50 



OROTTHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 14-:N'o. 4 



notes of the male, uttered in a clear and pleas- 

 ing tone as he perches on some elevated branch, 

 seems to resemble the words "rush, rush, 

 rush-o-worry," and by this he is easily distin- 

 guished from the Mourning Warbler, although 

 at even a short distance their plumage much 

 resembles each otlier. There is also this dis- 

 tinction between these warblers, that while 

 the male Connecticut often rises high to warble 

 liis ditty, the Mourning contines the display of 

 his musical talents to positions nearer the 

 ground; and the peculiar long note that the 

 former emits, as he sometimes rises on flutter- 

 ing wings, bears some resemblance to tlie 

 charming song of the Winter Wren. 



Since the early years of our pioneer life in 

 the backwoods of Peel, I have been more or 

 less familiar with the habits of this interesting 

 species, for it was almost the only member of 

 its family that seemed to make its summer home 

 among the fallen and tangled brushwood and 

 partially cleared patches along the banks of 

 the creek tliat intersected the homestead, 

 where I passed my boyhood days, and for 

 many years it was known to me as the Linnet, 

 because some of the older members of our 

 family stated that it resembled the bird known 

 by that name in our native land, and I must 

 more often have seen its nest and eggs than I 

 now can call to remembrance. 



The first nest of this species that I now rec- 

 ollect to have seen was on the margin of a 

 wood, separated from the clearing by a brush 

 fence into which the bird darted, when an 

 elder brother and I flushed her from her nest. 

 This was placed in a small cavity in the side 

 of a little bank, much like where a Slate- 

 colored Junco {JiuK-o hyemal'iH) would choose 

 for her nesting place, and was composed of 

 similar materials to those which that species 

 uses. This contained six eggs. A year or 

 two after this a friend of ours who then owned 

 the neighboring farm, and who knew tliat I 

 was interested in birds, informed me tliat 

 when clearing some new land he had found 

 the nest of a very strange bird. Anxious to 

 see it, I went with him to the bush, and on 

 approaching the place, to my disappointment, 

 out flew the warbler. This nest contained but 

 three eggs, and was placed in a space among 

 the roots of a clump of swamp maples that 

 were growing by the side of an old moss- 

 covered log. 



Years passed away, and coming to this sec- 

 tion of the country, and devoting more time 

 and attention to the life habits of our wild 

 birds, I noticed that this species was a com- 



mon summer resident on the margins of most 

 of the low wooded lands in this vicinity, and 

 one day in the early part of .June, about nine 

 years ago, when rambling in a piece of low 

 woods, I found the first nest of this species 

 that I had seen for many years. This was 

 sunk in the earth, near a turned-up root, but 

 without any particular shelter. It was com- 

 posed mostly of fine, dry grass, and contained 

 six eggs which I took, but ignorant of their 

 value I gave them to other parties. 



Another nest of this species that I found in 

 the same wood was taken on the eleventh of 

 June, 1886. I liad, in company with one of 

 my boys, flushed the bird, and her notes and 

 manner told me tliat her nest was near, but at 

 the time I failed to find it. Keturning that 

 way some hours afterwards, I cautiously ap- 

 proached tlie place where I thought the nest 

 was concealed, and in passing the side of a 

 low cedar root, I again flushed the warbler. 

 A momentary search revealed tlie nest in a 

 crevice of the root. Tliis was composed of 

 dry leaves, stalk of weeds, fine grass, and 

 some fine hair. Owing to its position, it was 

 more bulky, but ratlier loosely composed, than 

 the other nests of this species that I had ob- 

 served, and seemed to indicate that when this 

 warbler made her nest anywhere else than in 

 a liole in the ground, slie does not make so 

 neat a job of it. 



This nest contained five eggs about lialf 

 incubated. One was broken in preparing 

 them, but the other four are in my collection, 

 and in every particular they are almost identi- 

 cal with those of the Mourning Warbler {Geoth- 

 lypix pMldddphia). They have the same clear 

 whiteness of hue as tliose of the nuthatches 

 and chickadees, but the reddish-brown dotting 

 is more confined to a circle near the large end, 

 although there are more or less of these spots 

 scattered over the surface. Compared with 

 those of the more familiar Black and White 

 Warbler (Mniotilta varia), they are more glob- 

 ular, but not so oblong as those of tlie Can- 

 adian Warbler {Myiodioctes canadensifi). 



On May 21, 1888, I heard for the first time 

 the song notes of this bird, and soon after saw 

 the little musician perched towards the top of 

 a swamp elm, about fifty feet from the ground, 

 repeating with great animation his "rush, 

 rush-a-worry." Next morning I was surprised 

 but pleased to hear the notes of this species in 

 our garden, and upon a nearer approach found 

 it engaged in a tussle among some bushes 

 with a Ked-eyed Vireo (Vireosylvia olivacea). 

 From tliis contest it appeared to come off 



