FEATHERED GEMS 



stays to brave the snow and cold of our Northern win- 

 ters. They are mostly among the last of our migrants 

 to return to us in spring, May being the great flight 

 time, though we begin to have a few in April, such as 

 the Myrtle, Yellow Palm, Pine, and Black-throated 

 Green. 



One nice thing in studying warblers is that in migra- 

 tion they come to our very doors, fairly forcing them- 

 selves upon our attention. At such times, careless of 

 their accustomed haunts, they pour, as it were, across 

 the country like a tidal wave. Wherever there is a tree 

 with young leaves or blossoms, we are liable to find 

 warblers at such times, even on city streets. They 

 pour into city parks, and such a place as Central Park, 

 New York City, is one of the very best warbler grounds, 

 for they are fairly congested in such green spots amid 

 weary miles of pavement, which are, for them, truly 

 oases in the desert. So everyone who will may study 

 the beautiful warblers right at home, and, with opera 

 glass to see them and text-book to identify them, learn 

 and enjoy much. 



A disadvantage and disappointment, to the contrary, 

 is that the abundance of the migration, as we see it, 

 varies very much from year to year. Some years, as 

 we have been showing, warblers are everywhere. But 

 then again we shall hardly find them at all. In these 

 years, for some reason, the hosts either take another 

 route in their travels or else pass over us at night, and 

 we look in vain for their welcome presence on the 



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