80 BULLETIN 2 03, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



in which the young male is "above, bright olive-green, gray tinged on 

 the pileum. Below, olive-yellow darker on the flanks, the abdomen 

 and crissum white. Superciliary line and orbital ring buff. Trans- 

 ocular streak dull black." The young female "differs from the male 

 in having the lower parts more washed with olive-green." Young 

 and old birds are now practically indistinguishable. 



Dickey and van Eossem (1938) say that the prenuptial molt 

 "begins in late February and is not finished before about the middle 

 of March. The molt involves most of the anterior body plumage, but 

 progresses so slowly that this species never has the ragged 'pin- 

 feathered' appearance so often seen in Dendroica aestiva at the spring 

 molt." Dr. Dwight noticed the beginning of this molt as early as 

 January 14. He says it "involves chiefly the head, chin and throat. 

 The ashy gray cap is acquired, the chin, throat, and superciliary line 

 become white, the throat is tinged with cream-buff and the transocular 

 streak black. The yellow tints of the feathers retained below are 

 lost by wear." In the female, this molt is less extensive than in the 

 male, and "the crown never becomes, even in later plumages, as 

 gray as that of the male, but always has a brown or greenish tinge." 



Subsequent molts consist of a complete postnuptial in July and 

 a partial prenuptial molt in late winter and early spring as in the 

 young bird. 



Food. — Bowdish and Philipp (1916) sent four stomachs of birds 

 collected in June to the U. S. Biological Survey for analysis. One 

 of these was empty. Of the other three, one contained 8 small cater- 

 pillars (Tortricidae), 35 percent; dipterous fragments, 23 percent; a 

 small spider, 2 percent; and scalelike fragments (perhaps of some 

 catkin), 40 percent. Another held a camponotid ant, 16 percent; at 

 least 78 small caterpillars (Tortricidae), 75 percent; a snail {Vitrea 

 hammoides), 4 percent; and unidentified vegetable fragments, 5 per- 

 cent. The other contained 3 lampyrids (near Podabrus) , 8 percent; 

 a small coleopterous (?) larva, 3 percent; about 15 small caterpillars 

 (as above), 25 percent; a neuropterous insect (apparently a caddis 

 fly), 50 percent; 2 small spiders, 14 percent; and a trace of unidentified 

 vegetable matter. 



Several observers have complained that Tennessee warblers do 

 considerable damage to grapes, and this is undoubtedly true. W. L. 

 McAtee (1904), while investigating the damage done by this and the 

 Cape May warbler, found that — 



in the arbor under observation, which was a small one, scarcely a grape and 

 not a cluster was missed. The damage, however, was inconsiderable as the birds 

 did not commence to use their appropriated share of the crop until the owner 

 had taken all he desired. * * * Both species were constantly busy catch- 

 ing insects on the vines, and on a walnut and some appletrees near by. Fre- 

 quently, however, they dashed into the vines and thrust their bills quickly 



