THE OOLOGIST 



23 



retreated when a sudden movement sur- 

 prised them. We were inclined to think 

 that they sought our company ; they cer- 

 tainly never repelled us. They were quite 

 numerous along the " bark road," and their 

 friendly manners made them an innocent 

 target for our guns, for we obtained a num- 

 ber of specimens. This bird, the Black- 

 and-Yellow or Magnolia Warbler, had un- 

 dergone the moult, and were some weeks 

 ahead of most other species, whose plumage 

 showed here an old and there a new feather. 



Their habits were, in the main, like those 

 of other Warblers. They searched the bush- 

 es and small trees quite assiduously, hop- 

 ping about from one twig to another in a 

 sprightly manner. We did not hear them 

 utter any note ; their quiet manners might 

 have proved a successful protection for tiiem 

 had they not allowed their curiosity to over- 

 come their sense of danger. But after all, 

 we could not help noticing thexn — our eyes 

 had become so accustomed to looking for 

 little birds and searching the foliage, that 

 the least indication of one's presence seem- 

 ed to be naturally observed, and the bright 

 colors of this species made it particularly 

 prominent. 



The young are quite inconspicuous dur- 

 ing September, and the females do not wear 

 the pretty garb of the male. The young, 

 indeed, look very much like Helminthopha- 

 (ja riijicajnlla, and the two may not ordi- 

 narily be told apart until in your hand. 

 During the fall they appear to be exceed- 

 ingly abundant, and are generally associ- 

 ated together in little flocks or travel about 

 with otlier species. We have observed that 

 they like to forage with Kinglets and Black- 

 throated Blue Warblers. They are very 

 sensitive creatures, and concern themselves 

 greatly when the note of a bird in distress 

 is heard, often fluttering around within a 

 few feet in a very fever of excitement. It 

 is interesting to note the difference between 

 certain species in this respect ; some will 

 invariably come when alarmed for a fellow- 

 I'reature, while others cannot be called with- 

 in sight. 



According to authors, the nest is placed 



a little above the ground in a spruce or pine, 

 and is made of twigs, dry grass, roots and 

 occasionally horse-hair, which combina- 

 tion, put together rather loosely, offers a 

 strange contrast to some of the Warblers' 

 nests we see. Four eggs constitute the set. 

 They measure .G4 by .50 inch, and are 

 *■' ashy-white, blotched and clouded with 

 brown and lilac,'" mostly about the large 

 end, while a few brown dots are visible 

 elsewhere. The bird nests most abundant- 

 ly in the Northern States, Canada and Lab- 

 rador. 



Notes on the Blue Jay. 



rptlE Blue Jay roams the woods in large 

 -"- numbers, especially during the fall. 

 They are very common in the well wooded 

 portions of the country, 'where they breed 

 in the trees. They delight to gather about 

 camps in wild localities, around which they 

 will frequently remain for weeks. At such 

 times their peculiar cry becomes quite an- 

 noying, and it seems to make no difference 

 how many are killed, for if any are spared 

 they will not leave the locality. Although 

 so numerous and seeming to place confidence 

 in man, they have a way of keeping out of 

 gun-shot Avhen the collector is anxious to 

 secure specimens. 



When a number travel together in the 

 late summer and fall, they appear to have 

 agreed upon a system of telegraphy while 

 feeding, which they bring into service when 

 required. Often they get scattered, and if 

 one should espy a hunter or other suspicious 

 object from his locality, he at once utters a 

 warning note, pitched on a high key, when 

 the others immediately stop work and an- 

 swer, nearly all at once ; this is to signify 

 that they are on the lookout, and if it seems 

 too dangerous, off they go in company, ut- 

 tering a perfect volley of indignant cries, 

 in all the notes of an octave. Then they 

 alight and cease their noise as qui(!kly as 

 they had commenced, as if listening for 

 fresh signs of danger. Their plumage is 

 loose and fluffy in midsummer. 



