THE WARBLERS OR NORTH AMERICA LABORATORY OF ORNITHOLOGY LIBRARY SS —7 ft f [Vappore Kith kewo CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY | | ——— See Laboratory of Ornithology (159 Sapsucker Woods Road Comell University Whaca, New York i-. Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022537439 THE WARBLERS OF NORTH AMERICA By FRANK M. CHAPMAN Curator of Ornithology in the American Museum of Natural History. HANDBOOK OF BIRDS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. _ Revised Edition. With Keys to the Species, Descriptions of their Plumages, Nests, etc., and their Dis- tribution and Migrations. With over 200 Illustrations. Also in Cloth, $3.75 net. PockeT EDITION, with flexible covers, $4.25 net. BIRD-LIFE. 4 Guide to the Study of Our Common Birds. PopuLaR EDITION in colors, Cloth, $2.25 net. BIRD STUDIES WITH A CAMERA. with Introductory Chapters on the Outfit and Methods of the Bird Photographer. Illustrated with over 100 Photographs from Nature by the Author. Cloth, $2.00 net. THE WARBLERS OF NORTH AMERICA. With Contributions from other Ornitholo- gists and 24 full-page Colored Plates illus- trating every species, from Drawings by L. A, Fuertes and B. Horsfall, and Half-tones of Nests and Eggs. Cloth, $3.25 net; post- age, 20 cents additional. CAMPS AND CRUISES OF AN ORNITHOLOGIST. With 250 Photographs from Nature by the Author. Cloth, $3.25 net. COLOR KEY TO NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. Revised Edition. With over 800 pictures. Cloth, $2.75 net. THE TRAVELS OF BIRDS. 45 cents net. D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. Puate I 1. YELtow Wareter, MALE. 4. MANGROVE WARBLER, FEMALE. 2. YELLow Warpter, FEMALE. 5. Prarri—E WarBLER, Mace. 3. Mancrove Warecer, MALE. 6. Prarric WarBLER, FEMALE. (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE.) THE WARBLERS OF NORTH AMERICA BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN WITH THE COOPERATION OF OTHER ORNITHOLOGISTS WITH TWENTY-FOUR FULL-PAGE COLORED PLATES, ILLUSTRATING EVERY SPECIES, FROM DRAWINGS BY LOUISIAGASSIZ FUERTES AND BRUCE HORSFALL, AND HALF-TONES OF NESTS AND EGGS THIRD EDITION NEW YORK D. APPLETON & COMPANY 191y ORNITE zyveRTSs Copyright, 1907 By Frank M. CaaPMAan All rights reserved Published, March, 1907 Reprinted, January, 1914; October, 1917. PREFACE HE 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 a 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 codperation 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. Best gems of Nature’s cabinet With dews of tropic morning wet. —Longfellow CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTORY I PLAN OF THE WorK I List oF CONTRIBUTORS 5 THE WOOD WARBLERS 7 GENERAL CHARACTERS OF WARBLERS 7 PLUMAGE OF WARBLERS 7 DISTRIBUTION OF WARBLERS 3h . j . 5 e ‘ 3 II MIGRATION OF WaRBLERS, W. W. Coole : r ‘ : - . ‘ 14 Soncs oF WARBLERS ; ‘ : 20 Nestinc Hapits oF WARBLERS : ‘ , E ‘ = ‘ 22 Foop or Warsiers, Edward Howe Roriuaty : , ; $ 3 : 23 Mortality AMONG WARBLERS . ‘ : ; , ‘ A : 33 THE WARBLERS OF NORTH AMERICA : . ; : - i 37 Genus 1. Mwyiormta : , ; 2 38 1. Mniottlta varia, ‘Bible aia White Warlier 3 ‘ ¥ ‘ 38 Genus 2. HELINAIA : 43 2. Helinaia swainsoni, ‘Suauiwpnte Weber. ‘ . : 7 44 Genus 3. HELMITHEROS : : J ‘i 48 3. Helmitheros vermivorus, Weduedine ‘Wachter: : “ 48 Genus 4. PROTONOTARIA : F . F 53 4. Protonotaria citrea, Prothonotary “Wartilen, . ; a 54 Genus 5. VERMIVORA s 5 59 5. Vermivora eietawient, Golden-winged Warbler. . 60 6. « pinus, Blue-winged Warbler. . . . . 65 rf et bachmani, Bachman’s Warbler. ‘ ‘ , 77 8. A peregrina, Tennessee Warbler. : ‘ j 83 9. a celata celata, Orange-crowned Warbler. - 86 ga. “ orestera, Rocky Mountain Orange-crown. 80 gb. “ lutescens, Lutescent Warbler. . ‘ : 90 oc. ee “ sordida, Dusky Warbler. ‘ F 2 or 10. “ rubricapilla rubricapilla, Nashville Warbler. . 92 10a, * a gutturalis, Calaveras Warbler. . 97 II, is virginie, Virginia’s Warbler. . ‘ ‘i . 98 12. sf lucie, Lucy’s Warbler. a . : ¥ . 100 oy Genus Genus Genus Genus Genus 6. COoMPSOTHLYPIS j 4 ‘ x 13. Compsothlypis americana americana, ” Southern Parula Warbler. 13a. # usnee, Northern Parula Warbler. . 14. a pitiayumi nigrilora, Sennett’s Warbler. 7, PEUCEDRAMUS 15. Peucedramus olivaccus, ‘Olive Warbler, 8. DENDROICA 16. Dendroica estiva tact: Yellow Warbler, 16a. nf “—sonorana, Sonora Yellow inser: 16b. fe “ — rubiginosa, Alaskan Yellow Warbler. 16c. “— brewstert, California Yellow Warbler. . 17. . bryanti castaneiceps, Mangrove Warbler. 18. 7 magnolia, Magnolia Warbler. 19. es tigrina, Cape May Warbler. ; 20. a cerulescens cerulescens, Black-throated "Blue Warbler _ 20a. e a cairnsi, Cairns’ Warbler. 21. eS coronata, Myrtle Warbler. 22, a auduboni auduboni, Audubon’s Warten, 22a. ne * nigrifrons, Black-fronted Warbler. 23. a nigrescens, Black-throated Gray Warbler. . 24. townsendi, Townsend’s Warbler. 25. virens, Black-throated Green Warbler. 26. s chrysoparia, Golden-cheeked Warbler. 29: eS occidentalis, Hermit Warbler. 28. ms cerulea, Cerulean Warbler. 29. . fusca, Blackburnian Warbler, : 30. . dominica dominica, Yellow-throated Washlee, 7 30a. i is albilora, Sycamore Warbler. BI: os gracie@ gracie, Grace’s Warbler. . 32. my pensylvanica, Chestnut-sided Warbler. 33. of castanea, Bay-breasted Warbler. 34. i striata, Blackpoll Warbler. 35. vigorst vigorsi, Pine Warbler. 36. “ kirtlundi, Kirtland’s Warbler. 37. as discolor, Prairie Warbler. ; 38. & palmarum palmarum, Palm Warbler. . 38a. 7 = hypochrysea, Yellow Palm ‘Wea iax 9. SEIURUS 39. Seiurus minteeitiie. Ovens ira, 2 40. ee motacilla, Louisiana Water-Thrush. : 4I. “— noveboracensis noveboracensis, Northern Water: Thrush. 4la. y i notabilis, Grinnell’s en Thewsh, 10. Oporornis 42. Oporornis Secon: Kentucky Warten. 43. _ agilis, Connecticut Warbler. vi Page 102 103 104 109 110 110 113 119 120 120 121 121 128 133 140 14. 147 151 151 154 157 162 167 170 175 180 184 185 187 192 196 201 206 209 213 216 218 21g 226 230 234 235 235 241 Genus Genus Genus Genus Genus Genus 44. Oporornis philadelphia, Mourning Warbler. 45. ns tolmiet, Macgillivray’s Warbler. 11. GEOTHLYPIS 46. Geothinhis trichas dete Maryland Yellow fier 46a. ignota, Florida Yellow-throat. 46b. " “ occidentalis, Western Yellow-throat. 46c. re x arizela, Pacific Yellow-throat. 46d. 7 a sinuosa, Salt Marsh Yellow-throat. 47. i beldingi, Belding’s Yellow-throat. 12, CHAMATHLYPIS 48. Chamethlypis ities polocephal, "Rio Grande Yellow-throat. 13, IcTERIA 49. Icteria virens virens, Yenow: beekstedl Chet, 49a.“ ‘“ longicauda, Long-tailed Chat. 14. WILSONIA 50. Wilsonia citrina, Hiaiied Writes. 51. “ pusilla pusilla, Wilson’s Warbler. 5la. pileolata, Pileolated Warbler. 5Ib. es io chryseola, Golden Pileolated Warbler. 52. " canadensis, Canada Warbler. 15 CARDELLINA 53. Cardellina iailintinains, Red: tced Warbler. 16. SETOPHAGA 54. Setophaga ruticilla, Minden Raawiaete 55: "7 picta picta, Painted Redstart. HYPOTHETICAL LIST INDEX. FIGures. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS COLORED PLATES Factne Passe. YELLOW, MANGROVE, AND Prarrig Warsiers. Horsfall.. | Frontispiece BLaACKPOLL AND BLACK AND WHITE WarBLers. Horsfall. BLACKBURNIAN AND ProTHONOTARY WarsLers. Horsfall. . BacuMan’s, SWaINSsoNn’s, AND WorM-EATING WarBLERS. Fuertes. BLUE-WINGED, LAWRENCE’S, BREWSTER’S, AND GOLDEN-WINGED Warsiers. Fuertes. : : , Ouive, Lucy’s, anp VircINIA’s WaRBLERS. Fuertes. ‘ TENNESSEE, ORANGE-CROWNED, AND NASHVILLE WARBLERS. Hors- fall. 7 i ; F PaRULA AND SENNETT’S WARBLERS. Fuertes. . ‘ : CERULEAN AND BLacK-THROATED BLUE WaARBLERS. Fuertes. . MyrTLeE AND AUDUBON’S WaRBLERS. Fuertes. . Macwnoria anp KirtLanp’s Warzcers. Horsfall. . Bay-BREASTED AND CHESTNUT-SIDED Warscers. Horsfall. . YELLOW-THROATED, GRACE’S, AND BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS. Fuertes. - 7 ‘ F F , . é ‘ : BLACK-THROATED GREEN AND GOLDEN-CHEEKED WarsLeErs. Horsfall. HERMIT AND TOWNSEND’S WaRBLERS. Fuertes. Care May AnD Patm Warsters. Fuertes. F : . Rio GRANDE YELLOW-THROAT, OVEN-BIRD, NoRTHERN WATER- TurusH, Lovistana WaTER-THRUSH, Fuertes. . KENTUCKY AND CONNECTICUT WarBLERS. Horsfall. MaccILLIvRAY’s AND MourniNG Warscers. Horsfall. . BeELpING’s AND MARYLAND YELLOW-THROATS. Fuertes. . HoopepD WARBLER, YELLOW-BREASTED CuHaT. Horsfall. . Witson’s AND CANADA WaAarsLeERs. Fuertes. AMERICAN AND Parntep Repstarts. Horsfall. Pine AND RED-FACED WARBLERS. Horsfall. PHOTOGRAPHS OF NESTS AND EGGS 38 50 64 72 98 Facine Pace. 1. Nest oF ProTHONOTARY WARBLER. 2. Nest oF ParuLA WARBLER. 3-32. Eccs or WARBLERS. 33. NEST OF YELLOW WARBLER. 34. Nest oF CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. 35-64. 65-94. Eccs oF WARBLERS. Eccs or WARBLERS. 95. Nest oF BLACKPOLL WARBLER. 96. Nest oF OVEN-BIRD, 97-126. Eccs oF WARBLERS. 127. Nest oF REDSTART. 128. Nest of Hoopep WarsLer. ix INTRODUCTORY PLAN OF THE WORK The plan on which this work was projected was outlined 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. Codperation, 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 Major Bendire’s wide field experience and powers of observation, but also because he secured the codperation 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 Mniotiltide 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 codéperation 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. A 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. 18 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 of information. The collections of the American Museum, William Brewster, and C. W. Crandall have been used, while particularly acceptable manuscript contributions were made by Andrew Allison, Frank L. Burns, and Verdi Burtch. PLAN OF THE WORK 5 Eggs.—tThe descriptions and measurements of the eggs were pre- pared by Mr. C. W. Crandall, well known as a careful, conservative odlogist. 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 Daies.—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 cf 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 Waldron DeWitt Miller, Robert C. Murphy, and Ludlow Griscom 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, Ils. 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 Mniotiltide), or Wood Warblers as they are more formally called to distinguish them from the wholly different Old World Warblers (Family Sylviide), are small _insectivorous birds with generally slender, sharp-pointed, sometimes flattened, but never hooked (as in the Vireonidz) 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 Tyrannide), the hind-claw never lengthened (as in the Alaudide or Motacillide). 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 Tyrannide), 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 Vermivora 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.—lIt 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 Vermivora peregrina, V. rubricapilla, V. pinus, Dendroica vigorsi, Geothlypih trichas, Oporonis formosus, Wilsonia pusilla, W. citrina, 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. auduboni, D. magnolia, D. Striata, D. castanea, D. fusca, D. palmarum, and the Sewuri. When the adult is gray above the nestling is gray, as in Vermi- vora lucie, Dendroica nigrescens, and D. dominica; and when the adult is brown above the nestling is brown or brownish, as in Helinaia swainsoni, Helmitheros vermivorus, and Seiurus 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(e. g. Dendroica cerulescens). When, however, no such difference exists, the nestlings of both sexes are alike in color, “a PLUMAGE OF WARBLERS First Fall Plumage—tLeaving 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: t. 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, Vermivora, pinus, V. lucia, Dendroica dominica, the Seiuri, Oporornis formosus, Teteria 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. ‘his class includes by far the largest number of Warblers. Examples are Mniotilta, Vermivora rubricapilla, V. celata, V. peregrina, Peucedramus, Compsothlypis, Dendroica tigrina, D. estiva, D. coronata, D. auduboni, D. magnolia, D. pensylvanica, D. striata, D. castanea, D. fusca, D. nigrescens, D. virens, D. townsendi, D. palmarum, D. discolor, Oporornis agilis, O. philadelphia, O. tolmiei, Exceptions are Vermivora chrysiptera, Dendroica carules- cens, and Wilsoma citrina. Adult plumage.—Essentially adult plumage, as we have seen, is acquired not later than the first spring molt by all our Warblers except Vermivora 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, Vermivora lucie, V. virginia, V. pinus, Dendroica dominica, D. gracie, D. kirtlandi, the Seiuri, Chamethlypis, 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. magnolia, D. Pensylvanica, D. castanea, D. striata, D. fusca. Exceptions are: Vermivora bachmani, DISTRIBUTION OF WARBLERS Il Ve chrysoptera, Pencedramus, Dendroica ca@rulescens, O porornis agtlis, and O. tolmiei. DISTRIBUTION OF WARBLERS The approximately one hundred and fifty-five species contained in the family Mniotiltide 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 4O species Galapagos IO 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 Basileuterus 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 Certhidea, 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 Basileuterus, 2 of Oreothlypis, 1 of Compsothlypis, 1 of Vermivora, 6 of Geothlypis, 2 of Chame- thlypis, 4 of Granatellus, 3 of Myioborus, 1 of Euthlypis, 2 of Erga- ticus, and 2 of Rhodinocichla. The West Indies have 10 species of Dendroica, 1 of Catharopeza, 2 of Teretistris, 1 of Leucopeza, 1 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 Norta America. Of the 16 genera of Warblers found in North America, the following 7 have no species breeding south of our limits: Maio- tilta, Helinaia, Helmitheros, Protonotaria, (all monotypic), Opor- ornis, Seiurus, and Wilsonia. None of the 9 species of Vermivora 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 Vermivora, 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, Chame- 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, gracie 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. adelaide and D. delicata, by our D. dominica and D. gracie; D. vigorsti achrustera 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 Helinaia and Helmitheros, both confined to the east, as of West Indian rather than of Mexican 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. Chamethlypis 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 formosus and Wilsonia citrina) 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 1 of them is presumably of West Indian origin. Omitting, therefore, Chamethlypis 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 FamMiLy MNIOTILTIDA. Mniotilta, 1 species, eastern North America. Helinaia, 1 species, eastern North America. Helmitheros, 1 species, eastern North America. Protonotaria, 1 species, eastern North America. Vermivora, 9 species, 8 North America, 1 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 Peucedramus, 1 species, Guatemala, Mexico, southern Arizona and New Mexico. Dendroica, 34 species, South America, Central America, Mexico, West Indies, North America. Catharopeza, 1 species, West Indies. Oporornis, 4 species, North America. Seiurus, 3 species, North America. Teretistris, 2 species, West Indies. Leucopeza, 1 species, West Indies. Microligea, 1 species, West Indies. Geothlypis, 19 species, South America from Argentina north to Central America, Mexico, Bahamas, and North America. Chamethlypis, 2 species, Mexico, Texas. Ieteria, 1 species, North America and Mexico. Granatellus, 4 species, South America, Central America and Mexico. Wilsonia, 3 species, North America. Cardellina, 1 species, Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico. Setophaga, 2 species, North America, Mexico, Guatemala. Myioborus, 12 species, South America, Central America, Mexico. Euthlypis, 1 species, Central America, Mexico. Basileuterus, 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 Warbler 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 Florida Yellow-throats (Geothlypis trichas ignota) that are resident throughout the year in Florida and southern Georgia, and also a few of the western form of the Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora 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, Myrtle, 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 Canada Warblers, 16 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 chain 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 Blackpoll 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 Jand 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 18 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; ina 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 1y 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, who 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 Canada Warbler forms one of the rear guard, after egetation has reached nearly full summer luxuriance. Instead of e yaiene until the winter’s cold and a shortage of food compel 20 SONGS OF WARBLERS them to depart, the more southern breeding 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 ad«led to our enjoyment of the present. All the sweetness and promise of spring seems stored in Parula’s little sizzling gurgle; there is good ckeer and sunshine in Yellow Warbler’s simple lay; peace and rest in the quaint zeeing of the Black-throated Green. The flight songs af 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. Crass I. Warsters Wuicu Sinc Waite 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 which have not loud, whistled songs. Tennessee, Cape May, Blackburnian, Palm. Crass IJ. Warsters Wuicu SING WHILE FEEDING. Group A. Songs of the wee-chee or cher-wee type, with a whistled quality. Yellow, Magnolia, 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 Sparrow or Junco type. Worm-eating, Bachman’s, Nashville, Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Virginia’s, Myrtle, Audubon’s and Palm Warblers. Group C. Warblers in whose 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. Warblers with a thin or wiry song. Black and White, Cape May, Blackpoll, Blackburnian. 22 NESTING HABITS OF WARBLERS Cuass III. Warsriers WirH a FLicHt Sona. 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 Seiuri, 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 egg 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 tpon 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 larve, 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 different 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 larve of such great and destructive insects as the Cecropia and Polyphemus moths while these insects are still too small to attract attention. These larvee which were so oe 1 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 ntinute. 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 1 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 millions of dollars to the wheat growers of the United States. My former assistant, Mr. F. H. Mosher, one day observed a pair of (Maryland) 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 (Maryland) 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 shaking 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 larve 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. Forbuhs, Forty-eighth Annual Report of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, 1000, 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 Tortricide, 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 larve of the night-flying owlet moths (Noctuide), 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 Bombycide, but now subdivided into many groups, include a number of the insects most injurious to fruit, shade, and forest trees. The larvz 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 Warblers 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 larve 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 larve begin to hatch as the spring migration begins. The Warblers, in both cases, appear at just the right time and destroy the small larve by thousands. The tent-caterpillar and the forest caterpillar also are attacked by them during the spring, and eaten in considerable numbers. The larve of butterflies are taken as well as the pupe 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 Aphidide 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 (Coccinellide) apparently are seldom eaten. The tiger beetles and the larger useful ground beetles (Cicindelide and Carabidz) are not much sought by Warblers. Many of the injurious bark beetles and other boring beetles are greedily eaten. Bark beetles (Scolytide) 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 larve 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 gt 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 aérial 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 effect 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. 32 FOOD OF WARBLERS The flock seldom exceeded fifteen birds, mostly Blackpoll 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 mortality 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. Ag 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 albilora). 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 (Seturus 36 MORTALITY AMONG WARBLERS motacilla) and one Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina). 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 Blackpoll Warblers, and more than half the twenty five species represented were Warblers. (Dutcher, 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 Geothlypis, 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 (1 species) is a black and white creeping Warbler. 2. Helinaia (1 species) is a long-billed, brown, cane-brake Warbler. 3. Helmitheros (1 species) is an olive-green, striped-crowned, worm-eating Warbler of dry wooded slopes. 4. Protonotaria (1 species) is a golden headed inhabitant of river bottoms. 5. Vermivora (8 species) contains small, sharp-billed, seconde growth Warblers, mostly without white wing-bars or tail patches. 6. Compsothlypis (2.species) is grayish blue and nests in hanging ‘moss’. 7. Peucedramus (1 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. Seiurus (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. Chamethlypis (1 species) is a chat-like Yellow-throat of southeastern Texas and southward. 13. Icteria (1 species) is a large-bodied, big-billed, short- winged, yellow-breasted haunter of thickets. 14. Wélsonia (3 species) contains the yellow-breasted, flycatch- ing Warblers, with flat bills and long rictal bristles. 15. Cardellina (1 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. JS Aok 5) Piaceoe Genus MNIOTILTA Vieillot The genus Mniotilta 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. Prate II J. Brackrott Warscer, ApuLt Mace. 4. Brack anp Waite Warster, Mate. 3. BLrackpott WarBLER, YOUNG AND ADULT IN FALL. 2. Brackpoty WarBLER, ADULT FEMALE. 5. Brack anp Wuire Warbter, FEMALE. BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER 39 Adult 3 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 ¢ in Spring, but with more white on the breast and throat, the latter sometimes wholly white. Young & Fall.—Similar to adult ¢ 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 ¢ 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 ¢ but is less distinctly streaked below and shows brownish tinge. Adult ° Fall.—Similar to adult 2 in Spring, but the brownish wash every- where stronger. Young 2 Fall.—Not distinguishable from adult. ? in Fall, Nestling.—Resembles young 2 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 California (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 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. of the birds at the lighthouses, PLACE et Average date of Earliest date of 1, ies 4 spring arrival spring arrival Atlantic Coast— Northern Florida ................ 4 March 16 March 13, 1885 Atlanta, Ga. (near) .............. 9 April 2 March 21, 1899 Frogmore, S. C. (near) ......... 4 April 3 March 29, 1887 Raleigh, N. C. (near) ........... 16 March 27 March 19, 1894 Asheville, N. C. (near) .......... 5 April 3 March 28, 1891 French Creek, W. Va. .......0005 5 April 13 April 6, 1892 Washington, D. C. .............6- 6 April 11 April 7, 1905 Beaver, Pa. ...............20ceee 6 April 22 April 15, 1891 Renovo, Pa. .......eeeeeeeeeceees 9 April 28 April 20, 1899 Germantown, Pa. .............-+ 7 April 27 April 20, 1889 Englewood, N. J. .......2eceeeeee 9. April 26 April 23, 1902 Southeastern New York ......... 18 April 28 April 22, 1896 Central Connecticut ............. 15 April 28 April 20, 1896 Eastern Massachusetts .......... 15 April 28 April 20, 1806 Providence, R. I. ................ 6 May 5 May 1, 1897 Southern New Hampshire ....... 8 May 1 April 27, 1899 Southern Maine ................. 9 May 3 April 27, 1897 Montréal, ‘Canny ccsenvesmenmen sas 8 May 9 May 3, 1890 Otiebée, Can. cccasncnsessemaa paces 7 May 12 May Io, 1895 St. Johny Ne (Be osanirsncnce boeeee 8 May 14 May 9, 1895 North River, Prince Edward Isl. 3 May 17 May 13, 1889 Mississippi Valley— New Orleans, La. ...........++.- 3 March 27 March 19, 1905 Helena, Ark: cccsccasevasioasawws 7 March 31 March 21, 1897 Eubank, Ky... ...0csceeerstacceave 10 April 4 April 1, 1888 Brookville, Ind. ...... ccc eee eee April 3, 1882 Waterloo; Inds s¢secesaneeweracons 10 May 2 April 27, 1902 Oberlin, Ohio ................... 9 April 27 April 22, 1899 Detroit, Mich. ................--- 14 May 1 April 24, 1904 Petersburg, Mich. ............... 13 April 28 April 23, 1896 Listowel, Ont: sississsavanenen'es 12 May I April 26, 1896 Parry Sound District, Ont. ....... 6 May 4 April 30, 1899 Ottawa; sOmty cesaauconasewecceesing 18 May 7 April 28, 1905 Southeastern Iowa .............. 5 April 19 Chicago, Il. .........0....-00-.. II April 30 April 23, 1899 Southern Wisconsin ............. 10 May 2 April 28, 1897 Lanesboro, Minn. ss0s.ccaescnane 5 April 28 April 23, 1888 Elk River, Minn. ................ 5 May 3 May 1, 1886 Aweme, Manitoba ............... 7 May 9 April 30, 1901 Fort McMurry, Athabasca ....... May 15, I901 Fort Chippewyan, Athabasca ..... May 26, 1893 ort Simpson, Mackenzie ........ 3 May 25 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 Augnst 10, 1883; and in Colombia, South America, August 21, 1898. PLACE ae Average date of Latest date of record last one seen last one seen North River, Prince Edward Island.| 2 | September 4] September 5, 1887 St. John, N. B. ......... eee eee eee 3 | September 12 | September 19, 1891 Southern Maine ...............0005 5 | September 19 | September 28, 1808 Southeastern New York ........... 5 | September 24 | October 15, 1891 Central New Jersey .......... eer 4 | September 24 | October 12, 1894 Germantown, Pa. ............0s0008 6 | October 1 October 12, 1885 Great Falls, Montana .............. September 18, 1889 Ottawa, Ont. ..........ccceeeeeeeee 4 | September 13 | September 20, 1887 Southern Michigan ..............8 3 | September 13 | September 15, 1892 Chicago, I. 1.2.2... ee eee eee ee eee 7 | September 22 | September 27, 1896 Grinnell, Iowa .......... ccs eeee eens 3 | September 22 | September 23, 1889 Raleighy Ni Cy iccsenconsientioiaas chien 9 | October 8 November 10, 1885 New Orleans, La. (near) .......... October 21, 1897 Rodney, Miss. ..........--eeeeeeces October 3, 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 1ts 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 exhibiting 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 det; it often uttered rapidly, thus: dzt-dzt-det- dzt, 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-wwee-ssee-wwee-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. Eggs—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 Canada 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—lIredell 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 (Kells). BIoGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) J. P. N. [orrts], A Series of Eggs of the Black and White Warbler, Orn. and Oél., XIII, 1888, 183. (2) W. L. Ketts, 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 cuntained 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, .6o. Adult 3, 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 $, Fall—Not seen; doubtless not materially different from the last. Young &, Fall—Doubtless similar to adult ¢ in Fall. Adult 9, Spring.—Similar to adult ¢ in Spring.. Adult 2, Fall—Not seen, doubtless resembles Spring 9. Young 2, Fall—Similar to 2 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 lower 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 1 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 1, 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. Figs. 3- >. He Bie See . Swainson’s Warbler . Worm-eating Warbler Black and White Warbler Figs. Prothonotary Warbler ue Blue-winged Warbler . Golden-winged Warbler 18-20. 21 2o. 23-25. 26-28. 20, 30. 31,32. Lucy’s Warbler Virginia’s Warbler Nashville Warbler Lutescent Warbler Tennessee Warbler 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 Warblers 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. * * * JI was 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 ruffled, 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 Cafion 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. * * * In addition to its song this Warbler utters a soft tchip 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 over 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 nave known him sing for fully twenty minutes, although ordinarily tne 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 water-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.” (Wavyne.*) Egegs.—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-July 6 (Wavyne.) BioGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) N. C. Brown, A List of Birds Observed in Central Alabama, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, III, 1878, 172. (2) Witt1am 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 O61, XI, 1886, 187. (4) T. D. Perry, Nesting of Swainson’s Warbler [near Savannah, Ga.], Orn. and Odl., XI, 1886, 188. (5) C. W. Becxnam, 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 O6l, XII, 1887, 141. (7) J. P. N[orris], A Series of Eggs of Swainson’s Warbler, Orn. and Ool., XIII, 1888, 18s. 48 WORM-EATING WARBLER 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 Chamethlypis; 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 vermivorus, the single species contained in this genus, the sexes are alike in color. WORM-EATING WARBLER HELMITHEROS VERMIVORUS (Gmel.) Plate 1V 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 3, 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 3, Fall—Similar to Adult f in Fall, but tertials lightly tipped with rusty. Adult, 2, Spring.—Similar to adult # in Spring. Adult 2, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Fall. Young 9, Fall—Similar to young 2. Nestling.—Buffy-cinnamon; head stripes duskier, wing-quills as in young od and 9, 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, Onondago); 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.— No. of i PLACE years! Average date of Earliest date of record| &Pting arrival spring arrival Atlantic Coast— Northern Florida ................ 5 April 9 April 4, 1892 Raleigh, N. C. ....... eee c cece eee 10 April 24 April 19, 1887 Asheville, N. C. (near) .......... 4 April 21 April 19, 1893 White Sulphur Springs, W Va...| 3 April 28 April 27, 1890 French Creek, W. Va. ........... 3 April 28 April 25, 1898 Washington, D. Cy iosd. ie ess gcasgndgirecouend 6 May 2 April 29, 1888 Beavers. Pas ws sceinccuicase sein ass cueiviweraie 3 May 4 April 29, 1902 Southeastern New York .......... 7 May 7 May 3, 1886 South Central Connecticut ...... 3 May 11 May io, 1894 Mississippi Valley— Houston, Tex. ...........e0eee ee April 6, 1881 New Orleans, La. ................ 5 April 9 April 6, 1902 St. Louis, Mo. ............ cece ee 5 April 29 April 26, 1882 Brookville, Ind. .................. 7 April 23 April 17, 1896 Columbus, O. ........... cee eee ee 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 noted at Raleigh, N. C., September 2; near New Orleans, La., September 30; Key West, Fla., about October 1. 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 off 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 Prats III Ae Wy ie 1. BrackBuRNIAN WarsBcLer, Aputt MALE. 3. PrRoTHONOTARY WARPLER, ADULT Mate. 2. BLACKBURNIAN WaRBLER, FEMALE. 4. ProtHonotary WARBLER, Femare. 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 Spizella socialis heard at a distance, and altogether a very indifferent performance.” ( Brewster’.) 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 Plainsfield, 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 10, 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 Junco.” (Bicknell.8) “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 wnigration 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.) “T 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 creeping about the lower branches of the trees, sapling tops, bushes, or fallen brush, or while on the ground. With slightly drooping tail and wings, puffing 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.) 53 Nesting Site—‘It always nests on the ground, generally on a steep hillside in the woods. A stream of water or a swatnp 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 (Polytrichium).” (Jackson.2) 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. : Eggs.—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. 9-11.) Nesting Dates.— Iredell County N. C., May 10 (J. P. N.) ; West Chester, Pa., May 26-June 15 (Jackson); Waynesburg, Pa., May 16-June 11 (Jacobs); New York City, May 20 (F. M. C.); New Haven, Conn., May 25-June 19 (Bishop). BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) R. Rmeway, Field and Forest, 1, 1875, 10. (2) Wm. BREwsTER, Obser- vations on the Birds of Ritchie County, West Virginia, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist., N. Y., XI, 1875, 134. (3) T. H. Jackson, Nesting of the Worm-eating Warbler [in S. E. Pa.J, Orn. and Oél., XI, 1886, 156. (4) S. B. Lapp, Nesting of the Worm-eating Warbler [in S. E. Pa.J], Orn. and O61, XII, 1887, 110; (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) Jj. P. N[orrts], A Series of Eggs of the Worm-eating Warbler, Orn. and O6L, XV, 1890, 118. (8) E. P. Brcxwett, A Study of the Singing of our Birds, Auk, I, 1884, 210. Genus PROTONOTARIA Baird Protonotaria citrea, 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), 4.00; wing, 2.85; tail, 1.85; bill, .55. Adult 3, 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 8, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Spring, but hind-head always washed with dusky; bill brownish. Young 3, Fall.—Similar to adult gf in Fall but white on inner webs of tail-feathers more restricted and more or less mottled with blackish; first primary covert grayer. Adult 9, Spring —Resembles adult g, 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 9, Fall_—Resembles adult ? in Spring. Young 2, Fall—Resembles adult 2 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 DistributionEastern 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 (Arcola, 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 109, 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 1, 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—tThe 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 afforded 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, tweet, 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, tsweet, 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 (Ganier5) and, in one instance, a railroad bridge (Robertst) when, bluebird-like, the bird accepts nest-boxes or similar situations. Nest.—The nest is constructed by the female. The male accom- panies her on her search for material and rarely brings a small bill FIG. 1. NESTING STUMP OF PROTHONOTARY WARBLER The arrow indicates the nest entrance Photographed by Tuomas S. Roserts, at Red Wing, Minn. FIG. z. 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 Gardiner’s Island, N. Y. 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 own hole in the soft cottonwood stumps,” a habit not mentioned by other writers I have consulted. Eggs.—s to 7, usually 6. Ground color’a rich creamy white to buffy, 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, 5S. C., May 3; June 23, two eggs with large embryos (Wayne); Lewis County, Mo., May 13 (J.P.N.); Mt. Carmel, Illinois, May 8 (Brewster) ; Lacon, Illinois, May 21-July 7 (C. W. C. ); Pierce County, Wis., May 31 (C. W. C.). BrioGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) Wit1am Brewster, The Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) [in Illinois and Indiana], Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, ITI, 1878, 153. (2) R. M. Barnes, Nesting of the Prothonotary Warbler, Orn, and Odl., XIV, 1880, 37. (3) W. E. Loucks, Life History of the Prothonotary Warbler, Bull. Ill. State Lab. Nat. Hist., IV, 1804, 10; also Osprey, II, 1808, 99, 111, 129. (4) T. S. Roserts, The Prothonotary or Golden Swamp Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) a Common Summer Resident in southeastern Minnesota, Auk, XVI, 1899, 236. (5) Atpert Ganzer, Nesting of the Prothonotary Warbler, Bird-Lore, II, 1900, 8. (6) J. P. N[orris], A Series of Eggs of the Prothonotary Warbler, Orn. and OdlL, XV, 1890, 177. Genus VERMIVORA Swainson Small size and a short, straight, slender, unnotched, exceedingly acute bill distinguish all the species of this genus, except V. 60 GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER bachmani, in which the bill is slightly decurved; the ictal bristles are not evident; the wing averages about .7o 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 Vermivora, as a whole, are plain in color and in pattern of coloration. V. chrysoptera and V. pinus are the only species having wing- bars; while with V. bachmani and, to a lesser degree, V. peregrina, they differ from other members of the genus in having the tail marked with white. Vermivora contains nine species and two forms of doubtful status, all but one of which, V. crissalis of the Sierra Nevada of Colima, Mexico, are North American. Four species are eastern, one of them, V. peregrina, extending, however, northwestward to Alaska, two are found in the Rocky Mountain region and southward into Mexico, and two, V. celata and V. 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 gentis nest upon the ground, with the exception of V. lucie which nests in holes, etc., and V. bachmani, which builds in low bushes. GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER VERMIVORA CHRYSOPTERA (Linn.) Plate V Distinguishing Characters——General color gray; a yellow patch on the wings; cheeks and throat black in the d, gray in the 9. Length (skin), 4.30; wing, 2.45; tail, 1.90; bill, .46. Adult &, 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 8, Fall—Similar to the last but more or less washed with olive- green above and with yellow below. : Young 6, Fall—Similar to adult f 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 61 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 & 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 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 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 — No. of a Be zee | eae | eedagaeieal Atlantic Coast— ; Rising Fawn, Ga. .............4. April 11, 1885 Asheville, No Co. ssinceecis secetcein April 22, 1803 French Creek, W. Va. ... aaah Al May 2 April 30, 1893 Washington, D. C. .............. 4 May 3 May I, 1905 Beavers Pas. sacisesidiceine ec soiedcieier 3 April 30 April 24, 1902 Waynesburg, Pa. ............500. 3 April 30 April 26, 1896 Portland, Conn. ......eeeseeeeeee 18 May 12 May 3, 1806 West Roxbury, Mass. ........... 5 May 9 May 4, 1891 62 GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER No. of : PLACE ere | SSSR OS log ate os Framingham, Mass. ..........005 10 May 10 May 8, 1895 Mississippi Valley— St. Louis, Mo. .............0000: 6 May I April 26, 1888 Keokuk, Ia. ..... veel 4 April 30 April 22, 1894 Waterloo, Ind. . 6 April 30 April 27, 1896 Petersburg, Mich. ...| Io May 4 April 25, 1886 Livonia, Mich. .................. 5 May 7 May 5, 1897 Detroit, Mich: 3. oss. annaceaasas 9 May 7 May 2, 1905 Southern Ontario ............... 8 May 6 May 2, 1900 Lanesboro, Minn. ........ceeceee May 8, 1887 Elk River, Minn. ..............05 May 12, 1888 Fall Migration—A fall migrant has been seen at New Orleans, La., as early as July 23, 1898, and one was 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, Ill., 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 underside 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.—‘T 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.” (Farwell, MS.) “The song of H. chrysoptera consists normally of four notes —shree-e-e, gwee, zwee, zwee,—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 effect being heightened by the uncertain source of the song.” (Eames.*) 64 GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER “While the female is incubating the eggs, her mate : about the tips of branches and tops of saplings, searching for all the while singing his little ditty, which is a simple little bit 0 music hard to put into print. At some distance the song c distinguished by the syllables gee-ge-ze-ge-ze, beginning slowl: proceeding more rapidly and ending in a slightly higher pitch. near the bird this song sounds somewhat different, and is now to imitate in type. The best I can do is to write it zee-u-ee'-zee- Zee-u-ee’ zee-u-zwee’, with the w barely articulated. I have s times heard the song continued to the middle of July, and again o: sultry days in August. At this time, however, it is not so : and complete as during the early summer. While emitting this the bird stands quite erect, stretched up to its full height, the extended until the feathers ruffle. The head pointing about 70 di upward when the first syllable is uttered, is turned farther upw the close of the song. The alarm note of both sexes, when the r. young is disturbed, consists of a sharp chip like that of the Ch Sparrow, but sharper and repeated oftener.” (Jacobs.5) Nesting Site-——The following quotation from Jacob’s® adn monograph of this species seems to apply to the bird throughc nesting range: “The nest is hardly ever placed away from som stantially supporting stalks of weeds—new or dead—briers, | sprouts, etc., of not sufficient abundance to hinder a good grov grass. One nest was placed above ground, being three inches a clump of iron-weeds in a marshy place.” Nest.—“The domicile is rather compact and neatly cuppe on the whole is very bulky for a bird so small. The base is con of dry oak and beech leaves, and other leaves which dry hard, | and without crumpling; on top of this heap a more compact str is made, the leaves being placed points downward; then comes a : supply of strips of grapevine bark and shreds of inner tree be placed that the rough ends extend beyond the rim of the ne lining is then put in place consisting of fine grass stems and, ir cases, long horse-hairs. A strict lining is not alway put in some birds being content to rest the eggs on the grapevine ba: a few intermingling grass stems. Although constructed of materials, the inside of the nest presents a neat appearance, th shreds of bark and grasses crossing diagonally, much rese: basket work. The opening is not straight down, but slightly the jaggy leaf-stems and bark sometimes reaching two or three above the rim of the nest proper. * * * Two days seem PLATE IV Kats pa ssp2 Iusvres, ‘1. Bacuman’s WarBLER, ADULT MALE. 3. Bacuman’s WaRBLER, YOUNG I‘EMALE. 2. BacHMaNn’s WaRBLER, ADULT FEM/LE,. 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 17-June 18 (J. P. N.). BIoGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) J. Warren, Nesting of the Golden-winged Warbler (Helminthophila chrysoptera) in Massachusetts, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, I, 1876, 6. (2) ‘ScoLopax’ [= Morris Grsss], Nesting Habits of the Golden-winged Warbler, Odlogist, XI, 1894, 311. (3) J. P. N{orrts], A Series of Eggs of the Golden-winged Warbler, Orn. and Oél., XV, 1890, 21. (4) J. H. Sacz, Notes on Helmin- thophila chrysoptera in Connecticut, Auk, X, 1893, 208 (5) J. W. Jacoss, 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 VERMIVORA 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, 2.45; tail, 1.85; bill, .46. Adult 8, 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 6, Fall—Similar to last but crown more or less tipped with greenish. Young 6, Fall.—Similar to adult fin Fall, but crown somewhat greener. 66 BLUE-WINGED WARBLER Adult 2, Spring.—Resembles adult ¢ in Spring, but crown more like back, eye-stripe duskier, generally less white in tail and on wing-coverts. Much like young Fall ¢, but eye-stripe duskier. Adult 9, Fall—Similar to last. Young 9, 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, Carlisle, 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 PLACE pile Average date of Earliest date of fecord| Spring arrival spring arrival Atlantic Coast— Shelby,. Alay csissss-csis ve eeanteews April 4, 1 Washington, D. C. .............. Abril a oe New Providence, N. J. .......05- 7 May 7 May 3, 1891 Englewood, N. J. ..........005 8 May 4 May 2, Igo2 Beaver, Pa. ...........-000: tien! 3 May 3 May 2, 1&1 Berwyn, Pde sh strosatvaieraneuenennnew ears 7 May 7 May 3, 1900 Southeastern New York ......... 5 May 4 May 2, 1900 Portland, Conn. .............2.4. 13 May 12 May 2, 1902 Framingham, Mass. ............. May 13, 1896 Mississippi Valley— Eubank). Key... asidsis aus swieausien cee 8 April 14 April 10, 1893 St. Louis, Mo. c.scccaccewcecscse 7 April 22 April 17, 1883 Brookville, Ind, .............0065 6 April 26 April 17, 1896 Oberlin, Ohio ..............0.- 10 April 30 April 27, 1897 Rockford, Ill. ...............00.- 5 May 6 May 2, 1890 Petersburg, Mich. ..............- May 10, 1897 Grinnell, Tas. sicsicccsssincyine eae sigieiereies 4 May 4 April 28, 1888 Lanesboro, Minn. ............... 6 May 14 May 7, 1895 Fall Migratton.—The last one noted at Lanesboro, Minn., was on September 1, 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, saplings 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 the 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 fluffy 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 larvee—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 larve. 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 larve 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 by 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 zre-e-e-e-e-e and immediately exhale a buzzing zwe-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 swe-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, chir, chee-chur. “There are two definite song periods, the first beginning with the pird’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-e-e, the first apparently ‘inhaled and the last exhaled. * * * Another song heard on the irst day of arrival, on one occasion, uttered by several males in com- sany, possibly transients here, and maybe the mating song, suggests the Chickadee’s che-de-de-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 ap to about the 16th of June (June 11-24 in a series of years) narking 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, zoldenrod being frequently chosen, but often placed independently of ts 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 1o-June to (Jones) ; De Kalb County, Ind., May 26 (Gault). 72 LAWRENCE’S WARBLER BrIoGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) F. T. Jenxs, The Blue-winged Warbler; Its Nesting Habits, Orn. and Odl, VI, 1881, 57. (2) J. N. Crargx, The Blue-winged Warbler, Orn. and O61, VIII, 1883, 37. (3) I. S. Remrr, A Few Days among the Blue-winged Warblers [near Philadelphia?], Orn. and Odl., XVIII, 1893, 6. (4) E. H. Eames, Notes on the Blue-winged Warbler and Its Allies, Auk, VI, 1880, 305. (5) B. S. BowpisH, Some Breeding Warblers of Demarest, N. J., Auk, XXIII, 1906, 16. INTERMEDIATES BETWEEN VERMIVORA CHRYSOTERA and V. PINUS Distinguishing Characters—Between the Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers there exists a series of intergrades known variously as Lawrence’s Warbler (Vermivora lawrencei) and Brewster's Warbler (Vermivora leucobronchialis). Typical lawrencei is a yellow bird with a black throat and auriculars, in short, pinus with the black markings of chrysoptera. Typical leuco- bronchialis, meaning the extreme development of the leucobronchialis 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 VERMIVORA LAWRENCEI (Herrick) Plate V Adult 3, 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 9, 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 Distribution—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. (Dwight), Bronx Park, New York City (Bildersee, Beebe), Rye, N. Y. (Voorhees), Stamford Piatt V . 1. Birue-wincep Waxs ier, Mace. 4, BrewsTer’s Warsier, Mace. 2. BLUE-wINGED WARBLER, FEMALE. 5. GotpEN-wiNGED WarBLER, MALE. 6, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, FEMALE. 3. LawrENCE’s WARBLER, MALE. (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE.) BREWSTER’S WARBLER 73 Conn. (Bishop), Bridgeport, Conn. (Eames), New Haven, Conn. (Bishop), Portland, Conn. (Sage). Winter Range.—Unknown. Spring Migration—Bridgeport, Conn., May 16; 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 VERMIVORA LEUCOBRONCHIALIS (Brewst.) Plate V Adult 3, 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 3, Spring.—Similar to adult f 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- chials for d 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. (Zames), North Haven, Conn. (Bishop), Bethel, Conn. (Meeker), Portland, Conn. (Sage); there are also records in the breeding season for Ossining, N. Y. (Fisher), various places in Connecticut (Bishop et al), Newtonville, Mass. (Brewster), Hudson, Mass. (Purdie), Lexington, Mass. (Faxon), 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 1, 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 Song.—As the following records show some individuals of these birds sing like V. pinus, some like V. chrysoptera while the song of others is intermediate in character. From Bridgeport, Conn., Eames® writes: “Seven birds, typical of V. leucobronchialis, expressed their good spirits by precisely the song of the preceding (V. 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 V. pinus, repeated songs of V. 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 V. 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 V. lawrencei 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 V. pinus, its song consist- ing of two drawling notes, see-e-e e, swee-e-e-e-e, with a very decided zg 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 (V. 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 (V. 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 V. 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) Shree-e-e, zwe-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 75 (¢) Chip-a-chip-a-chip-a-shree, the first phrase of this song is exactly like 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. V. pinus 2, feeds two young, both were taken, one proving to be pinus the other lawrencei (Dwight®°). Englewood, N. J. V. leucobronchialis ¢ evidently mated with V. pinus 6 the three of their offspring taken were typical of pinus. (Chapman*). Englewood, N. J. V. leucobronchialis 9, with strong yellow wash. on breast, mated with typical pinus ¢ ; eggs destroyed. (Chap- man*). New York City. V. lawrencei 3, mated with pinus 9. The six young were apparently typical of pinus. (Bildersee'*; Beebe *7). Ossining, N. Y. V. chrysoptera ? 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. V. chrysoptera &, breeds with V. pinus 9, the only one of the five young secured was typical of V7. pinus. (Meeker*'). Bridgeport, Conn. V. leucobronchialis 8, and V. pinus 9, feed young showing “a marked general similarity to the young of pinus.” (Eames®). North Haven, Conn. V. leucobronchialis feeds two young, one typical of pinus, the other like pinus but with yellow wing-bars. (Bishop). Portland, Conn. V. pinus, 8 breeds with V. chrysoptera 9, the five young resemble those of pinus. (Sage). Portland, Conn. V. leucobronchialis @ breeds with V. 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, we may now be said to have passed the purely theoretical stage in our study of these birds, incontrovertible observations and large series of specimens furnishing us with defin- 76 BREWSTER’S WARBLER itely ascertained facts. The interbreeding of leucobronchialis with pinus, and with chrysoptera, of pinus with chrysoptera, and of lawrencei 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. Doubtless our most satisfactory observations in this connection have been supplied by Dr. Walter Faxon who writes: “In the summer of 1910, there bred within the confines of a camp of about fifteen acres in Lexington, Mass., a pair of Golden-winged Warblers and two male Golden-winged Warblers mated with two female Brewster’s Warblers. . . The progeny of the three pairs were closely observed from the juvenile (in one case, from the natal) plumage up to the first winter plumage, when the adult characters were acquired; the young of the pair of Golden-wings were all Golden-wings; one of the Brewster's Warblers that was mated with a Golden-wing brought forth a homogeneous brood of Brewster’s Warblers, while the other pro- duced a mixed brood of Brewster’s Warblers and at least one Golden- winged Warbler. A striking thing about it was this: the young birds of mixed parentage were absolutely pure in plumage,—either Brew- ster’s Warblers or Golden-wings, without any tendency to combine as ‘intermediates’ the characters of the two parents.” (Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., XL, No. 6, Aug. 1913, 311.) Two years later, in the same locality, Dr. Faxon (1. c.) made even more definite and conclusive observations in regard to the breed- ing of these birds which apparently fully justify his “satisfaction of demonstrating the true nature of Brewster's Warbler, removing the question forever from the realm of conjecture.” In a word, he found a typical male Golden-winged Warbler mated with a typical Blue-winged Warbler, and kept their young (number not stated) under observation from June 15, about two days after they had left the nest, until they “all grew up to be Brewster’s Warblers.” The same season a male Brewster’s Warbler was found mated to a female Golden-wing and of their young one “grew up to be a typical Brewster’s Warbler, while the other, its own brother, became a typical Golden-wing.” These two birds and one from the brood first mentioned were banded, and a beginning was thus made for the study of succeeding generations. BACHMAN’S WARBLER 77 BioGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) Wm. Brewster, On the Relationship of Helminthophaga leucobron- chialis Brewster, and Helminthophaga lawrencei, Herrick, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI, 1880, 218. (2) R. Ruweway, Helminthophila leucobronchialis, (and H. lawrencei; a discussion of their relationships), Auk, II, 1885, 359. (3) A. K. Fisuer, Evidence Concerning the Interbreeding of Helminthophila chrysoptera and H. pinus (at Sing Sing, N. Y.), Auk, II, 1885, 378. (4) F. M. Cuapman, Additional Captures of ‘Helminthophila leucobronchialis (at Englewood, N. J.), Auk, IV, 1887. 348. (5) 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. Eamgs, 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. Brsuor, Helminthophila pinus, H. chrysoptera, H. leuco- bronchialis, H. lawrencei, in Connecticut in the Spring of 1888, Auk, VI, 1880, 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. Sace, The Interbreeding. of Helminthophila pinus and H. chrysoptera, (at Portland, Conn.), Auk VI, 1899, 290. (13) Notes on Helminthophila chrysoptera, pinus, leucobronchialis and lawrencet in Connecticut, Auk, X, 1893, 208. (14) Nesting of Helminthophila leucobronchialis in Connecticut, Auk, XII, 1895, 307. (15) G. H. THaver, The Coloration and Relationships of Brewster’s Warbler, Auk, XIX, 1902, 4o1. (16) I. Bizpersee, Notes on the Nesting of Lawrence’s Warbler, Bird-Lore, VI, 1904, 131. (17) C. Wm. Beese, 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. Scort, Of the Probable Origin of Certain Birds, Science, XXII, 1905, 271. (19) J. A. Aten, The Probable Origin of Certain Birds, Science, XXII, 1905, 431. (A reply to Scott.) (20) J. Dwicut, Jr., Plumages and Molts of the Passerine Birds of New York, 1900, 246. (21) J. C. A. Mreexer, A Male Goldenswinged Warb- ler mated with a female Blue-winged Warbler, Auk, XXIII, 1906, 104. (22) C. J. Maynarp, (Discussion of status of Brewster’s and Lawrence’s Warblers) Warblers of New England, 1905, 83. BACHMAN’S WARBLER VERMIVORA BACHMANI (Aud.) Plate IV Distinguishing Characters —Bill slightly decurved; do with the forehead, throat, or, at least, chin yellow, the breast black; 9 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 ¢ 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 &, 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 3, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Spring, but black of crown widely tipped with gray, black breast narrowly tipped with yellow and grayish. Young 6, Fall—Throat-patch smaller than in adult d, less black or none on the head; throat-patch tipped with yellowish or grayish; less white, or none, in the tail. Young 6, Spring —Not appreciably different from young d in Fall, the full black breast-patch and frontlet evidently not being acquired the first year. Adult 9, 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 ¢, 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 9, Fall—Resembles adult 9 in Spring. _ Young 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 in Spring, but with less yellow on fore- head and underparts; back grayer; below dusky yellowish. Young 9, 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 known, 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, 1891, 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 stiffly 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 ‘lost 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. Laboratory of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14850 80 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, Atkins5 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”? 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 aypears to have regular singing stations BACHMAN’S WARBLER 81 during the breeding season, and upon leaving a tree, it flies a long distance before alighting, * * * I have 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.” yong.—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.” (Brewster.7) 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 Shortt 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). BIocRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) Gro. 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) Wma. Brewster, Notes on Bachman’s Warbler [in Florida], Auk, VIII, 1891, 149. (8) O. Wipmann, 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. Riwcway, Description of the Nest and Eggs of Bachman’s Warbler, Auk, XIV, 1807, 309. (10) E. H. Sxort, Bachman’s Warbler, Odlogist, XXII, 1905, 103. (11) Geo. C. Empopy, 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 VERMIVORA PEREGRINA (Wils.) Plate VII Distinguishing Characters—No conspicuous wing-bars; adult d grayish white below, crown and nape bluish gray; adult 9 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, .4o. Adult 3, 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 buff or yellowish, the sides with greenish. Adult 8, Fall—Similar to adult din Spring, but crown tipped with olive- green, underparts with more buffy or greenish. Young 3, 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 9, Spring—Similar to adult df in Spring, but crown washed with olive-green, underparts more yellowish; closely resembling, therefore, the adult 3 in Fall. Adult 9, Fall—-No gray on crown; upperparts entirely bright olive-green, below white washed with yellow; resembles young ¢ in Fall but averages less bright above and less yellow below. Young 9, Fall—Resembles adult 2 in Fall but brighter above and yellower below; not always distinguishable from young ¢ in Fall but averaging yellower below. Nestling—Dusky olive-green above, dusky 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.— No. of i PLACE =o ae | Wet record. Rising Fawn, Ga. .........eeeeeeee April 26, 1885 Beaver, Pa. cciscccsapinansesanraes 4 May 9 May 5, 1902 Central New York .............06. 4 May 13 May 8, 1887 Eastern Massachusetts ......... Vel 2 May 14 May 13, 1900 Corpus Christi, Texas ............- April 3, 1891 San Antonio, Texas ............... April 21, 1891 St; WGuis., Mos | 5.2.5 sciversyaua teen sutedunicnenrss 7 April 27 April 24, 1886 Brookville, Ind. ................05- 3 May 4 April 20, 1884 Chicago; Ill. aveasaveseeacomnsaenires 10 May 9 April 30, 1897 Southern Wisconsin ............06. 6 May 16 May 14, 1885 Southern Michigan ................ 9 May 15 May 12, 1894 Ottawa; Ont. ic sees cna ceacacnencne 6 May 16 May 12, Igor Grinnell, Iowa .......0cceeeeee eens 6 May 5 May 1, 1887 Lanesboro, Minn. ...............--- 6 May 11 May 7, 1885 Lincoln, Neb: sscsayesnesiasancenues 3 May 7 ° Aweme, Manitoba ................. : May 13, 1903 Fort Simpson, Mackenzie .......... 2 May 29 May 26, 1860 Caribou; BAG. cciie ies coc Gamindates May 22, I901 Fall Migration.— No. of , PLACE veers | Average dateof | Katlioat date of Hallock, Minn. ...................- August 2, 1899 Mackinac Island, Mich. ............ August 8, 1889 Chicago; TWh. seceeauyalsiamanade rages 5 |August 20 August 13, 1896 Englewood, N. J. ............eee eee August 26, 1887 Washington, Di Ce vsicnionnexva cans August 31, 1800 Key West; Blas, cnscccsoniguecse cise vitia October 5, 1887 New Orleans, La.........-.000ceeue 3 September 21 | September 18, 1899 TENNESSEE WARBLER 85 PLACE pee Average date of Latest date of last record last one seen one seen Aweme, Manitoba ................. October 3, Igo! Grinnell, Iowa .... cece cece eee ees October 1, 1886 Ottawa; Ont: ns sesseseeaaviesaateaiene September 30, 1880 Chicago; ? UM: gc ia’ 3s asdcadeccecutse dies. acdsee 5 | October 2 October 9, 1894 Beaver (Pay. consccsuaciemmco cet es 4 | September 30 | October 11, 1890 Washington, D. C. .............05- October 12, 1890 St Louis, MO. iaadinntietensis dine aivseers October 20, 1885 Asheville, Ne Gy ctaneanaavecceanae October 29, 1804 New Orleans, La. .............008 6 | October 28 November 3, 1900 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 Norris5, 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.” (Norris®.) 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 .57x.48; .65x.46; .59x.47; .61x.46.” (Norris.5) Nesting Dates—Bangor, Me., June 4 (Knight) ; Caribou, B. C., June 15, newly hatched young (Norris). B10GRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) C. J. Maynarp, Birds of Coos Co., N. H., and Oxford Co. Me. Proc. Bost. Soc., N. H., XIV, 1871, 7. (2) C. Harr 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, 1880, Io2. (5) J. Parxer Norris, Jr. Nesting of the Tennessee Warbler in British Colum- bia, Auk, XIX, 1902, 88. ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER VERMIVORA CELATA CELATA (Say) Plate VII Distinguishing Characters.——General color dusky olive-green, the under- parts obscurely streaked; adult ¢, and often 9, with an orange-brown crowm Pruate VII : 1. TENNESSEE WarBLerR, MALE. 4, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, FEMALE 2. TENNESSEE WARBLER, FEMALE. 5. NasHvi-cE WarBLER, Mate, 3. ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, MALE. 6. NasHvittE 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, .4o. Adult 3, 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 g, Fall—Similar to above, but grayish tips to feathers above and below longer, making the bird duskier. Young 3, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Fall, but crown-patch very small or entirely absent. Adult 9, Spring—Similar to adult ¢ in Spring, but crown-patch smaller or wanting. é Adult 2, Fall—Similar to adult @ in Spring, but grayish tips to feathers above and below longer, making the bird duskier. Young 9, 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 buffy, 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 1, 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 No. of PLACE seort| “Setegereal | seine ecrival Onaga: Kain: oss scrssceaeacasiwnr 5 April 24 April 17, 1892 St: outs, --Mo:- s2cciesadeteuesavces 4 April 27 April 22, 1885 Chicago, TE: siveacieiwonse sues. 5 May 6 May 1, 1899 Southern Ontario .........-.-0005 3 May 13 May 11, 188 Ottawa; (ONt. <.cccsscacamesaudeass 2 May 18 May 17, 1890 Lanesboro, Minn. .............+5-: 7 May 2 April 27, 1888 Aweme, Manitoba ................- 7 May 7 May I, Igor Loveland: (Col6s suscouconesaves ans 2 May 3 May 2, 1889 Columbia Falls, Mont. ........-.-- 5 May 5 April 30, 1897 Red Deer; Alberta. asic. ccassteaain’ May 14, 1892 Fort Resolution, Mackenzie ....... May 22, 1860 Fort Simpson, Mackenzie ......... May 21, 1904 Kowak River, Alaska ............- : May 25, 1809 Centtal ‘California. .ccccscccsess.cess 4 March 12 March 7, 1885 Northern Oregon ...........---005 5 March 23 March 19, 1885 Chilliwack; B: Gs ec cesssans aigetepbngeeters April 17, 1889 Fall Migration.— No. of PLACE years’ Averagedate of Latest date of last record last one seen one seen Near Fort Rae, Mackenzie ........ August 16, 1903 Chilliwack) (B.C. sccascwcrerndenwades September 5, 9ggr Columbia Falls, Mont. .. September 12, 1895 Aweme, Manitoba ........eeeeeeeee 2 | September 27 |October 3, 1901 Lanesboro, Minn. ennenatreainel asi narsa 5 | October 1 October 6, 1801 Ottawa “ONG. 22.6 c.cusisnaumacceaceeet September 30, 1889 GhiCas Os Whe — ois 5-4 csscsatingontupibice seounaase tein October 1, 1806 Cambridge, Mass. is.csssceereeeess November 18 |November 28, 1901 Berwyn; Bas cuinctanuseenacasscetan October 12, 1894 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, Manitona, 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 chw’ chu’. 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 .64x.46, 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 (1) E. W. Netson, Report on Natural History Collections made in Alaska, 200. (2) Ernest THompson Seton, Birds of Manitoba, Proc. U. Ss. N. M., 1801, 616. (3) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 324. ROCKY MOUNTAIN ORANGE-CROWN HELMINTHOHILA CELATA ORESTERA (Ober.) Subspecific Characters—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. lutescens 2.34 1.84 .38 69 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). Note.—This form is now considered inseparable from V’. c. celata. LUTESCENT WARBLER VERMIVORA CELATA LUTESCENS (Ridgw.) Subspecific Characters—Similar to V. 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 haze! 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 gr 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.” (Bowles, MS.) Finley* mentions nests found “under some dry ferns in the bank of a little hollow. * * * ona 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.” Nest.—“Loosely made of dry leaves and grasses lined with fine grass and a little hair” (Carriger, Sonoma County, California, C.W.C.). Eggs.—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 1-100 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). BrocGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) W. L. Fintey, The Lutescent Warbler [in Oregon], Condor, VI, 1904, I3I. DUSKY WARBLER VERMIVORA CELATA SORDIDA (Towns.) Subspecific Characters—Similar to V. 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, .4o. 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 tts Haunts.—In their summer home on San Clemente Island, Grinnell? 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 cafions. 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 (1) J. GrinneL1, Publication I, Pasadena Acad. Sci., 20. (2) Ibid., II, 44. NASHVILLE WARBLER VERMIVORA RUBRICAPILLA RUBRICAPILLA (Wils.) Plate VII Distinguishing Characters—Adults with the head gray, the dg, and often 9, 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 3, 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 3, 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 6, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Fall, but chestnut crown-patch much smaller or wanting entirely. Adult 9, Spring.—Similar to adult ¢ in Spring, but with chestnut in crown less in extent or entirely wanting (absent in half the specimens examined) ; underparts paler. Adult 9, 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 9, 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 buff, 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 (Gaspé 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. No. of fo} PLACE yeum'| Avemuaedeiect | malian daient Atlantic Coast— , French Creek, W. Va. .......... 4 April 28 April 23, 1891 Washington, D. C. 4 May 5 May 4, 1887 ‘Beaver, Pa. ...... ccc cece ee eeee 5 May 1 April 25, 1891 Southeastern New York ......... 7 May 3 April 30, 1900 Portland, Conn. ..............5- 6 May 7 May 5, 1804 Boston, Mass. .,.........+. seeviseee 2 May 5 May 1, 1896 Randolph, Vt. .......... ee subasesn 5 May 7 May 3, 1804 Southern New Hampshire ....... 9 May 5 April 30, 1902 Lewiston, Me. .................. 6 May 9 May 7, 1807 Montreal, Can. ...........0.00008 May 10, 1890 Quebec, Can? ssscnedovsccewcanes May 14, 1890 St. John, New Brunswick ........ 5 May 16 May 6, 1895 Petitcodiac, New Brunswick ..... May 5, 1886 Mississippi Valley— San Antonio, Texas ............. 3 March 25 March 21, 1889 St, Lowis, Mov. ss ssseway ees eevee 6 April 26 April 20, 1885 Chicago; Il. ssccssrcacwsaeeceves 6 May 3 April 27, 1897 Brookville, Ind. ................. April 15, 1887 Northern Ohio ........ Tanta auae 6 May 5 May 2, 1895 Petersburg, Mich. .............4. 8 May 7 May 1, 1887 Southern Ontario ............... 7 May 6 May 2, 1898 Ottawa, Ont. 2. 2c. eveecaacee: II May 14 May 5, 1902 Keokuk, Iowa ............00e eee 8 May 6 April 28, 1896 Lanesboro, Minn. ........0-..45. 8 May 9 May 1, 1888 Minneapolis, Minn. ...........006 4 May 14 May 13, 1888 Pacific Slope— Mamas: Ariz. saapeaitis vers isweinendeisnt March II, 1902 Huachuca Mountains, Ariz. ...... April 1, 1902 Dunlap, -Cal;- ccosaguneavicomer danas April 23, 1891 Revelstoke, B. C. .....-.20eeeeee May 9, 1890 94 NASHVILLE WARBLER Fall Migration —The arrival of migrants south of their breeding grounds has been noted at Chicago, IIL, August 16, 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. No. of f last acts eates | eee | een Lanesboro, Minn. ..............008 4 | September 27 | September 29, 1889 Grinnell, Iowa .........e0ceeeaeeee October 1, 1886 Ottaway. ‘Ont enidsces2s40ca shinee ub 6 September 20 | October -10, 1900 Mackinac Island, Mich. ............ September 24, 1889 North River, Prince Edward Island. August 10, 1887 St. John, New Brunswick ......... 3 | September 2 September 5, 1895 Southern Maine ................00. 5 September 11 | September 27, 1902 Retiovo;. Pak. scuiesesag sin sacieadouee 7 | September 26 | October 3, 1902 Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y. .......... 2 | October 3 October 7, 1888 Cooney;. N: Mex: siisavsasaaceneana September 30, 1880 Dunlap, Cal. .......... 2. 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 differences 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.” Hegre 8 var” | A ili Se A a ne J f—o ft dd) ey — — —— aus: a é (wy 0 le ee v4 a i 2. a SE A ED RR] A A ME GY RN eee Tn | Td as, QP [gE Se AS DR A | rae 9. W1 - or “oS “- TV ws I1GAU! SEL VY ( i i TA al. al al ai CV anmeni | C= ws rs a —_——a che. ASL > =] CS ~~ ard “This last preceded by three or four ‘chips’ like the chatter of the Chickadee.” Prater XI 1. MaGnotia Warsier, Mace. 3. Macnoria WarBLer, YouNG AND ADULT IN FALL. 2. Macnorta WARBLER, FEMALE. 4. Kigtirann’s Warsier, Mace. 5, KirtTLANp’s WARBLER, FEMALE. (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE.) MAGNOLIA WARBLER 127 er ‘ammencens at ‘see 0 ph Plc rv —g : b| Nesting 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 limb 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.” Eggs.—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 (J. P. N.)-July 1 (C. W.C.). BIoGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) C. J. Maynarp, A Catalogue of the Birds of Coos Co. N. H., and. Oxford Co., Maine, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. XIV, 1871, 367. (2) Ww. Brewster, The Black-and-Yellow Warbler (in New England), Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, II, 1877, 1. (3) J. P. Nforrts], A Series of Eggs of Dendroica maculosa, Orn. and Odl., XII, 1887, 177. (4) C. H. Anpros, The Black and Yellow Warbler at Grand Menan, Orn. and O6l., XII, 1887, 182. (5) S. E. Wuitz, Birds Observed on Mackinac Island, Michigan, Auk, X, 1893, 228. (6) R. B. Stmpson, The Magnolia Warbler (at Warren, Pa.), Nidologist, I, 1895, 164. (7) L. M. Territt, Summer Warblers in Compton County, Quebec, Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, 1904, 150. (8) B. Hoac, Nesting of the Magnolia Warbler (in N. Y.), Nidologist, I, 1894, 87. (See also Hiccins, Ibid., 106.) CAPE MAY WARBLER DENDROICA TIGRINA (Gmel.) Plate XVI Distinguishing Characters—Adult 3 with chestnut ear-patches; adult ? 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 3, 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 3, Fall—Similar to adult f in Spring but widely margined with grayish above, and with whitish below. Young 3, 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 2, Spring -Above grayish olive, grayer than in young ¢, forehead usually with black spots, line over eye yellowish; rump olive-green; tail with less white than in 6; 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 Aduk 9, Fall—Similar to adult 9 in Spring but yellow of rump and breast stronger, the black streaks obscured by whitish edgings. Young 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 in Fall but with less yellow; streaks below kss sharply defined. Nestling—Dusky olive-brown above, dusky grayish below, faintly tinged with buffy on breast and sides. General Distribution—Eastern North América; 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 Minnesota, 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 — PLACE ite Average date of Earliest date of record} Spring arrival spring arrival Atlantic Coast— Southern Florida .............66- 3 April 8 March 3, 1887 Northern Florida ............... 3 April 14 April 3, 1901 Atlanta, Ga. (near) .......eeeeee 6 April 25 April 18, 1902 Washington, D. C. ..........005. 3 May 8 May 2, 1888 Southeastern New York ........ 4 May 12 May 11, 1893 Eastern Massachusetts .......... 5 May 12 May to, 1807 Montreal, Can. ...........eee eee May 14, 1890 Quebec, Can. 2.00. evccissisaceens May 16, 1902 Scotch Lake, N. B. ...........05- 4 May 18 May 16, 1903 Mississippi Valley— Brookville, Ind. ............-.... 3 May 5 May 4, 1809 Chicago, Ill. ....... cc cece eee ee 8 May 6 April 30, 1809 Oberlin, Ohio ...........0.. ee eee 8 May II May 5, 1805 Southern Wisconsin ............ 6 May II May 6, 1888 Southern Michigan .........008. 6 May 15 May 11, 1890 Ottawa, Ont. .......... ese eeeeee IS May 16 May II, 1900 Lanesboro, Minn. ..........-...- 7 May 16 May 8, 1887 Elk River, Minn. ...........+000 3 May 20 May 17, 1889 Aweme, Manitoba ...........+.. May 14, 1900 130 CAPE MAY WARBLER Fall Migration.— No. of a PLACE es) aeeencerca || heconesen Aweme, Manitoba .............05. August 23, 1901 Chicago; Ts xziekatens enavnec coat ts August 20, 1896 Guelph, Ont. ...................00% August 23, 1904 Washington, D. C. ..............0. August 25, 1890 Mt, Pleasant, S. Cy scssacsuovesoovas September 8, 1898 Southern Florida ..............0.- September 17, 1887 PLACE ake Average date of Latest date of fecord last one seen last one seen Grinnell, Iowa ...........ccesseeee September 17, 1886 Chicago, TM, cacendes ctetstatslomaccnaed September 21, 1896 Beaver, Pai sae eva sone wie secueitane September 24, 1889 Washington, D. C. ................ October 14, 1888 French Creek, W. Va. ............ October 21, 1891 < Southern Florida .................. November 7, 1891 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 5 MIL 2 (CAPE MAY WARBLER : 131 other times, we find fiat among our orchards, even coming into towns where they occupy themselves catching insects among the foliage 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 (1) 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) aks fe ee us, it is given to frequenting isolated trees near houses.” 4 Bee CH Wm VN The last-named habit is confirmed oy edi "hes 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 Paz si pee 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.” (Farwell, 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-screenend 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, 2 1-4 inches high and 2 3-4 to 3 inches across the mouth ; inside, 1 1-4 inches deep and 1 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 two 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 .69x.49, .65x.49, .66x.49, .66x.48.” (Chamberlain.) (Figs. 35,36. Childs Coll.) Nesting Dates.—St. Johns, N. B., June 16 (Chamberlain). BIoGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) M. Caamperzain, Nesting Habits of the Cape May Warbler [in New Brunswick], Auk, II, 1885, 33. (2) A. W. Butter, Birds of Indiana, 1043. (3) C. J. Maynarp, Warblers of New England, 15. (4) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 331. BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER DENDROICA CA2RULESCENS C/ERULESCENS (Gmel.) Plate [X Distinguishing Characters—-The 6, whether adult or young may always be known by its black throat and blue back. In the adult 9 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 3, 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 6, 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 o&, 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 9, Fall—Indistinguishable in color from adult ? in Spring. Young 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 in Fall but greener above, where without trace of blue, dingy yellowish below, line 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 6, black edged with blue and marked with white; wings as in young di, 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 9.—Paler than nestling 3, no black in lores or auriculars; below as in nestling ¢, wings and tail as in young Fall 9, 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. — PLACK — Average date of Earliest date of record,| SPring arrival spring airival Atlantic Coast— Southern Florida ................ March 9, 1886 Mt. Pleasant, S. C. ws... eeeeeeee April 16, 1890 Asheville, N. C. (mear) ......... 6 April 24 April 19, 1893 Raleigh, N.C... 1... -aananaucs- Ir April 27 April 6, 1888 French Creek, W. Va. .......... 4 April 29 April 18, 1889 Washington, D. C. .............. 7 May 2 April 27, 1888 Germantown, Pa. ...........0065 7 May 6 May 1, 1888 Renovo, Pa. ......eceeee eee e eee 9 May 3 April 27, 1902 New Providence, N. J. .......05: 6 May 6 May 1, 1804 Holland Patent, N. Y. .......... 7 May 7 April 28, 1891 Hartford, Conn. ................ 5 May 10 April 29, 1894 Central Massachusetts .......... II May 8 May, 1895 St. Johnsbury, Vt. ...........05. 6 May 9 May 5, 1807 BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER 135 No, of PLACE years’| Average date of Earliest date of record| Spring arrival spring arrival Lewiston, Me. ...........--200e= May 1 May 7, 1900 Quebec, Can. ........ fee eeeeeeees : Mar 7 May 7, 1900 Central New Brunswick ........ 8 May 14 May 9, 1904 Mississippi Valley— Brookville, Ind. ...............4. April : Waterloo, Ind. ... : Wey = ee a pe Oberlin, Ohio ne 9 May 2 April 27, 1896 Detroit, Mich. to May 4 May és 1804 Southern Ontario ............... 15 May 8 May By 1887 Parry Sound District, Ont. ...... 12 May 10 May 6, 1809 Ottawa, Ont si cieercrenanaceseie 20 May 11 May 6, 1890 Lake Forest, Ill. .......+eeeeeeee 6 May 6 May 2, 1905 Chicago, Il. ....... eee eee e ees 12 May 7 May 2, 1902 Milwaukee, Wis. .............+-- 9 May 9 May 2, 1802 Fall Migration— PLACE Les Average date of Earliest date of aa first one seen first one seen Lanesboro, Minn. .....eeeeeeeee ee 3 | September 26 | September 24, 1890 Chicago), Ul ceciaadcewuastiena eens 7 | September 1 | August 25, 1898 Detroit, Mich. ............cccee eens to | September 10 |September 2, 1905 Oberlin, Ohio ............ee eee eee 3 | September 7 |September 1, 1005 Beaver; Pas. asssavcseacinsosteenece 4 September 9 | August 28, 1889 Germantown, Pa. (near) .......... 6 | September 13 |September 8, 1898 Washington, D, C. ..........-00ee August 21, 1887 Southern Florida .......c.0see ee eee September 3, 1885 PLACE Mo of Average date of Latest date of u Sea last one seen last one seen Ottawa, Ont. .........e cece ener eee 4 September 29 |October 7, 1900 Chicago, Ill, 22... ccc eee eee e ones 7 | October 1 October 10, 1897 Detroit, Mich. ..........eeeeee eee Io | October 3 October 15, 1905 Petitcodiac, N. B. ....ce eee e eee eee September 5, 1886 Montreal, Can. .......:0eseeee eens September 24, 1887 Renovo, Pa. .......--.-- eee eeeeee 7 | October 6 October 11, 1897 Philadelphia, Pa. ........-.--+----- 7 | October 10 October 21, 1888 French Creek, W. Va. ......-..-5: 5 | October 9 October 15, 1890 Raleigh, N. C. ....cceecseeeee eens 8 | October 17 November 19, 1885 Mt. Pleasant, S.C. ..... B ajaeadastedcaauett 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. “Tt 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 little 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 egg. 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. Zwee zswee gwee, 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, Swee-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, wheer, wheeee,—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 wheceee. 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 bezz bese beez beze 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.” moderate aa | a J oat ZN ale: 4 ra | 7 = swans Zz Sle a ee —" —" pf it Crel tt 3 -\ > \ 4 1 a 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 senate! Puatse XII 1. BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, MALE. 4, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, MALE, 2. Bay-BREASTED WARBLER, FEMALE. 5. CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, FEMALE. 3. BAY-BREASTED 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 tests 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, 314 inches, inside, 214 inches; height, outside, 5 inches; depth, inside, 1/4inches.” (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 jJarge 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 (Keils) ; Kalamazoo Co., Mich., May 29, Westnedge, (Barrows). 140 CAIRNS’ WARBLER BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) C. M. Jones, On the Breeding of the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens) in Connecticut, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, I, 1876, 11; Orn. and Ool., VI, 1881, 49; IX, 1884, 30. (2) W. L. Kets, Nesting of the Black-throated Blue Warbler (in Ontario), Orn. and O6l., XII, 1887, 76; XIV, 1869, 170; Ottawa Nat., XVI, 1902, 181. (3) Ecpert Bacc, Nesting of the Black-throated Blue Warbler ( in N. N. Y.), Orn. and Ol, XII, 1887, go. (4) O. W. Knicut, Contributions to the Life History of the Black-throated Blue Warbler, Journ. Maine Orn. Club, VIII, 1906, 33. (5) JoHn BurroucHs, Birds’ Nesting, in Locusts and Wild Honey, Riverside Edition, 1895, 181. CAIRNS’ WARBLER DENDROICA C/ERULESCENS CAIRNSI Coues Subspecific Characters—Similar to Dendroica c. cerulescens but & with the back always more or less spotted with black, sometimes the center of the back being entirely black. Adult 2 generally darker. While specimens of true cerulescens cerulescens 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 Pennsylvania. (Blue Knob, Sugar Loaf, Mt, Rainsburg,) south to Georgia. Winter Range—wWest 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 they 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.). BroGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) S. B. Lapp, Nesting of the Black-throated Blue Warbler, in Buncombe Co., N. C., Orn. and O61. XVII, 1892, 129. (2) J. S. Carns, The Summer Home of Dendroica cerulescens. Papers Presented to the World’s Congress on Ornithology, Chicago, 1896, 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 3, 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 3, Fall—Quite unlike ¢ 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 ¢'; 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 3, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Fall but browner above, the yellow crown-patch sometimes nearly hidden; the underparts less heavily streaked, the breast patches less pronounced. Adult 9, Spring —Generally resembling the adult ¢ in Fall but with the black streaks above and below more sharply defined, the wing-bars white, the cheeks blacker. Adult 9, Fall.—Resembles young ¢ in Fall but averages browner and less streaked, the edgings to the wing-coverts browner. Young 9, Fall—Not always to be distinguished from the adult 2 in Fall but the yellow crown and breast-patches average smaller and the latter are some- times barely evident or wanting. Nesthng.—Strikingly different from the nestlings of other Mniotiltide, 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 Distributionn—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 Spring Migration.— Angeles. PLACE hee Average date of Earliest date of record| SPringarrival spring arrival Atlantic Coast— Germantown, Pa. .........2.e000% 5 April 27 April 10, 1886 Renovo, Pa. ........c.cccceeeeee 12 April 30 April 27, 1902 Southeastern New York ........ 5 April 25 April 2, 1890 Central New York .............. II May I April 24, 1891 Northeastern New York ........ 8 May 2 April 29, 1890 Portland, Conn, .......... 6 April 27 March 30, 1903 Hartford, Conn. .......... 10 April 26 April 8, 1893 Central Massachusetts 11 April 28 April 22, 1893 West Groton, Mass. 7 April 24 April 18, 1897 Framingham, Mass. ...........+- 8 April 20 April 17, 1896 Boston, Mass. .........--eeeeeeee II April 22 April 13, 1896 St. Johnsbury, Vt. .......eceeeeee 5 April 27 April 12, 1903 Southern New Hampshire ....... 7 April 23 March 20, 1900 Southern Maine ...............-. 14 April 23 April 19, 1891 Montreal, Can. ........0eceeeeeee 4 May 7 May 3, 1800 Quebec, Can. ....... cece cece cease 10 May 6 April 30, 1896 St. John, N. B. wo... cece ee eee eee II April 23 April 15, 1897 Pictou, Ni S. csevescieroe .| 10 April 30 April 25, 1892 Halifaxs N.S ssiwcstaate 4 May 2 April 26, 1896 North River, P. E. I. 4 April 26 April 24, 1891 Mississippi Valley— Chicago, Il. ..............20000- 9 April 16 April 6, 1804 Rockford, Ill. ..........eceeeeees 6 April 15 April 10, 1886 Waterloo, Ind. ............0eee0e 10 April 23 April 11, 1887 Wauseon, Ohio ..............66. 7 April 29 April 16, 1887 Oberlin, Ohio ...... AOR Rema 8 April 24 April 12, 1904 Milwaukee, Wis. ............005: Io April 18 April 6, 1892 Central Wisconsin .............. II April 19 April 13, 1886 Petersburg, Mich. ............... 13 April 25 April 17, 1886 Grand Rapids, Mich. ............ 5 April 16 April 10, 1896 Detroit, Mich. ...............605 13 April 28 April 11, 1891 Southern Ontario ............... 13 April 29 April 19, 1807 Parry Sound District, Ont. ...... 8 May 2 April 29, 1899 Ottawa, Ont sssassascvescavecnes 15 May 2 April 23, 1880 Keokuk, Iowa .............00000- 10 April 20 April 8, 1888 Towa City, Iowa ..........0-50es 7 April 20 April 5, 1888 Grinnell, Iowa ..........--.-000+ 5 April 18 April 8, 1889 Lanesboro, Minn. ............... 9 April 16 April 9, 1889 Elk River, Minn. ............0005 7 April 16 April 10, 1888 Aweme, Manitoba .............. 8 April 23 April 21, 1901 Osler, Sashes secscvevreicrenianssngsoutinsoreieed May 4, 1893 Fort Providence, Mackenzie ..... May 14, 1905 Fort Simpson, Mackenzie ........ May 7, 1904 Terry, Mont. .....+-.++se laiatitas 4 May 6 May 2, 1894 Southern British Columbia ...... 3 April 15 April 14, 1889 Kowak River, Alaska ............ May 22, 1899 144 MYRTLE WARBLER Fall Migration.— No. of : : PLACE sec | Spenetdeis ot) “Barlict aaicct Aweme, Manitoba ..............04. 3 | September 11 | September 7, 1902 Lanesboro, Minn. ........c.eeeeeee 7 | September 22 | September 15, 1887 Grinnell, Iowa ...........0. cee eaee 4 | September 23 | September 6, 1885 Southern Wisconsin ..............- 5 | September 25 | September 18, 1902 Chicago, Il. ........ ccc eee e eee ee 6 | September 27 | September 25, 1809 Detroit, Mich. ..............eeees 1r | September 28 | September 16, 1289 Oberlin, Ohio ........... 0... cece 4 | September 27 | September 2, I901 Waterloo, Ind. ........ ee cece eee ee 4 | October 3 October 2, 1891 Central Massachusetts ............ 4 | September 23 | September 13, 1892 Central Connecticut ............... 4 | October 7 September 20, 1888 Southeastern New York .......... 8 | October 5 September 29, 1893 Renovo, Pa, ........cceececeeeeees 4 | September 26 | September 23, 1900 Germantown, Pa. 6 | September 27 | September 22, 1888 Washington, D. C. ..........0000 ae 3 | October 1 September 30, 1890 Tallahassee, Fla. .........ccceeeces October 16, 1904 No. of of PLACE acne | “Ttssecs | “tastonseon Nahanni River, Mackenzie.......... October 15, 1903 Aweine, Man. scesssessacedecesscs 6 | October Io October 14, 1900 Lanesboro, Minn. ................. 7 | October 22 October 28, 1887 Keokuk, Iowa ..............000005 4 | October 18 | October 26, 1897 Detroit, Mich. ................0005 12 | October 17 November 19, 1904 Chicago, Il. ......... ccc cece eee es 6 | October 23 October 31, 1897 Ottawa, Onts. sicesaescisws dadseneseorerd 9 | October 23 |November 3, 1888 Southern Ontario ................. 7 | October 24 November 8, 1898 Oberlin, Ohio .............0.00000e 4 | October 26 November 2, 1809 North River, P. EL ......2....0.. October 15, 1888 St. John, N. B. wo... eee eee eee eee 6 | October 23 November 4, 1891 Southern Maine ...............000- 8 | October 17 October 24, 1892 Central Massachusetts 8 October 19 October 22, 1809 Central Connecticut ............... 4 | October 26 October 30, 1900 Renovo; Par. sakincenudyatencatcaied 5 | October 25 October 29, 1900 New Providence, N. J. 7 | October 23 October 29, 1892 Southeastern New York .......... 5 | November 12 | November 20, 1891 Germantown, Pa. ................4. 5 | November 9 | 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. 37,38. 39-41. 42-44. 45-47. 48, 49. Cape May Warbler Olive Warbler Yellow Warbler Bryant's Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Myrtle Warbler Figs. 50, 51. 52-54. 55, 56. 57-59. 60, 61. 62-64. “ Audubon's Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cerulean Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler 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 larve 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 Monadnock 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 sweet 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. gue — rl i a lw : few at : | T rat ji} LiAN : fae OPN : bo a CANT. Cy . —e# | aman Beat tz : — ores? ape 4 ees Sy I =f : Nesting Site—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.” Eggs—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 755X655, .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). Bi0GRAPHICAL REFERENCES. (1) W. L. Ketrs, The Myrtle Warbler (in Ontario), Ottawa Nat., XVI, 1902, 144. (2) L. M. Territt, 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; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.30; bill, .40. Adult 8, Spring—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 8, Fall—Quite unlike fin 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 3, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Fall but browner above, the streaks less pronounced; yellow of throat paler and with yellow on sides less pro- nounced; breast and sides browner, the black markings less evident. Adult 2, Spring —With a general resemblance to the adult ¢ in Fall, but crown-patch often tipped with black, the rump paler, the breast somewhat blacker. Adult 2, Fall—Not certainly distinguishable from young ¢ in Fall. Young 9, Fall—Resembles adult 9 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 ¢ 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.— No of ji PLACE see | ee | eae Huachuca Mts., Arizona .......... April 19, 1890 Cooney, New Mex. .............00 March 6, 1903 Carlisle, New Mex. ............5- . April 9, 1889 Loveland, Colo. .........ecceeeeeee 2 April 21 April 17, 1890 Custer City, S. D. ................ 2 May 2 May 2, 1806, 1897 Great Falls, Mont. ................ 2 April 29 April 28, 1890 Columbia Falls, Mont. ............ 4 April 23 April 21, 1895 Rathdrum, Idaho ...............05. April 15, 1890 Beaverton, Oreg. ....-...0ceceseees March 9, 1885 Newport; Oreg. «..csesncceeagcess 2 March 21 February 13, 1897 Southern British Columbia ........ 3 March 20 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 roth 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 ruinp. 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 auduboni 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. estiva).” 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 ow 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 Merrill? “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.” (Howard®.) “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.” (Merrill?.) Eggs—3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color varies from dull white ot 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. (Bowles). BioGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) H. W. HensHaw, Zoél. Exp. W. tooth Merid., 1875, 194. (2) J. C. Merritt, Birds of Fort Sherman, Idaho, Auk, XV, 1808, 18. (3) O. W. Howarp, Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull Cooper Orn. Club (—Condor), I, 1899, 64. (4) J. H. Bowres, The Audubon Warbler in Wash- ington, Condor, IV, 1902, 118. (5) L. Keyser, Birds of the Rockies, 62. BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER I51 BLACK-FRONTED WARBLER DENDROICA AUDUBONI NIGRIFRONS (Brewst.) Subspecific Characters.—Similar to D. a, auduboni but larger and more widely streaked with black; the Spring ¢ with the forehead, cheeks, and sides of crown black; black below extending to the belly and without grayish tips. Wing, 3.10; tail, 2.35; bill, .4o. 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 Catalina 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 (1) Wm. Brewster, Descriptions of Supposed New Birds from Western North America and Mexico, The Auk, VI, 1889, 94. (See also colored plate, No. I, in Ibid., TX, 1892.) (2) L. M. Loomis, An Addition to the A. O. U Check-List, Auk, XVIII, 1901, 110. 3 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER DENDROICA NIGRESGENS (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 $, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ 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 6, Fall—Similar to adult J 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 2, Spring—Similar to adult g 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 9, 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 California, 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.” (Hovard?.) Of this Warbler im California Walter Fisher writes: “The Black- throated Gray goes about its affairs in a quiet business-like manner suggesting the Lutescent Warbler, and differs, 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 Pirate XIII Pal Ma. Bierls, 1. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, MALE. 4. GRACE’S WARBLER, FEMALE. 2. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, FEMALE. 5. BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, MALE. 3. Grace's 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, amiong evergreens. It is fond of the neighborhood of clearings where it works constantly and carefully among low growth. Athough 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-zee-ee, ze, 2e, Ze, with the quiet woodsy quality of virens and c@rulescens, 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, Prill’ 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.” Prillt 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 3x2} inches and internally 1}x1$ 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 10, four small young in nest; June 26, three eggs incubated (Grinnell) ; Fyffe, Eldorado Co., Calif., June 5 (C. W. C.); Tacoma, Wash., May 14-June 24 (Bowles). BIoGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) A. G. Pritt, Black-throated Gray Warbler, (in Oregon), Odlogist, IX, 1892, 128. (2) C. Bartow, The Nesting Haunts of the Black-throated Gray Warbler (in Calif.), Bull. Cooper Orn. Club (==-Condor), I, 1899, 96. (3) O. W. Howarp, Summer Resident Warblers of Arizona, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club (—Condor), I, 1899, 64. (4) C. W. Bowzzs, Notes on the Black-throated Gray Warbler (in Oregon), Condor, IV, 1902, 82. (5) W. L. Finiey, Two Oregon Warblers, The Condor, VI, 1904, 31. TOWNSEND’S WARBLER DENDROICA TOWNSENDI (Towns.) Plate XV Distinguishing Characters——The adult g 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 3, 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 3, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ 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 6, Fall.—Similar to adult d in Fall but with less black above on throat and on sides; cheek-band more olive. Adult 2, Spring.—Similar to adult f 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 9, Fall—Similar to adult g in Spring but darker above, black mark- ings less evident, sides tinged with brownish. Young 9, Fall—Similar to adult ? in Fall but with less black on head and throat. Nestling —Above brown, a broad buffy 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 109, 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 11, 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 difficult. At Glacier, Alaska, Bishop® 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—deé deé deé—dé dé all, especially the first three, uttered in the peculiar harsh drawl of D. virens. Later in the season the song changes somewhat at times.” (Merrill?.) 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. Tke 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, .72%.52, .7OX.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 egg 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, 1 1-2 inches.” (Figs, 97-99, Childs Coll.) BioGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) C. E. Benptre, Notes on Some of the Birds found in Southeastern Oregon, etc., Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 1877, 114. (2) J. C. Merriy, Notes on the Birds of Fort Sherman, Idaho, Auk, XV, 1898, 19. (3) L. B. BrsHop, Birds of the Yukon Region, N. A. Fauna, No. 19, 1900, 90. (4) J. Macoun, Cat. of Canadian Birds, III, 631. (5) A. R. Wooncocx, Birds of Oregon, 87. (6) J. Grinnett, 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, .4o. Adult g, 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 3, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Spring but black of throat conspicu- ously tipped, and of sides, margined with white or yellowish. Young 6, Fall.—Similar to adult ¢ in Fall but back more rarely with black, chin and upper throat yellow, not black, less black on sides. Adult 9, Spring —Similar to adult df 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 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 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 9, Fall.—Similar to adult 9 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. lt 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.— PLACE Beta Average date of Earliest date of Tecord spring arrival spring arrival Atlantic Coast— Raleigh, Ni “Gs gesesensvamenade 9 March 27 March 22, 1898 Asheville, N. C. (near) ......... 4 April .28 April 24, 1893 French Creek, W. Va. .......... 4 April 16 April 10, 1893 Washington, D. C. .............. 7 April 25 April 22, 1905 New Providence, N. J. .......... 7 April 30 April 23, 1891 Englewood, N. J. ..eceeeceeeeees 6 April 30 April 25, 1901 Beaver; Pay. sucamnaiardtecancuas 6 April 30 April 25, 1891 Renovo, Pa. ....... Seto 10 April 26 April 22, 1896 Alfred, N. Yoo... cece eee ae ees 15 May 1 April 22, 1889 Ballston Spa, N. Y! ..........005 7 May 8 April 29, 1894 Portland, Conn. .........ccceeeee 6 May 4 April 27, 1886 Harttord; “Conifty saccedseseaeine 7 May 2 April 28, 1895 Providence; Ri Ti ssswe eee cecntns 4 May 3 May 1, 1897 Central Massachusetts .......... 13 May 1 April 26, 1891 Southeastern Massachusetts ..... 12 May 1 April 25, 1807 Northeastern Massachusetts ..... 16 May 1 April 24, 1897 Randolph, Vt. ..........ceeeeees 6 May 8 May 2, 1890 St. Johnsbury, Vt. ...........05- 6 May 9 May 5, 1900 Southern New Hampshire .. af May 3 April 30, 1903 Southern Maine ..............005 8 May 6 May 3, 1894 Montreal, Can. ................0- 4 May 11 May 7, 1801 Quebec, Can. ....... ccc cece eee ee II May 10 May 6, 1900 Central Nova Scotia ............ 4 May 13 May 10, 1896 St. John, N. B. ...... 2. eee eee 12 May 13 May 8, 1805 North River, P. E. I. .........eee 3 May 17 May 13, 1889 Mississippi Valley— Mouth Rio Grande, Texas ...... 7 March 22 March 18, 1880 San Antonio, Texas ........... 4 March 24 March 13, 1880 Eubank, Ky. ................0... 4 April 11 April 9, 1894 Chicago, Ill. ................008. 12 May 1 April 27, 1900 Rockford, Ill. ...........c cece eee 5 May 3 April 28, 1889 NNEC te We ceadnimraccensienanabend 10 April 28 April 25, 1806 Brookville, Ind. ...............0. 5 April 29 April 26, 1886 Waterloo, Ind. (mear) ........... 9 May 1 April 24, 1894 Petersburg, Mich. ............... 10 May 2 April 25, 1886 Battle Creek, Mich. ............. 6 May 3 April 28, 1885 Northern Michigan .............. 2 May 23 May 20, 1899 Southern Ontario ............... 12 May 1 April 26, 1904 Parry Sound District, Ont. ...... 9 May 6 May 3, 1896 Ottawa, Onty nusasniiueiareevesee 18 May 13 May 1, 1905 Southeastern Towa ...........005 6 May 5 April 30, 1895 Lanesboro, Minn. ............... 3 May 7 April 30, 1888 Aweme, Man. ...........ceeeeeee May 13, 1808 Athabasca Lake .............06. June 3, 1901 BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER 159 Fall Migration. — No. of : PLACE yearat Average date of Latest date of fecord| [ast one seen last one seen North River, P. E. I. 4 September 5 | September 13, 1890 St. John, N. B. ictgcuniadt sn mates is Adaecs 6 September 13 | September 25, 1891 Southern Maine 7 September 27 | October 2, 1898 Fitchburg, Mass. ........eeeeeeeeee October 9, 1898 Portland, Conn. ................00. October 20, 1888 Renovo, Pa. .............. 5 October 4 October 15, 1887 Southeastern New York 8 October 7 October 12, 1899 Germantown, Pas a sxe 5 October 8 October 18, 1888 Washington, D. C. ... sie October 20, 1890 Raleigh; Ns Co gudisnaeesesecious.: 5 October 8 October 16, 1893 Ottawa, Oinks yeas Seek oe eaeihewestnle's 7 September 27 | October 8, 1887 Chicago, Ill, ..... cee cee ee eee 9 September 27 | October 12, 1894 Eubank, Ky. ........... cece seen eee October 14, 1891 New Orleans, La. (near) .......... October 28 1899 The 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 vellow-headed.” (Thayer, MS.) \ 160 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- éminently 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 sweerrr, swi-ni swee (the first and last accented notes the highest- pitched), and Wi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi, wer-wéee (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 fsip 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: pe ae 0. A a \ =~ J 4 BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER 161 “Sometimes the last note is omitted, as follows:” SY. = v $ ‘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.” Cas Le we, ji oe $ 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, 162 GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER chestnut brown, purplish and lilac-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 .70X.49, .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 1 (Knight); Grand Menan, N. B., June 14 (J. P. N.); Ottawa Co., Mich., May 15, building, (Gunn) ; July 11, feeding young, Widmann (Barrows). BiocRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) Joun N. Crarx, Nesting of the Black-throated Green Warbler (at Saybrook, Ct.), Orn. and OGL, XII, 1887, 22. (2) E. A. Caren, The Black- throated Green Warbler at Grand Menan, Orn. and O6l., XIII, 1888, 59. (3) J. P. N[orris], A Series of Eggs of the Black-throated Green Warbler, Orn. and Ool., XVI, 52. (4) Wa. L. Kets, Nesting of Some Canadian Warblers, Ottawa Naturalist, XVII, 1903, 68. (5) Lewis M. Territt, Summer Warblers in Compton County, Quebec, Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, 1904, 149. (6) B. S. BowpisH, 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, .4o. Adult 3, 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 3, Fall—Not seen, doubtless not materially different from adult fi in Spring. Young 3, Fall—Resembles adult 2 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 3, Spring.—Similar to young ¢ in Fall but tips on black of throat and sides smaller or absent; upperparts with narrower greenish edgings. Puarr XIV i. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, ADULT MALE. 4. GoLDEN-CHEEKED WarBLeER, ApuLT MALE, 2. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, ADULT FEMALE. 5. GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER, ADULT FEMALE. 3. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, YOUNG FEMALE. 6. GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER, YOUNG Femai._ (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 9, 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 g, wings as in ¢ 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 ¢ in Fall but with less black above and on throat. Adult 9, Fall_—Not seen. Young 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 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—Sovthern Mexico and Guatemala. Spring Migration —lIts 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 cafions, . 164 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 cafions; 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 cafions, 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 Io 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 and 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 cafions 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 I 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 cafions 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.—TIt 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, twee-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- 166 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. IV”. C.)-June BE PENG HERMIT WARBLER 167 BIoGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) J. P. N[orrts], A Series of Eggs of the Golden-cheeked Warbler, Orn. and OdL, XIV, 1880, 68. (2) N. C. Brown, A Reconnoissance in Southern Texas, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VII, 1882, 36. (3) H. P. Artrwarer, 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 ¢ 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 3, 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 8, Fall—Similar to adult gf in Spring but head with more black, back more widely margined with olive, throat veiled with whitish, sides browner. Young 6, Fall—Similar to adult gf in Fall but with black above largely replaced by olive-green; sides of head duskier; throat buffy instead of black; sides browner. Adult 9, Spring —Similar to adult ¢ 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 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 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 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 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 ¢ 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, and 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. 168 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 preéminently 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 zeegle-zeegle-zeegle, zeek. 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 ftsit, 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 Fyffe, 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. Nest.—Brewster? describes a Blue Cafion nest as “composed of the fibrous stalks of herbaceous plants, fine dead twigs, lichens (Ever- nia vulpina), 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 Cafion, Calif., June 2, two eggs (Brewster) ; Eldorado Co., Calif., June 10 (Beck) ; Fyffe, Calif., June 8, four eggs badly incubated (Barlow) ; 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 (1) L. Betprnc, A Partial List of the Birds of Central California, Proc. 170 CERULEAN WARBLER U. S. N. M., I, 1878, 405. (2) Ww. Brewster, Discovery of the Nest and Eggs of the Western Warbler (in Blue Carion, Cal.), Auk, IV, 1887, 166. (3) R. H. Beck, Nesting of the Hermit Warbler (in Eldorado County, Cal.), Nidologist, IV, 1897, 79. (4) C. Bartow, Another Chapter on the Nesting of Dendroica occidentalis, and other Sierra Notes, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club (—Condor), I, 1899, 59. (5) C. Bartow, Nesting of the Hermit Warbler in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, Auk, XVI, 1899, 156; Condor, III, 1901, 179. (6) J. H. Bowes, The Hermit Warbler in Washington, Condor, VIII, 1906, 4o. CERULEAN WARBLER DENDROICA CERULEA (Wils.) Plate IX Distinguishing Characters—The adult ¢ may be known by its bright blue upperparts and white underparts with a breast band; the 2? 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 3, 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 $, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Spring but breast-band incomplete, showing only at sides of breast. (Only one specimen examined.) Young 38, Fall—Above dull bluish gray heavily washed with bright olive- green; upper tail-coverts black, as in adult 4; tail as in adult ¢ 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 2, 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 ¢ in Fall but is bluer above and has the upper tail-coverts gray instead of black. Adult 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 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 9 taken at this season. Young 9, 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 Puare XV 1. Hermit Warscer, 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 Michigan, (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. No. of " PLACE Sons | Somatic | amis ties Key West, Fla. ..... April 16, 1887 Raleigh, N. C. ... ies May 8, 1893 Washington, D. C. ...........0000s 4 May 8 May 5, 1888 Beaver, Pas seiarwaaianonsaepen 6 May 1 April 28, 1890 Northwestern New York .......... 3 May 7 May 5, 1885 Brownsville, Texas ...........0000 April 14, 1890 Northern Texas ................... 3 April 19 April 15, 1887 New Orleans, La. ...............05 2 April 9 April 8, 1898 Eubank, Ky. accajdess cesar ncnawenass 5 April 15 April 5, 1892 St, Lotiis;. (Ms. scaiciveccadudiewae ves 5 April 17 April 12, 1897 Brookville, Ind. wc... cece eee eee 6 April 27 April 19, 1889 Oberlin; Ohio: secsciecses weenie nase 9 May 3 April 29, 1899 Chicago: Ty, 2 scscasieie da ad geardaterfoisinede 4 May 14 May 11, 1893 Petersburg, Mich. .............005- 10 May 2 April 25, 1886 Detroit, Mich. s2:sc02 0000s angcueses 7 May 5 May 1, 1904 Southern Ontario ...........0.000 6 May 7 May 3._ 1889 Grinnell, Towa .....ceeeeseeenne oe May 3, _ 1888 Lanesboro, Minn. ............000085 May 5, 1887 Onaga, Kans. ...........0ee sence May 4, 1806 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 1, 1900; Livonia, Mich., September 1, 1892; Beaver, Pa., 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 efforts 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 zee, zee, zee, ze-ee-ee-eep. This latter variation is the one used by D. cerulea, and I could detect little or no difference in the songs of dozens of individuals. At best it is a modest little strain. * * * In 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, ise, 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-shree, but the voice was the soft one of the Cerulean. He sang many times and never gave the upward run.” (Farwell, 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 a 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.” (Smith®.) 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. * * * The 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.) BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER 175 Nesting Dates—Yates Co., N. ¥., May 31 (C. W. C.) ; Waynes- burg, Pa., May 24 only record (Jacobs) ; Oberlin, O., May 15-June 15 (Jones) ; Washtenaw County, May 15, Hyde—July 15, feeding young, Covert (Barrows) ; London, Ont., June 11 (Saunders); Ann Arbor, Mich., May 20 (Wood). BrocRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) Wm. Brewster, Some Observations on the Birds of Ritchie County, West Virginia, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y., XI, 1875, 134. (2) J. A. ALLEN, Nest and Eggs of the Cerulean Warbler, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, IV, 1879, 25. (3) A. W. Butter, The Cerulean Warbler (in Indiana), Orn. and Odl., IX, 1884, 27. (4) S. F. Ratusun, The Cerulean Warbler (near Auburn, N. Y.), Orn. and Ool., IX, 1884, 28. (5) E. ReIneckE, Cerulean Warbler (near Buf- falo, N. Y.), Odlogist, IX, 1892, 264. (6) P. W. Smiru, Jr. Nesting of the Cerulean Warbler .(near St. Louis, Mo.), Orn. and Oél., XVIII, 1893, 5. (7) W. E. Saunpers, Nesting Habits of the Cerulean Warbler (in W. Ontario), Auk, XVII, 1900, 358. (8) F. C. Kirxwoop, The Cerulean Warbler as a Summer Resident in Baltimore County, Maryland, Auk, XVIII, 1901, 137. (9) Lynps Jones, The Cerulean Warbler, (in Ohio), Wilson Bull. XVI, 1904, 3. : BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER DENDROICA FUSCA (Mull) Plate III Distinguishing Characters—The adult d 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 9 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 8, 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 8, Fall—Similar to adult df in Spring but the orange much paler and veiled with buffy tips; the black markings widely bordered with brownish; wings with two white bars, not forming a patch. Young 3, Fall—Similar to adult fin 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. 176 BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER Adult 9, Spring.—Similar to young ¢ in Fall but orange averaging deeper in color and more evident in crown; belly whiter. Adult 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 in Spring but orange areas still paler, crown spot barely evident, upperparts browner, belly more suffused the breast color being less sharply defined posteriorly. Young 9, 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 (Fort Bayard, May). Winter Range—Central Mexico to Venezuela and Peru; casual in the West Indies. Spring Migration.— No. of PLACE ree | Se | etna Atlantic Coast— Seven Oaks, Fla. ............000 April 10, 1902 Atlanta, Ga. (near) oo... cece eens 3 April 17 April 2, 1895 Asheville, N. C. (near) ......... 5 April 14 April 10, 1893 White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. ..| 5 April 22 April 17, 1893 French Creek, W. Va. ........-5 5 April 28 April 23, 1891 Washington, D. C. .............. 6 May 5 April 30, 1905 Beavers, wPas- sxcauaairadammnaaenes 4 May 4 April 30, 1902 Germantown, Pa. .....ces esse eee 5 May 7 April 28, 1890 Englewood, N. J. .........-+-e0 3 May io May 7, 1897 Southeastern New York ......... 6 May 10 April 30, 1900 Central Connecticut ............. 8 May 10 May 6, 1891 Boston, Mass: isseasuaaay exeesintes s 7 May 10 May 6, 1897 Randolph, Vt. ................06- 7 May 7 May 2, 1890 Southern New Hampshire ....... 9 May 8 May 3, Ig02 Southern Maine .............00- 6 May 16 May 10, 1900 65, 00. 67, 08. 60-71. 72.92) 74-76. 77,78. Blackburnian Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Golden-cheeked Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Kirtland’s Warbler Figs. 79-81. “82, 83. 84-86. 87, 88. 89-91. 92-94. Pine Warbler Yellow Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Oven-bird Northern Water-Thrush Louisiana Water-Thrush BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER Spring Migration.—(continued.) 177 PLACE cla Average date of Earliest date of record| Spring arrival spring arrival Atlantic Coast—f continued ) Montreal, Can. .........ccceeeees 3 May 16 May 10, 1890 Quebec, Can. ............-..002- 3 May 17 May 14, 1903 Scotch Lake, N. B. ...........0- 4 May 10 May 7, 1901 Pictou) Ni ‘Sb saeessevissassawwas May 30, 1894 Mississippi Valley— New Orleans, La. ............00 April 14 April 8, 1900 Central Mississippi .............. 3 May 8 April 13, 1885 St. Louis, Mo. ......... cece eee 5 May 2 May 4, 1880 Brookville, Ind. ............0.08. 6 May 3 April 15, 1887 Chicago,; UW aviv cewevexesaaw one. 5 May 3 April 28, 1900 Oberlin, O. ...cccceeeeee eee deavet 8 May 5 April 27, 1905 Detroit, Mich. ..,........0eeeee 8 May 6 May 2, 1905 Petersburg, Mich. ............... 5 May 7 May 4, 1895 Southern Ontario ............... 14 May 8 May 2, 1806 Parry Sound District, Ont. ...... 9 May II May 2, 1896 Ottawa, Ont. .......-. esse eee eens II May 9 May 1, 1905 Southern Wisconsin .........000: 10 May 15 May 6, 1807 Lanesboro, Minn. ........-...205 4 May 3, 1888 Aweme, Man. ................005 May 20, 1899 Fall Migration.— No. of : PLACE ents | “lt anearen | uaeone accu Chicago, TWh, sisea eee .nsaicemeses 6 | August 22 August 12, 1900 Detroit, Mich. ........... cece cence 4 | August 28 August 20, 1905 Beaver, Pa. ......csecsseveeceeeees 5 | September 9 | September 7, 1903 Berwyn, Pa. ..........-005 eet naeee August 23, 1888 Englewood, N. J. ...eeee eee e eee eeee August 11, 1887 Washington, D. C. ......cseee eens 3 | August 23 August 15, 1886 French Creek, W. Va. ..........5. 3 September 8 | September 7, 1890 c bie! Average date of Earliest date of PLACE pasa last one seen last one seen Chicago, IN. wos sisisddae eee aeas 5 | September 9 | September 22, 1809 Detroit, Mich. .............0eeeeee 6 | September 17 | September 30, 1893 St. Louis; Mo. «issicnes co ceesacsias 2 | October 3 October 5, 1905 Reeve; Pas ccseceteuwesssasa caer 8 | September 12 | September 25, 1899 Beavers: Pak asic dean nares steed aeaalos 4 | September 20 | September 23, 1899 French Creek, W. Va. .......00005 4 | September 18 | September 25, 1889 Lynchburg, Va. sre October 9, 1898 Tallahassee, Fla. .........-e0eeeeee October 26, 1904 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 preéminent 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.—‘TIts 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, tstvvi, tstuvi, 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 BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER 179 American Redstart’s, and another that began so much like 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 scme 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: ty Suva. 0 A Lf\\ V7 “Sy. v TTT +I TT? +114 PTT T® TTS FTTH 4 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. (Merriam'.) 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 lattfolia), 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 180 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 Vates.——Branchport, N. Y., May 24 (Burich); 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). BroGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) C. Haxr Merriam, Nest and Eggs of the Blackburnian Warbler, (in N. N. Y.), Auk, II, 1885, 103. (2) J. W. Preston, The Blackburnian Warbler at Home, (N. Minn.), Orn. and Odl., XIV, 1880, 34. (3) J. H. Bow es, Notes on the Blackburnian Warbler, (in So. N. H.), Odlogist, XII, 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, .5o. Adult 8, 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 8, Fall—Similar to adult d in Spring but upperparts and sides washed with brownish. Young 3, Fall—Resembling adult ¢ in Fall. Adult 2, Spring —Similar to adult f in Spring but with less black on the head, sides of throat, and neck. Adult 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 in Spring but back and sides brownish. Young @, Fall—Similar to adult 2 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 151 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 DistributionEastern United States east of the Alle- ghenies; north to Maryland. Summer Range—F¥rom 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, 1860), 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 March 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 efforts 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. 182 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 Muiotilta, 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 1, 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 tweive 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 (Tillandsia) 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 (Tillandsia usneoides) 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.) Nesting Dates.—Charleston, S. C., April 2—a second brood late in May. (Wayne); Raleigh, N. C., April 22-May 26 (C. W.C.). BroGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) Ws. 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 Ool., XII; 1887, 169; XIII, 1888, 161. (3) R. B. M’Lavucutin, Nesting of the Yellow-throated Warbler (in Nor. Car.), Orn. and Odl, XII, 1887, 171. (4) C. S. Brimuey, Nesting of the Yel- low-throated Warbler, at Raleigh, N. C., Orn. and Odl., XIV, 1880, 151; Auk, VII, 1890, 323. 184 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 11, 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 1, 1902. Fall Migration—lIn 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; Duefias, 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. Song.— “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, Sswee, 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 (1) R. Rweway, Birds of Illinois, 150. (2) A. W. Butter, Birds of Indi- ana, 1065. GRACE’S WARBLER DENDROICA GRACIA GRACI- Baird Plate XHI 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 gracie. Length (skin), 4.50; wing, 2.55; tail, 2.00; bill, .38. Adult 3, 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 g, Fall—Similar to adult $ in Spring but upperparts washed with brown, the black marks of crown, back, and sides obscured. Young 3, Fall—Similar to adult f 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 din Spring but browner above, few or no streaks in back; crown and sides with less black; yellow duller. Adult 9°, Fall—Similar to adult 2 in Spring but browner above, black markings more or less concealed by brownish tips. Not certainly distinguish- able from adult ¢ in Fall. Young 9, Fall—Resembling young ¢ in Fall. 186 GRACE’S WARBLER Nestling—Above dusky grayish brown with an olive tint; below grayish or white the breast, and even belly and sides spotied 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 Cafion 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 Mniotiltide. 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 adelaide and Dendroica delicata, respectively. Song.—“Its song is a sweet warble, frequently uttered from the lower pine boughs.” (Mearns). 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 1 1-2 inches high; inside diameter 1 3-4 inches by 1 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 emoryi. There is also some wool, vegetable down, and insect webbing, in which there are entangled the exuviz 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.” Eggs.—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). BrioGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) S. B. Lapp, Description of Nest and Eggs of Dendroica gracie, Auk, VIII, 1891, 314. (2) O. W. Howarp, 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 3, 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 3, Fall.—Above bright greenish yellow indistinctly streaked on back and rump; tail and wings as in Spring d, whole side of head gray, eye-ring white; the sides and flanks chestnut, rest of underparts white, Young do, Fall—Similar to adult d in Fall but with less, or no chestnut on sides. Adult 2°, Spring. —Similar to adult ¢ in Spring but duller, black areas less pronounced, tail and wings browner, chestnut stripes less developed. Adult 9, Fall—Similar to young ¢ in Fall. Young 9, Fall—Similar to adult 2 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. 188 CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER Summer Range—One of the commonest breeding Warblers i: New England, New York, Pennsylvania and south in the mountain to South Carolina. Outside of the mountains it breeds south t southern New Jersey (Sea Isle City), northern Ohio, Indiana (L Porte Co.), Iowa (Mahaska Co.), and to eastern Nebraska (Omaha) casual in summer in Missouri (St. Louis and Munger), and souther Illinois (Fox Prairie, Richland Co.) ; accidental in Wyoming (Chey enne, May 23, 1889) ; breeds north to Newfoundland, Ontario and th Saskatchewan. Winter Range-—Guatemala to Panama. Migration —The Chestnut-sided Warbler passes through easter: Mexico and the Gulf States from northwestern Florida to easter Texas. It is casual in southern Florida and the Bahamas. Spring Migration.— No. of ri PLACE genre ee | aedus wurveat Atlantic Coast— Suwanee River, Fla. ............. April 10, 1892 Atlanta, Ga. (near) ............. 8 April 28 April 17, 1896 Asheville, N. C. (near) .......... 3 April 26 April 22, 1902 Raleigh. Ni. (Ga scene c-e aussi ebm seasons 2 April 28 April 27, 1886 French Creek, W. Va. .......... 5 May 2 April 30, 1890 Washington, D. C. ...........05- 5 May 3 April 24, 1905 Beaver. Pay ig eiscksanca sanomeec 5 May 2 May 1, 1902 Renovo, Pa. ............ ee cece eee 9 May 3 April 30, 1901 Southeastern New York ......... 14 May 6 May 2, 1899 Portland, Conn. ...........0.00e 6 May 7 May 4, 1887 Boston, Mass. ..........0e.eseeee 14 May 6 May 2, 1897 Lewiston, Me. ........eceeeveee 8 May 12 May 7, 1899 Montreal, Cans. sicdnacneusanicees 6 May 17 May 11, 1889 Scotch Lake, N. B. ............ ex, ~O May 23 May 18, 1897 Halifax, N. S. oo... ..peeeeee eee May 24, 1895 Mississippi Valley— Southern Texas ...............05 3 April 20 April 17, 1890 Shell Mound, Miss. .............. April 15, 1892 St; Louis; Mos. cccsannakisciaaisan 6 May 3 April 27, 1883 Brookville, Ind. .............0005 4 May 4 May = 2, 1881 Oberlin, O. 2.0... 2. cece eee eee 9 May 4 May 2, 1900 CHICAGO: TNL scssenconceststsny x airdeetedsinprakor tte 6 May 6 May 2, 1896 Petersburg, Mich. .............. 10 May 6 April 28, 1889 Detroit; Mich... cssovesecnusaa guns 9 May 6 April 29, 1897 Listowel, Ont. .......0..2- eee eee 13 May 6 ay 2, 1900 Parry Sound District, Ont. en 13 May II May 8, 1889 Ottawa; Ont) ccs0.c240t.45d45 a cee 18 May 14 May 6, 1905 Grinnell, Ia. ........ cece eee eee 5 ‘May 5 May 1, 1887 Lanesboro, Minn. ............... 9 May 9 May 4, 1890 Elk River, Minn. ................ 7 May I4 May 7, 1887 Awenié, Man). aiccinatescanerias 4 May 20 May 18, 1897 FIG, 33. NEST AND FIVE EGGS OF THE YELLOW WARBLER, WITH ONE EGG OF THE COWBIRD Photographed by ALBERT MorGAN, at Wethersfield, Conn. FIG. 34. CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER AND NEST Photographed by ALBERT MorGan, at Wethersfield, Conn. CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER 189 Fall Migration — No of PLACE years’| Average date of Latest date of record last one seen last one seen Lanesboro, Minn. .............0.05 4 | September 8 |September 15, 1889 Ottawa, Ont. ciciscsaacesdmeeees oes 5 | August 23 September 12, 1885 Glen Ellyn, Il. ............. cee eee 6 | September 19 |September 26, 1895 St. Johny, Nc oBs «sicvnerndessyeiaean September 10, 1895 Beaver: Pay aussi suxeeniowees vances 4 September 23 |October 1, 1890 Berwyn, Pa. .............. October 8, 1891 New Orleans, La. (near) October 10, 1896 Tallahassee, Fla. .............0000- October 13, 1904 The Bird and its Haunts —The regret occasioned by the decrease in the numbers of 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- mer, 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- 190 CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER abouts. Its ‘beat’ lies between the ground and the tops of s1 deciduous trees. The few nests I have seen have all been between and five feet from the ground, in bushes. The adults’ peculiar m: ings and droop-winged, perk-tailed; and deep-chested attitudes are well known to bear dwelling on here. Though potentially quick n ing, the Chestnut-side is by no means restless, as Warblers gx often spending many minutes at a time in one small tree,—and i one of the tamest of the tame.” (Thayer, MS). Herrick’s’ detailed studies of the nesting habits of the Chest side show how little we know as yet of the more intimate, personal . of the home-life of Warblers. Song.—‘‘The Chestnut-side, a full-voiced Warbler, has at 1 two main songs, both of which, but particularly the more lic and less articulate one, are subject to wide variation. Both ty of song are too liquid to be well suggested by English syllat except for the clearly enunciated ending of one of them,—wee-ci Twit-a-wit-a-wit-a-wit-wee-chew! is something like the phrasing the whole of this song, except that it fails to express the soft flue of the first part. The other song is an elaboration of this initial 1 ing warble, with the wee-chew left off. Hardly any two Chest sides sing this inarticulate song alike, and almost every indivic plays noticeable variations on his own version of it. In additio1 all this, the Chestnut-side is a mocker. One we used to hear, - regularly began his wee-chew song with a loud, long, rattling 1 almost indistinguishable from the more fluent song of the Sparr and another, that lived near Catbirds, used several unmistakable n of Catbird song. One of the Chestnut-side’s two or three or n small call-notes is characteristic—the others scantily so, if at ; (Thayer, MS.) Miss Paddock writes that the first two of the songs given be are usual. They are uttered with much energy and decided acc The last two songs are more like the Redstart’s but are without acc and sound as if sung with closed mouth. CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER IQI Nesting-Site——Throughout its range this species appears to nest in low bushes, saplings 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. Eggs.—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 egg. Some specimens of the egg of this species closely approach many eggs of the Yellow, Magnolia, Myrtle, and Prairie Warblers. Size; average .66x.49; extremes measure .61x.47, .71X.51, .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 (Brewster); Lancaster, N. H., May 26-June 6 (C. W. C.); Bangor, Me., June 4-July 4 (Knight); Listowel, Ont., May 21-June 18 (Kells); Ann Arbor, Mich., May 20 (Wood). BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) W. L. Ketts, Nesting of the Chestnut-sided Warbler, (in Ontario), Odlogist, IV, 1887, 11; Ottawa Naturalist, XV, 1902, 225. (2) Cartes L. Puruips, The Chestnut-sided Warbler (at Taunton, Mass.), Odlogist, IX, 1892, 165. (3) Morris Gisss, Nesting Habits of the Chestnut-sided Warbler (in Mich.), Odlogist, XI, 1804, 331. (4) L. M. TERRILL, Summer Warblers in 192 BAY-BREASTED WARBLER Compton County, Quebec, Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, 1904, 152, (5) A Ducmore, The Increase of the Chestnut-sided Warbler, Bird-Lore, IV, . 77. (6) Wm. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 336. (7) F Herrick, Home Life of Wild Birds, Rev. Ed., 1905, 189, 222, 236 ,240. BAY-BREASTED WARBLER DENDROICA CASTANEA (Wils.) Plate XII Distinguishing Characters—The adult ¢ in Spring may be known b chestnut crown, breast, and sides, black face, and buffy spot at the sid the neck; the adult 2 in Spring by more or less chestnut in crown, on br and sides, a grayish back streaked with black. Fall adults show more or chestnut on the sides but young of both sexes are singularly like the youn Dendroica striata, which see. Length (skin), 5.00; wing, 2.90; tail, 2.10; .40. Adult 3, Spring.—Crown chestnut, forehead, lores, and cheeks black, a 1 buffy space on the side of the neck sometimes spreading to the nape; grayish buff streaked with black; rump grayer; tail margined with gray, outer two to three feathers with white patches at the end of the inner \ wings margined with olive-gray; the greater. and median coverts bro tipped with white; throat, upper breast, and sides chestnut; rest of undery buffy white. Adult 3, Fall—Upperparts olive-green more or less streaked with b the crown usually with some concealed chestnut; tail and wings as in Sp but coverts tinged with yellowish; underparts whitish the throat tinged yellowish, the breast, belly, and under tail-coverts with buffy; sides with 1 or less chestnut. Young 3, Fall—Similar to adult ¢ in Fall but with no chestnut in cr upperparts less streaked, little or no chestnut on sides; buff suffusion weak Adult °, Spring.—Similar to adult ¢' in Spring: but chestnut of crown m with black; forehead and cheeks gray and black; chestnut on throat and : much fainter or appearing in patches only. Adult 9, Fall—Resembling adult ¢ in Fall. Young 9, Fall—Resembling young ¢ in Fall, but without trace of ches Nestling—Above grayish olive, the head sometimes paler, nearly buffy, heavily spotted with wedge-shaped black marks; below whitish thickly spi with rounded black marks; median wing-coverts broadly tipped with whit buffy white on both webs, the greater coverts, on only the outer web. General Distribution—Eastern North America; north to N foundland and Hudson Bay; west to a little beyond the Mississ River. Summer Range—Northern New England; New Hamps (White Mountains, Lake Umbagog), Maine (Franklin, Penob: and Washington Counties), northern Ontario and, probably, nortl Minnesota, north to Newfoundland, Hudson Bay and Saskatcher Winter Range-—Panama and Colombia. Spring Migration—On the way to its summer home, the me 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). Spring Migration. — No, of PLACE years’ | Average date of Earliest date of record spriug arrival spring arrival Atlantic Coast— Chester County, S. C. ........aee May 5, 1888 Washington, D. C. .............. 5 May 12 May 9, 1903 Renovo, Pa. .................2-- 6 May 13 May 11, 1897 Southeastern New York ......... 5 May 8 May 3, 1800 Central Massachusetts ........... 9 May 16 May 8, 1895 Southern Maine ................. 6 May 18 St. John, N. B. ........ hea! 26 May 21 May 15, 1889 Montreal, Cans saiciessssisiewes as 3 May 23 May 10, 1891 Pietou, NioS. a.0.ecc.sceceaed eel May 23, 1895 Mississippi Valley— St. Lotis; ‘Moe. vcsessicnsnsok sees 4 May 7 May 3, 1883 Morgan Park, Ill. ............... 5 May 5 May 2, 1900 Brookville, Ind. ........ ge ABS cae 3 May 8 May 2, 1884 Oberlin; Ox sisGesvuiaseecaweriey 7 May 8 May 4, 1902 Petersburg, Mich. ............... 6 May 13 May 10, 1893 Southern Ontario ............... 12 May 12 May 6, 1889 Ottawa, Onts ss crsisiesienswgdeieas ne 16 May 17 May 11, 1886 Aweme, Man. ..............ee00e 3 May 16 May 13, 1899 Fall Migration. — PLACE = Average date of Latest date of record last one seen last one seen Ottawa). iOnte .ccuceuswaayioddy sore 3 |September 8 | September 16, 1888 St. Johny Ne. By cssccssaissess ov esietaere ; September 1, 1890 Glen. Ellyn, We sscisaeacoscncdstetcie 7 | September 18 | October 4, 1897 Germantown, Pa. ........ Sa@na cies, 3 | September 28 | 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, \ Usually, however, he remarks, they “occur singly and in dense we especially such as consist largely of white pines, hemlocks or c coniferous trees.” “The southward flight of Bay-breasts,” this author contir “sometimes begins as early as August 23 and usually lasts ne through September. At this season the birds are given to frequer. gray birches and dense, swampy maple woods and are nearly al found in company with Blackpoll Warblers.” The Bay-breast, Gerald Thayer writes, is “often commoi Monadnock in the spring migration, and may possibly breed 1 Apparently it is never common in the fall. It associates often - Blackpolls, in loose bands, which drift through the scrub-lands forest-borders like bands of Titmice. But the Bay-breasts ust leave Monadnock for the north at least a week before the Blackpc “Bay-breasts and Blackpolls alike are rather big and rather d ily-adorned Warblers, and both have an almost vireo-like leisureli of movement. Adult male Bay-breasts in life are apt to look very d —heavily clouded with deep brown and gray, relieved by a cons ously bright, big, white-buff spot on each side of the fore-r Females look much like female Blackpolls, but are grayer—less g —and usually show some blurred pale chestnut flecks on their s The call-notes of these two twin-like species (Bay-breast and Bl poll) I have never learned to tell apart. They are fine and sharp, sometimes louder than the average Dendroicine tsipping.” (Th MS.) About Umbagog, where it breeds, Maynard! found the . breast the most abundant Warbler. It inhabited all the wooded tions and frequented the tops of tall trees. Song.—Heard from migrants the Bay-breast’s song is a { weak, monotonous saw-filing note” (Farwell, MS.) Widmann records the full song at St. Louis, on September 1897. “In a grouping based on songs, the Bay-breast should stand quintette with the Blackburnian, the Blackpoll, the Black and W and the Cape May. These five heard singing together in the : trees, as I have heard them on the Hudson River, make ‘conft worse than death’ for any bird-student but the most adept. But patience and a good ear one can learn to differentiate them su All five are thin-voiced, ‘sibilant’, singers; but each has its own sl prevailing peculiarity of tone, in addition to the differences, vi 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 in 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. (Kells). BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (1) C. J. Maynarp, Birds of Coos County, N. H., and Oxford County, Me., Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. XIV, 1871, 364. (2) Ww. Brewster, Birds of the Cambridge Region, 338. 196 BLACKPOLL WARBLER BLACKPOLL WARBLER DENDROICA STRIATA (Forst.) Plate Il Distinguishing Characters—The adult g in Spring may be known by its black crown, white cheeks, and gray, black-striped back; the adult 2 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 Dendroica 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 &, 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 $, 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 6, 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 2, Spring —Upperparts grayish olive-green streaked with black from bill to rump; a faint grayish nuchal band; tail much as in 6; 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 ¢ in Fall but is grayer above and whiter below, the black streaks everywhere better defined. Adult and young $, Fall_—Resemble young ¢ 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 limit of tree growth, Labrador to Alaska; west to the Rocky Mountains. Summer Range.—Principally in Canada, but a few nest south to northern Maine (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.—Northern South America to Ecuador, Guiana and eastern Brazil. 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. No. of é PLACE coe Sees | aussie! Atlantic Coast— Atlanta, Ga. (mear) ............. 6 April 25 April 22, 1902 Raleigh, N. C. ....... cece eee eee Th May 2 April 28, 1894 Asheville, N. C. (mear) .......... 5 May 5 April 29, 1893 Washington, D. C. .............. 7 May 6 May 4, 1890 Germantown, Pa. ........seeeenes 6 May 8 May 5, 1887 Englewood, N. J. ....... sc cae eeee 5 May 14 May 6, I900 Southeastern New York ......... 14 May 15 May 2, 1899 Central Connecticut ............. II May I5 May 11, 1889 Providence, R. VU. oo... cece eee eee 6 May 15 May 12, I900 Boston, Mass, ........-+eeseeeees 14 May 17 May 10, 1897 Southern New Hampshire ....... 9 May 21 May 16, 1892 Lewiston, Me. ..............0000. 6 May 23 May 16, 1901 Montreal, Can. ........-...ee eee May 28, 1892 Upper Hamilton River, Quebec .. May 31 Placentia, Newfoundland ........ June 1, 1890 198 BLACKPOLL WARBLER No. of | Average date Earliest d PLACE aeard og one ee Mississippi Valley— St. Louis, Mo. ........--00-- 22 7 April 30 April 28, 1888 Southern Ontario .............6- 6 May 17 May 12, 1804 Ottawa, Ont: 2s..accecevevswewdoss 16 May 21 May 13, 1905 Oberlin-Os wweseouneteacataAsances 6 May 9 May 6, 1905 Southern Michigan ............-- 6 May 14 May II, 1900 Chicago, Ul. seins excaeeeaaenwtes 9 May 13 May 1, 1899 Southern Wis. ........--.-----65 8 May 16 May 12, 1889 Keokuk, Iowa (near) ........... 7 May 9 May 7, 1902 Grinnell, Iowa (near) .......-.-- 7 May 10 May 9, 1889 Lanesboro, Minn. .............05- 8 May 16 May 8, 1887 Aweme, Matis, «.0<20c2acrannaires 6 May 13 May 6, 1905 Southeastern Nebraska .......... 5 May 18 May 5, 1903 Central Colo... ..c.sses vest eiacees 4 May 9 May 7, 1905 Cheyenne, Wyo. ......-.-----e06- 2 May 9 May 8, 1888 Great Falls, Mont. ...........4.. 3 May 19 May 18, 1892 Fort Chipewyan, Alberta ........ May 23, 1901 Fort Providence, Mackenzie ...... 2 May 23 May 19, 1905 Fort Simpson, Mackenzie ........ May 22 Kowak, Alaska ......0cceee cree June 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. No. of | average date of Farli PLACE ee ase one seen reer ea ae Ottawa, Ont. .........cc cece eee eees August 9, 1893 Glen. Eltyn; Ill. scaeescuet ccwaeaces 7 |September 3 | August 23, 1897 Providence, R. L. wc. cceeeeeeeneees 3 | September 18 | September 16, 1900 Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y. .......... 5 | September 17 | September 12, 1888 Beaver, Pa. sécsscos cnc nnsg ee taconite 6 | September 5 | August 27, 1801 Englewood, N. J. ......eeceeeeeeeee 3 | September 5 | August 30, 1887 Washington, D. Ci spew scsedeonsnes September 1, 1889 Raleigh;, Ni (Gy a2 vassdssexsasateess v4 October 2 September 24 PLACE Ng: of Average date of Latest date of Pees last one seen last one seen Great Bear Lake, Mackenzie ....... August 29, 1904 Ottawa, Ont. ics ciiwareeser sas 1...-| 3 |September 19 | September 27, 1889 Glen Ellyn; Uk; siccwasnssandecds ons 7 |September 17 | September 25, 1898 Detroit: Micha cnuavisiecaieeesscasen 1r | October 9 October 16, 1904 Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y. .......... 3 | October 12 October 26, 1888 Beayet:, Bai ss siccteicenesputinacaiaiec acd severeuaraie 7 \October 19 October 21, 1900 RENOVOn Pad -