36 



JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



a half peck measure. Mr. Palmer puts 

 this measure full of cracked corn and a 

 flock of chickadees stay about there 

 and feed all winter. Other birds are 

 attracted there too. White -breasted 

 Nuthatches, House Sparrows and an 

 occasional flock of Snowflakes have 

 been there to feed. Mr. Palmer says 

 his birds come every day to feed, and 

 he has to fill the measure about once 

 in four weeks, though presumably 

 the rough, wintry winds blow away 

 more of the corn than the birds eat. 

 Ed.] 



NOTES ON THE WARBLERS 



FOUND IN MAINE. 



[These contributions to the life 

 histories of our North American 

 Warblers were first planned to be 

 written up in order as the names ap- 

 pear on the N. A. check-list, but it 

 was found that the committee could 

 not treat them in this way, so the 

 committee arranged to write them 

 up as best we could, by choosing 

 those we had material for and leav- 

 ing others till later, thus giving us an 

 opportunity to work up notes and 

 data on the several varieties to be 

 treated later. At the last annual 

 meeting, it was voted to be left with 

 a committee to write up this most 

 interesting family and Prof. Ora W. 

 Knight, J. Merton Swain, Capt. Her- 

 bert L. Spinney, and Prof. Wm. L. 

 Powers were chosen to take the work 

 in charge. These contributions will, 

 we believe, be of value to all, coming 

 as they do from the north-eastern- 

 most state in the union, which state 

 is very well represented by a large 

 list of this intei-esting family. The 

 following paper, the first of the series 

 on the Yellow Palm Warbler is writ- 

 ten by Mr. Knight, and the accom- 

 panying photo, is by the same au- 

 thor. The next paper in the series 

 will be on the Wilson's Blackcap 

 Warbler illustrated with photos, 

 of the nest taken on the Hermon Bog 

 and also of the nest with the female 

 thereon, written by Mr. J. Merton 

 Swain. This paper will appear in the 

 July issue. Other species will be 

 treated by Capt. Spinney and Prof. 

 Powers in the October and January 

 numbers and so on until the entire 

 family that occur in Maine have been 

 treated. Ed.] 



Contributions to the Life History 

 OF THE Yellow Palm Warbler. 



Bendroica palmarwn hypochrysea 

 Ridgw. 



Geographical Distribution. — This species 

 7t)iiiters in the South Atlantic and Gulf 

 States. In migration it is more or less com 

 man throiigh the Atlantic States. The 

 breeding range is from northern and eastern 

 Maine, New Brunsiuick and Nova Scotia 

 north to Labrador and Hudson Bay. 



Though for many years known as a 

 common spring and fall migrant in 

 the Eastern United States, the home 

 life of the Yellow Palm or Yellow Red- 

 poll Warbler was long unknown. It 

 was supposed to nest in Labrador, 

 that vague land to which it is so easy 

 to ascribe the summer home of so 

 many birds which pass northwards 

 beyond our ken. 



The late Mr. Boardman found this 

 species remained through the sum- 

 mer near Calais but did not find the 

 nest or eggs, and a vague rumor that 

 the late Mr. Anson Allen found a nest 

 and eggs in Orono Bog was a quite 

 probable but nevertheless totally un- 

 corroborated fact which was dangled 

 before my ornithological senses and 

 which could never be traced to any 

 foundation other than rumor. 



In boyhood days I knew this spe- 

 cies as a migrant arriving from the 

 south and being first seen by me near 

 Bangor at dates varying in different 

 years between April 24 and May 4. 

 It was usually in flocks of ten or 

 twelve individuals which would be 

 observed feeding in the low bushes 

 of pastures, and about May 20 the 

 species would disappear to be seen 

 no more until accompanied by the 

 young on their southern journey (as 

 I then supposed) in mid July. The 

 fact that individuals were seen at 

 this early date, and that the species 

 was still with us until as late as Octo- 

 ber 1 before finally disappearing was 

 ascribed to the loitering of individ- 

 uals along the way until finally driv- 

 en by the frosts southward. 



It has remained for more recent 

 developments to show that this bird 

 is a common local summer resident 

 of certain sections of the State within 

 the limits of the Canadian fauna. 

 The first authentic nest and eggs to 

 be recorded from the LTnited States 

 are partially described by me in the 



