WARBLERS. 113 



other trees, generally remain among the upper branches or in 

 the very tree-tops, and spend most of their time in snapping 

 up passing insects, which they sometimes take an opportunity 

 to do whilst moving from one tree to another. 



d. The " Black-polls " have soft and loud chips^ an un- 

 musical ti-ill,* shorter than that of the "Chipper," and three 

 or four notes, suggestive of knocking pebbles together. Their 

 song is monotonous, weak, and unmusical. It resembles the 

 syllables, tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi, repeated in a nearly unvarying 

 tone. 



[£J^. Autumnal Warbler. (See Appendix E, family 

 Sylvicolidce.^ 



I do not propose to occupy much space in discussing the 

 question. Are the Autumnal Warblers mentioned by Wilson, 

 Audubon, and Nuttall, the young of " Black-poll " or of the 

 Bay -breasted Warblers? I have only " Wilson's Ornithology " 

 at hand, and unfortunately no specimen of the bird in question. 

 But the weight of evidence seems to show that the bird as col- 

 ored and described by Wilson represents the young of the 

 latter ; and yet is it not possible that he may have accidentally 

 obtained a young Bay-breasted Warbler from among a com- 

 pany of "• Black-polls " ? ^^ Coues admits that the young of 

 the two species are so much alike as often to be indistinguish- 

 able. It is certain that the small Warblers seen here in Octo- 

 ber, which resemble the Autumnal Warblers, are young 

 " Black-polls," as is indicated by the fact of their abundance 

 and by their habits. Mr. Maynard states it as a positive 

 fact.t 



Their note is a feeble Cedar-bird-like lisp; but Wilson 

 speaks of the males warbling in autumn " low, but very sweet 

 notes," which perhaps is a mistake. (See D, d, E^ cZ.)] 



F. BLACKBURNi^. Blackhumian Warbler, Hemlock 



*This, as well as the sound "of however, colored like those of the 



knocking- pebbles together," is really " Black-poll," and not like those of the 



one of the forms or variations of the " Bav-breast." 



song. — W. B. t It is not now questioned by any 



*^ The legs in Wilson's picture are, one. — W. B. 



