Warblera SONG-BIRDS. 



Blue-winged Warbler: Helminthophila pinus. 



Length : 4.75 inches. 



Male : Above olive-green. Wings a slatish blue with white bars ; tail 

 plain slate. Forehead and under parts clear yellow, dark stripe 

 through eye. Bill bluish black. 



Female : Paler throughout, with a general olive cast. 



Song : Sharp and metallic, drawling and continuous. 



Season : May to September. A common summer resident. 



Breeds : Throughout range. 



Nest : On or near the ground ; sometimes in the centre of a plant tuft. 

 Made of grass, etc., and rather deep and bulky. 



Eggs : 4-5, white, with reddish dots. 



Bange : Eastern United States, from southern New York and south- 

 em New England southward ; in winter Mexico and Guate- 

 mala. 



The name of this bird is misleading to the novice, as the 

 blue of the wing is dull and inconspicuous, and not blue at 

 all in the sense in which this colour distinction is applied 

 to the Bluebird and Jay. It is well to remember the fact 

 that only two or three of our New England birds are " true 

 blue," and that the term, when applied to the Warblers 

 especially, simply means either a bluish gray, or slate, which 

 seems barely different from plain gray at a short distance. 



These Warblers are not a bird of gardens and open places, 

 preferring well-brushed woods, but come frequently into the 

 orchard in the blossoming time, and search the trees care- 

 fully for insects, as they feed almost wholly upon spiders, 

 larvae, and beetles, such as are found in bark, bud, or flower. 

 They are very beautiful birds, with brilliant plumage, and 

 dainty little tricks and manners, and are usually seen con- 

 sorting in pairs. 



Golden- winged Warbler : Helminthophila chrysoptera. 



Length : About 5 inches. 



Male: Yellow crown and wing bars. Above bluish gray. Chin, 

 throat, and eye stripe black. Throat divided from sides of 

 head by white line. Below ashy white, tinged with yellowish. 

 Bill and feet blackish. 



90 



