THE OOLOGIST 



67 



The Orange Crowned Warbler. 



This is one of the rare members of 

 the family, more common dnring mi- 

 gration in the Mississippi Valley, and 

 one of whose nesting habits and home 

 life but very little is known. It is 

 supposed to breed casually in Wiscon- 

 sin and once in a great while in east- 

 ern Canada, but the chief summer 

 home of this species is from Manitoba 

 northwest to Alaska. It is of a rest- 

 less Kinglet like disposition, moving 

 continually about the upper parts of 

 the larger trees. The song is unusual- 

 ly strong for a bird of this size. The 

 eggs are reported as "white or creamy 

 white, finely checked, chiefly on the 

 larger end with reddish or chestnut 

 brown." 



The view of the nest herewith pre- 

 sented on the following page, is taken 

 from a photo given to the editor by an 

 ornithologist, a number of years ago 

 in Quebec, who claimed at that time 

 that it was a photo of a nest that he 

 had found the summer previously on 

 the north side of the St. Lawrence 

 river, opposite the City of Quebec. It 

 is to be hoped that the next few years 

 will unfold much of the life history of 

 this little-known species. 



Our Canadian readers are special- 

 ly adjured to look it up and w^rite us 

 the result of their investigations. 



The IVIyrtle Warbler 



on Strange Ground. 



The Myrtle Warbler is a true wood 

 warbler, yet how often do we find it, 

 in the migrations, in places very un- 

 woodlike. 



There is a locality at Frankford, 

 Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, 

 near the Deleware River, where I 

 have found it at these times and often 

 wondered what inducement led the 

 birds to frequent it as they passed 

 through. It consists of a thick growth 



of button and black alder bushes sev- 

 eral rcres in area, growing in shal- 

 low water and mud, and surrounded 

 on all sides by marsh and cultivated 

 lands, with not a tree within several 

 hundred yards, and the nearest woods 

 over a mile away and across the river 

 in New Jersey. 



It is here that the Myrtle Warbler 

 will linger in the Spring until into 

 May, and tarry in the Fall until lat- 

 er in November, seemingly contented 

 in such an environment, which seems 

 to me ill adapted to its habits, and one 

 in which very few ornithologists would 

 expect to find it. 



In this thicket every day after 

 April 20-25 to May 5-10 in the Spring 

 and during October and till Novem- 

 ber 10th and later in the Fall, I can 

 reasonably expect to find the Yellow^- 

 rumped Warbler in it. In fact, it is 

 the only place in this locality at these 

 times where I am absolutely certain to 

 find it, and this I have proven several 

 times when having an "All Day" with 

 the birds. 



That the birds find an abundance of 

 food in the thicket is easily ascertain- 

 ed by watching them for an hour or 

 two, by observing the host of insects 

 in it, and by shooting a bird and 

 noting its fat and excellent condition, 

 together w'ith its well filled stomach. 



The majcrity of the birds shot and 

 seen in the thicket have been imma- 

 ture (in fall) and females, but few 

 adult males in nuptial plumage being 

 seen cr taken. I merely mention this 

 as in interesting occurrence, for in 

 woods the majority of the birds ob- 

 served and shot have been males. 



The thicket being situated along the 

 river, one mile inland, and the only 

 available resting place for birds until 

 they reach the other side of the city 

 (Philadelphia), a distance of about ten 

 miles, migrate on their way South in 

 the fall, following the course of the 



