EASTERN YELLOW WARBLER 161 



to mingle with the fragrant blossoms. As Dr. Chapman (1907) says : 

 "In his plumes dwells the gold of the sim, in his voice its brightness 

 and good cheer. We have not to seek him in the depths of the forest, 

 the haimt of nearly all his congeners, he comes to us and makes his 

 home near ours." 



The yellow warbler, as a species, is also the most widely distributed 

 member of its family. Its breeding range extends from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific in both Canada and the United States (110 degrees of 

 longitude), and from the Barren Grounds in northern Canada to 

 Mexico and the Gulf States (40 degrees of latitude). Its winter 

 range covers 54 degrees of longitude and 31 degrees of latitude in 

 Central and South America. Professor Cooke (1904) says: "The ex- 

 treme points of the yellow warbler's range — northern Alaska and 

 western Peru — are farther separated than the extremes of the range 

 of the black-polled warbler, which is considered the greatest migrant 

 of the family." But it must be remembered that the yellow warbler 

 breeds much farther south than the blackpoll. 



Spring. — The spring migration of the yellow warbler is long and 

 partially circuitous; eastern yellow warblers that winter as far east 

 as British Guiana probably make a roundabout flight to Central 

 America, as there seem to be no springtime records for this bird in the 

 West Indies and few for it in Florida. These birds may fly across the 

 Gulf from Yucatan to Cuba and Florida, but the main flight is prob- 

 ably directly north from Yucatan to Louisiana and other points on the 

 Gulf coast; they have been repeatedly seen flying northward in the 

 middle of the Gulf. There is also a considerable migration along the 

 coast of Texas, which I have personally observed. 



The migration is also prolonged or very irregular, for according to 

 the dates of departure given to me by Alexander F. Skutch (see under 

 Winter), the last of these warblers do not leave Central America 

 until the very last of April, or the first of May, after the first arrivals 

 have reached New England ; some of these records, however, may apply 

 to one of the western races. After the birds reach the United States, 

 the migration fans out northward and northeastward and seems to be 

 more rapid. Of this Frederick C. Lincoln (1939) says: "Coming 

 north from the Tropics these birds reach New Orleans about April 5, 

 when the average temperature is 65° F. Travelling on northward 

 much faster than does the season, they reach their breeding grounds 

 in Manitoba the latter part of May, when the average temperature is 

 only 47°. Encountering progressively colder weather over their en- 

 tire route, they cross a strip of country in the 15 days from May 11 to 

 25 that spring takes 35 days to cross. This 'catching up' with spring 

 is characteristic of species that winter south of the United States and 

 of most of the northern species that winter in the Gulf States." 



