The Canadian Fieljj-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXIV. 



the others had sought a perch to sun and preen 

 themselves. 



Last year (1918) the myrtle warbler was the first 

 migrant warbler seen in the garden, arriving on 

 July 31. In 1919 they were first noted on August 

 10, which is nearer the average time. I can usually 

 find a few in the garden on any day after their 

 arrival until late in October. Occasionally a few 

 remain after the first of November. This bird is 

 the first migrant to come from a distance (referring 

 only to garden visitors). Their nearest nesting 

 haunt that I know of is in the Laurentian hills. 



The water-thrush is one of the earliest birds to 

 come, as is also the Canadian warbler. I never see 

 many of the latter, but the water-thrush is a regular 

 visitor. As is well known it is one of our thrush- 

 like warblers, resembling the ovenbird, but lacking 

 the orange crown-patch. It can always be dis- 

 tinguished from the ovenbird by its sew-saw walk, 

 very similar to that of the spotted sandpiper. I 

 seldom see the ovenbird in the garden ; it is one of 

 the few of the smaller birds that keeps almost en- 

 tirely to the woods, but the water-thrush delights 

 in inspecting moist lawns. It is not a great bather, 

 but loves the vicinity of the bath. Even though in- 

 doors I usually know of his presence his loud 

 clinl( or cleen^ has a very penetrating quality, and 

 I generally come out to watch this daintily marked 

 "tip-up" as he zig-zags down a spruce limb and in- 

 spects the wet lawn before taking a light bath. In 

 its summer home the water-thrush lives in the sha- 

 dows in the cool wet woods and in the garden, 

 too, it is more active during the twilight of early 

 morning and late afternoon, and is generally the last 

 to bathe. The sew-saw motion of the water-thrush, 

 and certain other birds, has always excited my 

 curiosity. 



The semipalmated sandpiper, almost wholly a 

 bird cf the beach (during migration), follows the 

 shore line by little runs and never bobs its body. 

 Continual necessity for rapid action in avoiding the 

 incoming waves may be responsible for this mode 

 of advance. This small sandpiper keeps to the 

 shore level and avoids boulders and other obstacles 

 in its path. On the other hand the spotted and 

 solitary sandpiper and the pipit, when feeding on 

 the beach, generally examine the tops and boulders. 

 It seems probable that similarity in feeding habits 

 is responsible for the bobbing motion common to 

 these three birds. Did the water-thrush acquire its 

 similar motion in a like manner and has it only re- 

 cently left a water habitat for the woods? Watch 

 a spotted or solitary sandpiper as it flies from stone 

 to stone in the bed of some swift-flowing brook, bal- 

 ances a moment on the polished slippery surface, 

 and creeps to the edge in its search for food 



amongst the clinging mosses, and you will readily 

 perceive one reason by which the "tip-up" may have 

 acquired its motion. Even a sandpiper may not 

 relish an unpremeditated ducking. The balancing of 

 the spotted sandpiper is the most pronounced, while 

 the solitary bobs spasmodically, as befits a sand- 

 piper that has adopted the habit of rearing its young 

 in trees, although it has not yet learned the art of 

 nest-building. 



Often the bay-breasted warbler is amongst the 

 first arrivals. They are always in flocks and by 

 the time they appear the fall moult is almost if not 

 quite complete. It is difficult to reconcile their fall 

 dress with that of the spring. About the only 

 recognition marks to be distinctly seen are the white 

 wing bars and spots on the outer tail feathers and 

 these marks are common to other species. Here 

 is where the value of the bath is felt. If you 

 look closely you can usually make out a little bay 

 color on the sides, sometimes deepening to chestnut, 

 according to the age or sex of the individual. This 

 will serve to distinguish it from the young of the 

 black-poll which often associates with the bay- 

 breasted and which it resembles closely. I have 

 watched these birds carefully during the past few 

 years and have come to the conclusion that the bay- 

 breasted far outnumbers the black-poll, at least in 

 this district during the fall migration. It is a pretty 

 sight to see the bright yellowish-green backs of half- 

 a dozen or more of these birds as they bathe in per- 

 fect harmony. The bay-breasted warbler comes 

 early and remains late and is one of the most com- 

 mon fall garden visitors. In 1919 they were noted 

 from August 20 until September 21. 



The Cape May, Magnolia, Nashville, and Ten- 

 nessee warblers follow more or less closely. It 

 seems almost unreal to see a Tennessee warbler 

 composedly bathing a few feet away, it is quite a 

 contrast to watching them in their nesting haunts 

 where they seldom approach closer to you than the 

 tip of some dead bleached limb, fifty feet or more 

 from the ground. Then the male bird's breast 

 feathers were a dazzling white, now they are a dusky 

 yellow or yellowish-white. 



On Aug. 10 this year I saw the first white- 

 throated sparrow in the garden, but they did not 

 become common until the second week in September. 

 They were always to be seen from that time until 

 late in October. Most of the sparrows are fond 

 of bathing, but are not as energetic about it as the 

 warblers. 



Vireos are much less given to bathing. They are 

 usually content to perch beneath the spray and allow 

 the mist to fall over them. Often they will dive 

 through it and occasionally take a proper dip in the 

 bath. The red-eyed vireo is found in the garden 



