i 7 o THE PRAIRIE WARBLER. 



berry thickets, From the tips of oak saplings, or from the foliage of surrounding 

 forest trees. His time was about equally divided between singing ami bug- 

 catching, and altho he might remain in a single clump for five minutes at 

 a time, the bird did not keep the same position for two consecutive sec- 

 onds. Even dur- 

 ing smig he \M iuld 

 twist and writhe 

 an Italian 

 prima donna, pro- 

 ducing quite as 

 much motion as 

 music. 



The song i if the 

 Prairie Warbler is 

 a little the most 

 remarkable pro- 

 duction in the 

 Mniotiltan reper- 

 toire. It is a suc- 

 cess imi of mel- 

 1 o w whistling 

 creaks, each note 

 pitched h i g h e r 

 i the preced- 

 ing, and each 

 gaining somewhat 

 in intensity until 

 the next to the last 

 o n e is reached 

 The bird runs a 

 weird chromatic 

 scale upon a fairy 

 oboe, with an effect 

 which Dr. Coues 

 describes as "like 

 a mouse complain- 



A HILLTOP PASTURE. in S" of a tOOth- 



S PRAIRIE WARBI.tR MAY NEST. aClie." 



The bird seen at Sugar Grove was entirely destitute -if the "brick-red 

 spots upon the middle of the back," usually recommended as a recognition 

 mark, and certain other marks were less distinct than normally in the adult 

 male. It was probably a male of the second summer which had not yet at- 

 tained adult plumage. 



