1892] MARYLAND ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 203 



THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, 



Dendroica hlachhiirnios^ Gmelin, as a summer resident. 



By ARTHUR RESLER. 



On the 28tli of July, while on one of my ornithological 

 rambles through the woods in Howard county, about twelve 

 to fifteen miles south-west of Baltimore, I obtained a speci- 

 men of the beautiful Blackburnian Warbler, from the top- 

 most twigs of a tall oak tree. It was flying and fluttering 

 between the leaves, evidently in pursuit of insects. Owing 

 to the restlessness of the bird, it was brought down with 

 difficulty. It proved to be a young male, difi'ering but 

 slightly from a young one of the same species which was 

 secured on the tenth of October. 



While there is nothing remarkable in the occurrence of 

 this bird here during the period of migration, it seems 

 worth while to record the capture of this specimen, since 

 it is essentially a summer resident of the Northern States 

 and Canada. The occurrence of a single specimen does 

 not aff'ord proof that the species is a summer resident ; but 

 it opens the question as to whether it is not an early 

 migrant. For example, it is true that I have found, toward 

 the close of August, the Black-Throated Blue Warbler, 

 {D. canadensis), the Black-Throated Green Warbler, 

 {D. virens), and a young female of the Mourning War- 

 bler, {Geothlypis Philadelphia) ; all of which, besides 

 numerous waders and shore birds, migrate more or less 

 numerously from late in September until the middle of 

 October. But that a bird which migrates annually from 

 late September until near the middle of October should 

 begin to retire South in midsummer, even though young, 

 is certainly a remarkable fact which claims our attention. 

 It may be not amiss to mention that for almost a week 

 before the capture of this specimen, the maximum tempera- 

 ture ranged from 95° to 96°. Hardly an inducement was 



October 15, 1893. 



