WARBLERS 



125 



with dusky-grayish or blackish ; bill. etc.. as in ailiilt 

 male. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: Usually ui low evergreen 

 trees, near ground, in open fields, or cut-over clearings; 

 rather loosely constructed of small twigs, grasses, and 

 leaf stems, fastened with spider webs, and lined with 

 horse-hair; the brim accurately turned into an almost 

 perfect circle. Eggs ; Generally 4, dull buffy or grayish- 



white spotted chiefly around large end with sepia, chest- 

 nut, and lilac-gray. 



Distribution. — Eastern North America ; breeds from 

 southern Mackenzie, northern Ontario, New Brunswick, 

 and Nova Scotia, south to Manitoba, northern Maine, 

 and New Hampshire, and in Jamaica; winters in the 

 Bahamas and the West Indies to Toliago ; accidental in 

 Yucatan. 



A male Warbler, captured by George ( )r(l in 

 1809 at Cape May, N. J., was described by 

 Alexander Wilson and named by him the Cape 

 May Warbler. Not till 1825 was a female taken, 

 and this by Charles L. Bonaparte at Rordentown, 

 N. J. This tan-eared \\'arbler has ever since 

 been eagerly sought, joyously welcomed, and en- 

 thusiastically praised. Many of the greatest 

 bird students are not at all familiar with this 

 bird, while some casual observers have had most 

 rare and excellent views of this unusual (/,■;(- 

 droica or tree-dweller. And vet it is said that 



ihc nervousness characteristic of most \\ arblers, 

 though its tree-top habits are those of dcndroica, 

 The Cape May is also peculiar in its disposition 

 to stop in the spring migration to feed in a small 

 clump of trees and to remain there for three to 

 six days at a time, before going on to its Ca- 

 nadian breeding home. On its arrival there it 

 gives voice to a fine, penetrating, and sweet song, 

 not very different from the 7vcc-scc. 7vcc-scc. 

 iccc-scc of the Black and \\'hite Warbler. 



About 11)05 Cape Mav \\'arblers became 

 more common in western New ^'ork. and in 



Eagerly 



Courtesy of An 

 CAPE MAY WARBLER mat. size) 

 ught, joyously welcomed, and enthusiastically praised 



in the central West as far as the Mississi]j|n it has 

 sometimes been quite common. It may be that 

 the Atlantic coast birds are the scattered indi- 

 viduals far east of the main body of northern 

 migrating Ca]ie May \\'arblers. Even if this is 

 so, it is also quite certain that there are by no 

 means as many existing individuals (if this 

 s])ecies as there are of most of the well-known 

 Warblers. A dozen birds together would make 

 them common. Dr. Chapman saw them one 

 sjiring in Florida on their way north, and in 

 that narrow penjnsula through which all of this 

 species migrates, he could very well sav that they 

 were common. 



The Ca])e May is a quiet bird, nut exhibiting 



the spring migration of 1916 they were more 

 numerous than ever in the area around the lower 

 Hudson. Either there is a shifting of the birds 

 from western to eastern routes, or else the actual 

 number of individuals is being largely increased. 

 -Vt this rate of increase, the extraordinarv excite- 

 ment over their presence will be reduced in a few 

 years to the normal interest that all Warblers 

 demand from the bird student. On the other 

 hand, of course, thev may in succeeding years 

 become as rare as ever. 



The Cape Alay has been found in the company 

 of the Tennessee Warbler indulging in the bad 

 habit of the latter of puncturing grapes and 

 sucking the juice. 



