46 



THE OSPRF.Y. 



naked children. Then there are twenty-one 

 horses, two oxen, eig'ht sheep, four lions, sixteen 

 bats, six mice, one squirrel, ten doves, two cows, 

 two eag"les. sixteen owls, one king'tisher, thirty- 

 two lizards, eijjfhteen snakes, one carp, one froj;-, 

 sixteen crabs in all 157. This number does 

 not include the figures upon the mosaic founda- 

 tion, which represents eagles and genii too nu- 

 luerous to mention. Fifty-three naked ligures 

 a!id 157 animals comprise the subjects required 

 by the Berlin School of Art to awaken our 

 memories of old Wilhelm I. If a person can't 

 express himself in a clear arid short sentence he 

 starts to make faces. When an artist cannot 

 produce a clear, simple picture of a man he 

 takes refuge among- eagles and naked girls". — ; 

 l?erlin Letter in the Chicac.o Rkcokd 



Oi'K Faij, Bird Visitors. — When autumn 

 comes, a host of little winged travellers who 

 have been summering in northern New Eng- 

 land or over the Canadian border return to 

 their spring haunts in the middle States, 

 tarrying until the increasing cold prompts them 

 to continue their journey southward. From 

 early in September until late in October, the 

 changing foliage of fall entertains the same 

 restless transients which fluttered about in the 

 budding leaves of spring, and the bird lover 

 hastens out each morning to see whether any 

 fresh arrivals have come since yesterday. Per- 

 haps the most beautiful and also the least well 

 known of all bird migrants are the tiny members 

 of the warbler family, exquisite, restless, brill- 

 iantly colored little creatures which, when one 

 has learned to see them, display themselves in 

 almost endless numbers and variety, while to 

 the iniinitiated they are well nigh invisible and 

 inaudible. 



There are several reasons why the warblers 

 are less generally known than our other common 

 birds. In the first place, save for the humming- 

 birds and the kinglets, they are the tiniest of 

 bird kind, and then most of the beauties insist 

 vipon flitting about in the verj' tops of the trees, 

 or hiding themselves amid the dark foliage of 

 hemlock or spruce. Moreover, while many war- 

 blers may be found in almost any bit of wood- 

 land or hedg-e of tree g-rowth, some of the most 

 attractive varieties seek the seclusion of wet 

 lowlands and tangled thickets. These peculiar- 

 ities of the family may explain why many a 

 lover of out of doors misses one of the most de- 

 lightful manifestations of nature. The plumage 

 of these birds is often tropical in brilliancy, and 

 is always peculiarly beautiful in marking; while 

 they are so delicate and trim of build, so grace- 

 ful and light of motion as they flutter about a 

 twig or dart after a passing insect, that other 

 birds must surely regard them as the exquisities 

 of all bird kind. 



The season for the fall invasion of our middle 

 States is from about the middle of Septebmer 

 initil the middle of October, though the time 

 varies a little from year to year, according to 

 weather conditions. And though some varieties 

 have remained with us throughout the summer, 

 they have hidden themselves so effectively dur- 

 ing the breeding season as to seem newcomers 

 when they appear again in field and woodland. 



Indeed, the only warbler whose nest one may 

 hope to find in the course of an ordinary' smn- 

 mer's strole is that of the yellow warbler, or 

 siunmer yellowbird. This little pater familias 

 builds his home in any bush hedge by roadside 

 or by stream, and his mate .icolds you soundly 

 if you startle her from her nest. 



Of the seventy varieties of warblers which 

 visit the United States one may reasonably hope 

 to become acquainted with fron: six to a dozen 

 during one season's watching*. 



Several f>f the warblers lose much of their 

 bright color during the summer, and are better 

 identified in the spring. Among- those are the 

 myrtle and the magnolia, the yellow of whose 

 coats is sadly faded when the^' return in the 

 autumn. It is better to look for the kinds which 

 may be certainly identified. Of these, the Mary- 

 land yellowthroat and the hooded warbler must 

 be the elves or spirits of birdkind. The Mary- 

 land yellowthroat wears a black mask which 

 covers his forehead, his cheeks, and the sides of 

 his head, g-iving him a decidedly impish expres- 

 sion as thoug-h, when he peeps out of the foliag-e, 

 he means to startle a'ou. His throat and breast 

 are yellow, and the upper parts are olive g"reen. 

 His call, like his expression, causes a start of 

 surprise. It is rapid and emphatic for such a 

 tiny speaker. 



The hooded warbler follows the poet's advice, 

 and is always dressed as though going to a ball 

 — a masquerade ball. He wares a black hood 

 pulled down over his head and tied under his 

 chin; but his forehead, his cheeks, and his 

 breast are brig-ht j^ellow, and his upper coat is a 

 fine olive green. Unlike most of his cousins he 

 boasts a somewhat pleasing song — very few of 

 the warblers can really sing; some wag must 

 have named the family. Both of these birds 

 remain with us all summer, breeding in wet, 

 secluded places. 



The Blackburn ian is the most generally ad- 

 mired of all the warblers, because of the rich, 

 glowing tints he wears. Like the Baltimore 

 Oriole, he dresses in black and flaming orange. 

 He went North to raer his young, but family 

 cares have scarcely dimmed the beauty of his 

 plumage. The top of his head is of velvety 

 black, but through the centre of his crown runs 

 a line of orange, and the same g-orgeous tint 

 flames on his throat, his breast, and the sides of 

 his head. His upper coat is black streaked with 

 white, and there are white patches on either 

 wing. In looking up into the trees you may see 

 only the flame-colored throat, at first, and then 

 the paler under parts. Nevertheless you will 

 know your bird, and will watch for a fuller view 

 of the tiny dandy. 



More quiet in attire, but trim and dainty, is 

 the black-throated blue warbler. And in the fall 

 he seems to be especially .sociable, chasing the 

 unlucky butterfly almost to your feet, and when 

 he has caug-ht it darting up to the branch just 

 over 3'our head. There he sits and looks at you 

 with as much curiosity, if not as much admira- 

 tion, as your own ej'es express. His back and 

 wings are dark slate — almost black — and a pure 

 white spot shines on each wing. His throat and 

 sides are of rich black, against which lies the 

 soft whiteness of his under parts. 



