86 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER 



in character, increasing to a rapid trill, almost exactly like a Chip- 

 ping Sparrow's. A noticeable but not musical song." {Farwell, MS.) 



"The Tennessee is easily discovered and identified by its peculiar 

 song; — a twittering, semi-trilled, rather prolonged utterance of three 

 parts, not very unlike some of the weaker and buzzier strains of the 

 American Goldfinch's song. Its tone is ambiguous — hard to place 

 between full and feeble, wheezy and clear. On the whole, however, 

 the song is a decidedly noticeable one. Having heard the Tennes- 

 see but seldom, I know only one main song, with no important varia- 

 tions, and cannot even describe that one very closely." (Thayer, MS.) 



Nesting Site. — Little appears to be known about the nesting 

 habits of this Warbler. Norris^ recording the observations of Allan 

 Brooks in British Columbia, writes: "The nests were always on the 

 ground, sometimes at the foot of a small service berry bush or twig. 

 They were all arched over by the dry pine grass of the preceeding 

 year; this year's growth having just commenced." 



Nest. — "The nest is small and loosely constructed, being quite 

 flat. It is composed outwardly of a few leaves, a little moss, and a 

 good deal of fine grass, lined only with the latter material." (Morris^.) 



Eggs. — 4. "The eggs seem to differ in appearance from any of the 

 same genus that I have seen, and may be thus described: Creamy 

 white, finely speckled all over the surface with reddish brown, and 

 also marked with larger spots of the same color, more heavily at the 

 larger end. There are also a number of spots of light lilac which are 

 not conspicuous. They measure .57x48; .65X.46; .59X.47 ; .6TX.46." 

 (iVorm.5) 



Nesting Dates. — Bangor, Me., June 4 (Knight) ; Caribou, B. C, 

 June 15, newly hatched young (N orris). 



Biographical References 



(i) C. J. Maynard. Birds of Coos Co.. N. H., and Oxford Co.. Me., 

 Proc. Bost. Soc, N. H.. XIV, 1871, 7. (2) C. Hart Merriam, Birds of the 

 Adirondack Region, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI, 1881, 227. (3") Ernest Thomp- 

 son Seton, Birds of Manitoba, Proc. U. S. N. M., 1891, 617. (4) W. Faxon, 

 On the Summer Birds of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Auk, VI, 1889, 102. 

 (5) J. Parker Norris, Jr., Nesting of the Tennessee Warbler in British Colum- 

 bia, Auk, XIX, 1902, 88. 



Orange-crowned Warbler 



HELMINTHOPHILA CELATA CELATA (Say) Plats VII 



Distinguishing Characters. — General color dusky olive-green, the under- 

 parts obscurely streaked ; adult c?, and often $, with an orange-brown crown- 



