WARBLERS 



117 



yellowish on rump, the upper tail-coverts tinged with 

 gray: wiiig-coverts and inner wing-feathers, gray, the 

 middle and greater coverts usually tipped with it7ii/t\ 

 forminn tzvo bands; secondaries and primaries, dusky 

 edged with gray, their inner webs broadly edged with 

 white ; tail, gray, the tliree outermost leathers with 

 inner webs, extensively white, the fourth, sometimes 

 even the fifth, occasionally sliowing a terminal white 

 spot; lower half of lores and a pointed streak back of 

 eye, black; sides of head below this black streak, with 

 entire lower parts (except under tail-coverts^, clear 

 lemon, the sides and flanks slightly tinged with olive- 

 green ; under tail-coverts and under wing-coverts, 

 white ; bill, black in summer, brownish and paler 

 below in winter; iris, brown; legs and feet, horn- 

 brownish. Adult P"em.\le: Similar to the male but 

 duller in color; olive-green of upper parts covernig 



crown, sometimes the forehead also; lores and mark 

 back of eye, dusky grayish instead of black ; gray of 

 wing-coverts and inner wing-feathers tinged with olive- 

 green. 



Nest and Eggs. — Xest : On the ground, in a dense 

 tuft of grass or ferns, in clearings or new growth of 

 saplings; constructed of leaves and strips of wild grape 

 bark, lined with very fine grass. Et;us : 4 to 0, usually 

 5, white or creamy white specked and spotted with 

 sepia brown, lavender, and purple. 



Distribution. — Eastern United States ; breeding 

 northward to southern Connecticut, southeastern New 

 York, Pennsylvania, northern Ohio, northern Indiana, 

 northern Illinois, southern Iowa, eastern Nebraska, etc.; 

 occasional straggler to Massachusetts, Michigan, and 

 Minnesota; southward in winter through eastern 

 Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, to Colombia. 



A ])roloiiged. lisping, drawling " song " of only 

 two notes, c-.:cc-i\ c-ccc-c, — from the shrub- 

 bery along roads or brushy jiastiu'C' or the onen 

 border of woods, proclaims to the initiated the 

 presence of this tiny bird, of rather unique, 

 though not conspicuous, personality. Yellow is 

 its dominating color, but its grayish wings show 

 that it is not the Yellow \\'arbler. Its note is 

 very characteristic, and not forgotten as easily 

 as are the notes of many other Warblers. 



Most of the tribe incline to be northerly in 

 summer distribution, whereas this is one of the 

 small grouj) which are distinctly southerly. 

 Southern Connecticut is as far north along the 

 Atlantic coast as it is at all common, hut there 

 it is found in good numbers during the nest- 

 ing season. Were it not for the characteristic 

 note, it would be considered a much rarer bird 

 than it really is. 



In its general manner of conducting itself, it 

 is n(it different from various other W'arlilers. 

 It is a busy searcher of foliage and shrubbery, 

 generally not very high up, yet more commonly 

 off the ground, though it readilv descends upon 

 occasion. I have often seen it in second-growth 

 woodland, especially where it is a little moist or 

 swampy, but less in deep forests. It is distinctly 

 a bird of the open edge of woodland and of over- 

 grown pastures. 



The nest is on the ground, just in from the 

 edge of the woods, in small clearings or openings 

 in low woods, in a bushy pasture, or bv a weedv 

 roadside. Usually it is under a smrdl bunch of 

 weeds, often by some little sprout, down which 

 the bird can descend to enter the nest. The 

 structure is deep, rather loose in texture, and is 

 characterized by having its sifles formed of dead 



leaves which curl inward and arch over the top 

 of the nest, helping to conceal it. 



Through knowing just the sort of a jilace to 

 look, I have fotmd more of these nests than of 



Fhoto by H. K. J.ilj 



BLUE-WINGED WARBLER 

 At its nest, on the ground, just in from the edge of the woods 



any others of the less-known Warblers. The 

 method is to use a long switch and tap the little 

 thick clumps of weed or small brush in the proper 

 locations, to flush the female, which is a verv 

 close sitter. 



I shall never forget the first nest which I dis- 

 covered. Determined to learn the secret, I 

 started one day to heat otit a nest. .Ml dav long 

 I thrashed the low cover, especiallv where old 



