452 Birds of Colorado 



a little white around the eye ; below white, with irregular patches of 

 black on the chest and streaks of the same colour on the flanks ; iris 

 brown, bill black, legs dark brown. Length 5-25; wing 310; tail 

 2-55 ; culmen -40 ; tarsus -Id. 



The male in autumn and winter is very different ; the general colour 

 above is dingy brown with indistinct streaks of black, the crown-patch 

 concealed by the brownish tips of the feathers ; but the rump Ls bright 

 yellow ; below and the sides of the head dingy white, and the yellow 

 breast-patches are hardly noticeable. The female in spring is like the 

 male but is smaller — wing 2-80 — and duller in colour, the back is 

 strongly washed with brown and the crown-patch is smaller ; the sides 

 of the head dusky brown, not black, and the black of the lower-parts 

 is more streaky and less patcliy. Yoiuig birds are like the female, 

 but duller and less marked. 



Distribution. — Breeding far north from Alaska and Labrador south 

 to the northern border of the states from Minnesota to Massachusetts, 

 wintering in the middle tier of the states from Kansas and Massachu- 

 setts south to eastern IMexico, Panama, the Bahamas and the Greater 

 Antilles. 



The Myrtle-Warbler is a rather uncommon spring migrant in the 

 eastern part of Colorado up to the foothills of the mountains, arriving 

 about the last week in April — El Paso co. April 28th (Allen & Brewster), 

 Loveland April 24th-25th (W. G. Smith) — and passing onward about 

 the end of May. It has not been found breeding in the State, nor 

 has it been recorded dm-ing the fall migration, but recently H. G. Smith 

 (08) has fovmd it wintering at Holly in the Arkansas Valley. As it 

 is well known to winter in south-eastern Kansas, this is not surprising. 



The following are additional recorded locaUties : Boulder co. on 

 migration (Henderson), Idaho Springs up to 9,000 feet (Trippe), Denver 

 (Henshaw), Limon (Aiken), Salida May 9th (Frey), and Fort Lyon 

 (Thome apiid Cooke). 



Habits. — The Myrtle-Warbler is generally seen about 

 low trees, moving briskly along and picking up small 

 insects, though in winter it is said to feed largely on 

 berries, especially those of the myrtle, from which it 

 gets its name. It has a characteristic " Tchip " or 

 " Tchep," while Henshaw states that its song is a low 

 and sweet warble resembling that of the Audubon. 



Beyond our limits it nests in small coniferous trees, 

 while the eggs, usually four in number, resemble those 

 of other Warblers. 



