JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



59 



laughing: at him around the corner of 

 my blind he spread his handsomely 

 marked wings and gracefully sailed 

 down to the waters edge. 



Frank T. Noble, 

 Augusta, Maine, Nov. 27, 1903. 



NOTES ON THE WARBLERS 

 FOUND IN MAINE. 



(ConliniieJ from Vol. VI. P. 41 ) 



Contributions to the Life His- 

 tory OF THE Wilson's Warbler. 



[J. Merlon Swain.] 

 Sylvania pusilla ( Wils.^ 



Geographical Distyil'ittioii. I'/iis species 

 winters in Eastern Mexico a)id Central 

 America. 



In migration it is wore or less common in 

 eastern N. A. west to the Rocky Mountains. 

 The breeding range is Jrom the northern 

 border of the United States and Rocky 

 .Mountains norlhivard. 



This is one of our 

 rarest Warblers known to nest in 

 eastern North America. In some lo- 

 calities in the state it is more or less 

 common during the spring migration. 

 Yet the bulk of these birds go to the 

 northward to breed, and migrate 

 south to Eastern Mexico and Central 

 America. They are seen usually in 

 pairs during the migration period, 

 usually in knolly, bushy pastures, 

 usually near the water. They arrive 

 here about the second week in May. 

 The males are in full song when they 

 arrive and usually commence nest 

 building very soon after their arrival. 



The first record of its nesting I am 

 able to find a description of was taken 

 by our late fellow worker, Clarence 

 H. Morrell at Pittsfield. although ref- 

 ei'ence to its nesting in the state is 

 made in Walter's "Birds of Andro- 

 scoggin Countv," page 9, and Bach- 

 eller, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. 7, p. 

 110. Mr. Morrell found two nests of 

 this bird, one on June 12th, 1892, the 

 other, June 4th, 1897. For these de- 

 scriptions I can do no better than to 

 quote his notes published in The Os- 

 prey, Sept. '99, page 5, (although his 

 sister, Miss Ethel B. Morrell, has 

 khidly given me access to her broth- 

 ers' copious notes at any time.) 



"Wilson's Warbler may be safely 

 classed as one of the rarest Warblers 

 which breed regularly in this state. 

 It is nowhere common, even as a 



migrant, arriving during the second 

 week in May with the main army of 

 migrating Warblers. I always see it 

 singly or in pairs, never in fiocks, at 

 this time. They are birds of the bush, 

 never going into large woods as do 

 the Black-throated Green and Black- 

 burnian Warblers, but spend the sum- 

 mer in knolly, bush-grown pastures 

 bordering young growths. The males 

 are in full song when they arrive, and 

 not much time is spent befoi-e nest- 

 building commences. The nest is 

 placed under a tuft of grass, or at the 

 base of a shrub, and so well conceal- 

 ed that it is seldom found, unless by 

 accident. If two nests are sufficient 

 data to warrant conclusions, it would 

 seem that they differ principally from 

 those of other ground-building War- 

 blers in the simplicity of material 

 used and in their small size. 



A nest found June 12, 1892, was 

 placed at the base of a small shrub, 

 and was mainly constructed of short 

 pieces of grass, fairly well woven to- 

 gether, with a very few hairs mingled 

 with the grass lining, and some moss 

 and leaves exteriorly. This nest con- 

 tained four nearly fresh eggs, and 

 measured as follows: Outside top 

 diameter 3.00x3.50 inches; inside top 

 diameter 1.75, inside depth 1.25. 



A second nest found June 4th, 

 1897, was in the side of a depression 

 in the ground, well concealed by 

 overhanging grass and shrubs. It 

 was constructed like the first one, 

 with the exception of the hair, in the 

 place of which were a few black, hair- 

 like roots. This nest also contained 

 four eggs, in which incubation was 

 advanced. In both instances the par- 

 ent bird was flushed from the nest 

 and remained near, flitting from bush 

 to bush, but not displaying great so- 

 licitude, either by voice or action. 

 The eggs have the plain white ground 

 with spots of brown and red of vari- 

 ous shades, common to most Warbler 

 eggs. The markings have a tendency 

 to wreathe the larger end in some 

 specimens, and spots rather than 

 blotches seem the rule; but there is 

 nothing that would distinguish them 

 with certainty from the eggs of other 

 ground -nesting Warblers. 



In addition to these nests I have 

 frequently seen these Warblers lead- 

 ing a callow brood about in June, and 

 have come to regard them as regular, 

 though rare, summer residents in this 



