88 JOURNAI, OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAI. SOCIETY. 



Contributions to the Life History of the 

 Pine Warbler. 



Dcndroica vigorsii (And.). 

 By J. Merton Swain. 



Geographicai, Distribution — Migration Range. -^The 

 average date of arrival in spring to the state seems to be about April 

 19th. The earliest date I find is March 30th at L,e\viston. The 

 dates in the interior part of the state for the past ten years, I find, 

 range from April 5th to 30th. They disappear slowly in the fall, 

 ranging from September 5th to Oct. 21st. 



Breeding Range. — Eastern United vStates, from Florida and 

 the Gulf States northward to New Brunswick, Ontario and Mani- 

 toba. Nesting most common in the Alleghenian Life Zone, but 

 extends more or less common into the Canadian. 



Winter Range. — Rare in eastern Texas, south to Corpus 

 Christi. Common among the pines from North Carolina and South- 

 ern Illinois southward. It has not been reported in Cuba or the 

 islands south of Florida. One specimen was seen at Matamoras, 

 Tamaulipas, February, 1902. This is the first record of occurrence in 

 Mexico, or any other point outside of the United States, except as a 

 casual straggler in the Bermudas. 



In early April this species enters the southern part of our state 

 and soon becomes rather common along the coast and in the inte- 

 rior, wherever there are patches of pine trees, and through May and 

 June I have found them quite common in Knox, Lincoln and Waldo 

 counties. Have observed them more or less abundant in Andro- 

 scoggin, Oxford, Franklin, Somerset and Kennebec counties, and 

 on their arrival they may be seen in the pine trees, in pairs and 

 small flocks, busily gleaning for insects. The latter part, of May 

 they begin nest building. All the nests I have seen were placed 

 well up near the top of a pine tree, horizontally and near the trunk 

 of the tree. The nests are very difficult to locate, and one has to 

 watch the birds carry nest material or food to the young. The 



