182 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



It is graceful and rapid iu movement, and is often so intent upon its liunt 

 as to be unmindful of the near presence of man. 



It is found chiefly in thickets, but this is probably owing to the fact that there 

 its food is principally to be obtained. It is occasionallj' seen in more open 

 country, and has been known to breed in the immediate vicinity of a dwelling. 



Wilson regarded this bird as a true Creeper, and objected to its being 

 classed as a AVarbler. He even denied to it the possession of any song. In 

 this he was quite mistaken. Thougli ne\'er loud, prolonged, or powerful, the 

 song of this Warbler is very sweet and pleasing. It begins to sing from its 

 first appearance in Jlay, and continues to repeat its brief refrain at intervals 

 almost until its deiJarture iu August and September. Nuttall speaks of it 

 as being at first a monotonous ditty, and as uttered in a strong but shrill and 

 filing tone. These notes, he adds, as the season advances, become more mel- 

 low anil warbling, and, though feeble, are pleasing, and are similar to those 

 of the liedstart. But this statement does not do full justice to the varied 

 and agreeable notes with wiiicli, iu early s])ring, these birds accomj^any their 

 lively hunt for food among the tops of the forest trees. They are diver- 

 sified and sweet, and seem suggestive of a genial and happy nature. 



These birds make their a])pearance in New England early in ^lay, and 

 remain there, among the thick woods, until the middle of October, and in the 

 Southern States until the verge of winter. 



Their movements in search of food are like those of the Titmice, keeping 

 the feet together and moving in a succession of short rajjid liops up the 

 trunks of trees and along the limbs, passing again to the bottom by longer 

 flights than in the ascent. They make Ijut short flights I'rom tree to tree, 

 but are apparently not incajialjle of more prolonged ones. 



So far as 1 know, these birds always build their nests on the ground. Mr. 

 NuttaU found one in li'oxburv c(uilaining young about a week old. Tlie nest 

 was on the ground, on the surface of a shelving nick, made ol' coarse strips 

 of the inner bark of the Ahks rinuulcnsls externally, and internally of soft 

 decayed leaves and dry grasses, and lined with a thin layer of black hair. 

 The parents fed their young in his jtresence witii alieclionate attention, and 

 manifested no uneasiness, creeping, head downward, about the trunks of the 

 neighboring trees, can-ying large smooth caterpillars to their young. The 

 nests of this bird are strongly and conqiactly built, externally of coarse strips 

 of various kinds of bark, and lined within with hair and fine stems of grasses. 

 In several instances I have known them to be roofed over at the top, in the 

 manner of the Golden-crowned Thrush. They measure alwut tlaee inches 

 in their external diameter, and are equally deep. 



The nests appear to be a favorite receptacle for the parasitic eggs of the 

 Cow-Bunting. Mr. Eobert Eidgway obtained a nest at Mt. Carmel, 111., 

 in which were four eggs of the Molotli.riia and only two of the parent birds ; 

 and Mr. T. M. Tripjie, of Orange, N. Y., also found a nest of this Creeper 

 in which were but three of its own and five of the parasite. 



