WARBLERS. 99 



While thus engaged, they almost invariably keep their head 

 pointed toward the direction in which they are moving. They 

 rarely take other than short flights, when not traveling, but 

 after remaining for a moment on the trunk of one tree, seldom 

 longer, fly to a neighboring one. They are never strictly gre- 

 garious, but they possess such conjugal and parental affection 

 that they are often seen in pairs or even family groups. 

 When the female is frightened from her nest on the ground, 

 which is often partially concealed, she usually feigns lameness, 

 and flutters away with trailing wings and tail, in the hope of 

 distracting the intruder. (Dr. Coues speaks of these birds 

 building in the holes of trees, which, says Dr. Brewer, "is 

 probably an error, or, if ever known to occur, an entirely ex- 

 ceptional case." I have found two of their nests near Boston 

 thus situated, of which the first was in a pine grove, in the 

 cavity of a tree rent by lightning, and about five feet from 

 the ground, and the other on the top of a low birch stump, 

 which stood in a grove of white oaks. These facts show how 

 erratic birds frequently are in changing their habits, and how 

 much corroborative testimony is needed to establish a single 

 fact in natural history.) 



d. The Black and White " Creepers " have a very great 

 variety of notes, and perhaps utter more distinct sounds, ex- 

 clusiv^e of song, than any other of our birds, though it is very 

 possible that other Warblers with whom I am less familiar 

 possess the same power. The notes of the so-called " Creep- 

 ers " are a weak but pure tsij) ; a harsher ^si/>, much like that 

 of the Chestnut-sided Warbler ; a loud chick^ which sometimes 

 becomes a chinh ; an alarm-note, chick-a-chich^ chick-chick; a 

 chant, if it can properly be so called, of tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee^ which 

 is uttered in another tone so as to sound more like che&- 

 chee-chee-chee ; and their rather feeble and unmusical refrain 

 of wee-see^ wee-see^ loee-see^ luee-see^ icee-see. To the last and 

 most frequently repeated chant a few sweet and musical 

 notes are generally added in May and June, and these com- 

 bined form their only song. 



There are hardly any birds more familiar to the ornithologist 

 in the woods than the Black and White " Creepers," since 



