92 BULLETIN 203, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



A dusky anteorbital spot. Lores, orbital ring and indistinct super- 

 ciliary stripe mouse-gray." 



The first nuptial plumage is acquired by a partial prenuptial molt, 

 "which involves chiefly the anterior part of the head and the chin. 

 A richer, half concealed, orange crown patch is acquired; the lores 

 and adjacent parts become grayer, the anteorbital spot darker. Wear 

 makes birds greener above and slightly yellower below. Young and 

 old become practically indistinguishable." 



Subsequent molts consist of a complete postnuptial molt in summer 

 and a partial prenuptial molt in early spring, as described above. 

 The adult winter plumage "differs chiefly from first winter dress in 

 possessing a larger, more distinct crown patch," in the male, and more 

 or less of it in the female. "The color below is uniform and paler." 



Food. — Nothing seems to be known about the summer food of the 

 orange-crowned warbler, but it probably does not differ greatly from 

 that of the lutescent warbler, whose food has been more thoroughly 

 studied. In winter, it probably eats a fair proportion of berries and 

 other fruits, especially when it spends the winter somewhat farther 

 north than insects are to be found in abundance. It has also been 

 known to come to a feeding station and eat suet, peanut butter, and 

 doughnuts. In summer, it is probably almost wholly insectivorous. 

 I can find no evidence that it does any damage to grapes or other 

 cultivated fruits on its fall migration. 



Voice. — Ernest Thompson Seton (1891) says of an orange-crowned 

 warbler that he shot in Manitoba on May 12, 1883 : "It was flitting 

 about with great activity among the poplar catkins, and, from time 

 to time, uttering a loud song like ^cliip-e chip-e chip-e chip-e cMp-e? 

 On May 14 I shot another Orange-crowned Warbler. Its song is much 

 like that of the Chipping Sparrow, but more musical and in a higher 

 key. The bird is extremely restless and lively, moving about continu- 

 ally among the topmost twigs of the trees and uttering its little ditty 

 about once in every half minute." 



Dr. Lynds Jones wrote to Dr. Chapman (1907) : "The song is full 

 and strong, not very high pitched, and ends abruptly on a rising scale. 

 My note book renders it cliee chee chee chw* chio\ The first three 

 syllables rapidly uttered, the last two more slowly. One heard late 

 in the season sang more nearly like Mr. Thompson's description: 

 chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, chip-e, but with the first vowel changed 

 to e, thus eliminating what would appear to be a marked similarity to 

 the song of Chippy. Even in this song the ending is retained." 



Francis H. Allen tells me that this warbler "has a chip note sug- 

 gesting that of the tree sparrow but sharper." 



Field marks. — The orange-crowned warbler is a plain bird, with 

 practically no white markings in wings or tail, clad in dusky olive- 



