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and Wliite Warblers or Black and White Creepers^ as they 

 were formerly called^ are more versatile and agile than 

 either; they can climb in any position with the greatest of 

 ease. In this respect, their habits are so different from 

 most warblers, that early naturalists were inclined to class 

 them in a separate family. 



After hearing the long-drawn, wiry song of a Black and 

 White Warbler coming from about the same spot for sev- 

 eral consecutive mornings^ I decided to investigate. Climb- 

 ing over the wall, I went in the direction of his voice and 

 soon found him climbing nimbly about in a young chestnut 

 tree in search of his breakfast. Every few moments the 

 little climber would j^ause^ lift his head and sing out his 

 unmusical notes, I was not particularly interested in the 

 male bird at this time^ but I knew that somewhere near him 

 I would find his mate and, that having located her, it would 

 be a comparatively easy matter to find their nest. 



I soon discovered her in a tree beyond her mate, and was 

 delighted to see that she had a long shred of bark in her 

 beak. As usual with birds of this species, she was very 

 careful and wanted to make sure that no one should see her 

 building the nest. I kept perfectly still for fully fifteen 

 minutes before she went to its site, which proved to be at 

 the base, on the opposite side, of the very stump behind 

 which I was concealed. As these warblers are very apt to 

 desert a nest if they know it to be discovered, I went quiet- 

 ly away without even looking at it. 



The next time I saw the nest it contained one dainty lit- 

 tle warbler egg and a larger one of a Cowbird; the latter 

 egg was removed because it would have either prevented the 

 warbler from laying her full number of eggs in the nest or 

 else, when hatched, the young Cowbird would probably have 

 crowded some of the smaller birds to death. I saw neither 

 of the warblers on that morning and feared that they might, 

 have already deserted the nest because of the imposition! 



