
98; figure of, facing 98; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
Virginia's Warbler, biography of, 98;
figure of, facing 98; eggs of figured,
facing 44.
Warblers, distribution of, 11; food of,
23 ; general characters of, 7 ; generic
synopsis of, 38; migration of, 14;
mortality among, 34; nesting habits
of, 22 ; plumage of, 7 ; songs of, 20.
Western Yellow-throat, biography of,
259-
Wilsonia canadensis, biography of, 280;
figure of, facing 280; eggs of figured,
facing 258.
Wilsonia microcephala, 299.
Wilsonia mitrata, biography of, 269;
figure of, facing 264; eggs of figured,
facing 258; nest of figured, facing 272.
Wilsonia pusilla chryseola, biography of,
279.
Wilsonia pusilla pileolata, biography of,
278; eggs of figured, facing 258.
Wilsonia pusilla pusilla, biography of,
274; figure of, facing 280.
Wilson's Warbler, biography of, 274;
figure of, facing 280.
Worm-eating Warbler, biography of,
48; figure of, facing 64; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 44.
Yellow-breasted Chat, biography of,
264; figure of, facing 264; eggs of
figured, facing 258.
Yellow Palm Warbler, biography of,
216; eggs of figured, facing 176.
Yellow Red-poll Warbler, same as Yel-
low Palm Warbler, which see.
Yellow-rumped Warbler, same as Myr-
tle Warbler, which see.
Yellow-throated Warbler, biography of,
180; figure of, facing 152; eggs of fig-
ured, facing 176.
Yellow Warbler, migration of, 18; biog-
raphy of, 113; figure of, frontispiece;
eggs of figured, facing 144; nest of
figured, facing 188.
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