WARBLERS. 



This is a large and puzzling family. When the 

 student has conquered all the rest of his bird world, 

 there will still remain some unidentified Warblers to 

 give zest to woodland excursions. They have been 

 described as " among our most abundant, most beau- 

 tiful and least known birds." 



Warblers that live near the ground, or in the lower 

 stories of trees, as do most of those that nest in this 

 part of the country, are comparatively easy to find 

 and identify; the tantalizing ones are those that are 

 here only in migrations and are likely to keep in the 

 tree-tops, where they are so incessantly active that an 

 opera-glass seems of little use. These are very small 

 and have conspicuous Avhite markings on the tail, 

 which is frequently spread as they flit among :he 

 branches. 



Contrary to what would be expected from the 

 name, few of this family are fine songsters, and the 

 tree-top Warblers in particular have small, thin voices 

 that attract little attention, but the student soon comes 

 to recognize their lisping, semi-musical notes, and to 

 be alert for new species. 



The wooded bank of the Potomac on the Virginia 

 side, from Rosslyn to Chain Bridge, is a favorite 

 ground for Warblers, both migrants and residents. 

 It was near Chain Bridge that Dr. T. S. Palmer saw 

 five species in one tree. In the Zoo one of the best 

 places to find them is the bushy border of Rock 

 Creek, just below the Prairie Dog enclosure. 



