64 



THE OOLOGIST 



dobon Society" we felt it our duty to 

 confiscate the entire outfit and allow 

 the owners of the nest to make a fresh 

 start, trusting to their having setter 

 success the next time. They, as with 

 all our other warblers, are quick to 

 forget their troubles, and I have 

 known a new nest to be started within 

 a week of the time the first was de- 

 spoiled. 



I think the Cowbird is largely re- 

 sponsible for the restricted increase 

 in numbers of very many of our smal- 

 ler birds: — far beyond all other de- 

 structive agencies combined — not ex- 

 cepting the most enthusiastic oologist. 



The damages nature quickly and cer- 

 tainly repairs; but those of the Cow- 

 bird — never ! 



While the Audubon Society is trying 

 to assist all our states in framing bene- 

 ficial laws for the protection of the 

 birds. Why do they not recognize the 

 real character of the Cowbird and, at 

 least remove from him the protection 

 of the law? Instead, however here 

 in Pennsylvania he is classed as a 

 game bird, along with the Bobolink 

 and Purple Crackle and any one who 

 is reckless enough to kill a Cowbird 

 "out of season" or take its eggs is 

 open to trouble. 



THOMAS H. JACKSON. 



The Black-Throated Blue Warbler. 



This pretty little warbler is a com- 

 mon migrant and arrives early in May. 

 Records that I have kept for over fif- 

 teen years show that it has only var- 

 ied from May 5th to 13th in date of 

 its first arrival during that time. 



About May 1st when the first of the 

 warbler hosts begin to arrive vegeta- 

 tion in this region is not much ad- 

 vanced. In the river valley orchards, 

 maple and thorn trees are just bud- 

 ding into leaf while the mountains 

 are still brown and cold. 



For this reason the small migrants, 



especially warblers^ at first migrate 

 along the valley and find food about 

 the buds and startling leaves and at 

 the same time some protection. 



The Black-throated Blue, is at first 

 common in the valley with the other 

 warblers. As the season advances 

 and the mountains begin to take on 

 their garb of green, the Black-throated 

 Blue becomes much in evidence and 

 when the migrations are over with, 

 and summer sets in, the Black-throat- 

 ed is found as a quite common sum- 

 mer resident. 



During September it is common when 

 the migration south is taking place. 

 By October 1st they have nearly all 

 disappeared. I have seen one though 

 as late as October 10th (1900), an un- 

 usually late date. 



In summer they are at home in 

 heavy timber; also regions that have 

 been partly lumbered over where are 

 found plenty of timber and under- 

 brush. They are also found in second 

 growth and slashings but seem to pre- 

 fer the deep shady woods. On the fire- 

 swept barren ridges where is found 

 only rocks, huckleberry brush, sweet 

 fern and stunted brush, it is absent. 



The male spends most of his time 

 well up in the trees and sings inces- 

 santly. They have at least two dif- 

 ferent songs during the breeding sea- 

 son, one of which greatly resembles 

 the "zee, zee, zee" of the golden- 

 winged warbler. The female is rather 

 shy and keeps close to the ground in 

 laurel brush. 



Although a rather common breeder, 

 the nests are hard to find. They are 

 usually more or less concealed by 

 foliage and being light colored, and 

 close to the ground are easily overlook- 

 ed. Almost every season I find a nest 

 or two and in June, 1907, I was so for- 

 tunate as to find seven nests. 



During the past fifteen years, I have 

 examined quite a number. They are 



