622 BULLETIN 20 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



and made to run one into cfie other exactly fit the bird's more pro- 

 longed vocal efforts, though they are far from agreeing with the 

 attempts at syllabification of others. The call is a high, sharp cheep, 

 easily recognized after it has been learned." He quotes from Alli- 

 son's notes: "There are two common songs, both uttered on every 

 possible occasion in spring, when the woods are ringing with them- 

 The most frequent is a short one of four syllables, Se-whit, se-wheer; 

 the longer song may be rendered, Whee-whee-whee-a-whee, accented 

 as marked. A sharper, very clear-cut chirp is sometimes to be heard 

 late in the evening, about dusk." 



To John N. Clark's (1882) ear the bird seems to say Pe-ter Pe-ter 

 Re-gis-ter^ sometimes repeating the Pe-ter three times, or only once, 

 again saying just Re-gis-ter^ with the accent on the Re. 



Rathbun (MS.) writes: "The song of this warbler signals its ar- 

 rival, and on any soft June morning which has a rising temperature 

 and rather high humidity, this warbler's song will be given more or 

 less incessantly and at its very best, the forest fairly ringing with 

 its lovely song. As nesting time draws near, the song improves 

 in quality and frequency; this will continue until shortly after the 

 eggs are hatched, when a decline begins, ceasing altogether by August 

 1. The bird has two songs, each consisting of clear, lively and 

 sprightly notes. One song is decidedly longer than the other and, 

 in my opinion, is much the better of the two. It is composed of seven 

 notes, quite rapidly given, the last note having a strong rising in- 

 flection and often ending abruptly. It is essentially a carefree song, 

 musical, and often spiced with a little jauntiness, which in many 

 ways perfectly reflects the actions of the bird. It also has a quality 

 which enables it to be heard for a long distance. This warbler has 

 an abrupt alarm note which is much used by both sexes not only as 

 a warning note, but also to hold the members of the family group 

 together." 



Dr. Williams says in his notes : "In addition to the full song, and 

 its variations and modifications, the hooded warbler on occasion uses 

 a song of a chip-chip-chippity nature, somewhat comparable to the 

 redstart's well-known vocal effort, and quite unlike the more usual 

 song. When first heard, it seems as if it must come from the throat 

 of quite another bird. 



"The quite characteristic chip note, used by both male and female, 

 has been described by most authors who have written about the hooded 

 warbler. Some say that it has a metallic ring at the end, while others 

 quite definitely say that it has not. The fact is that both are correct. 

 The chip note may be delivered either with or without the ringing 

 ending, and it more often lacks the ring late in the season than earlier. 

 It may be distinguished from the cardinal's well known chip because 



