i86 THE BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. 



According to Mr. Bowles, Audubon Warblers evince a great fondness for 

 their chosen nesting haunts, and will return to them year after year, often to 

 the same tree, and sometimes to the same branch. "They are the most solicit- 

 ous of all the Washington Warblers concerning their eggs, sometimes coming 

 to meet the intruder as he climbs toward the nest. At such times the alarm note 

 of the female soon brings the male, when, should the nest contain incubated 

 eggs or young, both birds crawl among the branches, freciuently within reach, 

 with wings and tail spread, in absolute forgetfulness of their own safety." 



Incubation is accomplished in twelve days; and one or two broods are 

 raised, according to locality and length of season. 



We lose sight of most of the birds, especially the smaller ones, after the 

 heyday of springtime, but here is one who, because he has forsworn wander- 

 ing, is making delicate overtures of confidence toward mankind. This year, 

 especiallv, now that the dense tract of woods north of the University has been 

 cut out, thev linger about our neighborhood with the matter-of-factness of 

 Bluebirds. The young ones play about the eaves or make sallies at passing 

 flies from the window-sills, and yawn with childish insouciance if mamma 

 suggests, by a sharp tchip, that enemies may lurk behind the curtains. They 

 know it's only habit with her, and she doesn't believe it herself. The adult 

 attire is duller now, and only the yellow rump-patch remains for recognition 

 by a friend. The year is waning, no doubt of that, but October sunshine is 

 p-ood enoug-h for us — or November rains. Let them flit who will ! Wash- 

 ington is good enough for us, you in your fir house and I in mine. 



No. 76. 



BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. 



A. O. U. No. 665. Dendroica nigrescens (Towns.). 



Description. — .-Idiilt male in sirring and summer: A supraloral spot of yel- 

 low ; remaining i)hiniage black, white and blue-gray ; head, throat and chest black 

 interrupted bv superciliary stripes and broad malar stripes of white ; remaining 

 upperparts blue-gray, marked with black in inverted wedge-shaped spots on 

 back, scapulars and upper tail-coverts; wings and tail black edged with l)lnish 

 ash, the middle and greater coverts tipped with white, forming two conspicuous 

 wing-bars, the four outer rectrices blotched with white on inner webs in sharply 

 decreasing area, the outermost chiefly white, the fourth merely touched ; sides 

 white streaked with black or striped black-and-white ; remaining underparts white. 

 Adult female: Like male but duller, the black of crown partly veiled by blue- 

 gray skirting, that of throat reduced by white tips of feathers. Young birds 

 resemble the female but the black of crown and throat is almost entirelv hidden 

 by blue-gray and white respectively, and the area of the tail blotches is nnich 

 reduced. Length about 5.00 (127): wing 2.44 (62); tail 1.97 (50): bill .36 

 (9.2) : tarsus .69 (17.5). 



