28 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



It was here, too, that in the interims of our conflict with liordes 

 of mosquitoes, we prepared to collect specimens and make ob- 

 servations upon our surroundings. 



Roughly speaking, the Barrens occupy the whole of New Jer- 

 sey, south of a line drawn between ]\Ionmouth and Salem coun- 

 ties. Yet while crossing this district we are constantly struck 

 by the great variation in the physical character of closely ad- 

 joining areas, and at the same time we are reminded of how 

 much certain species of birds are dependent upon these same 

 physical characters for their distribution. 



For instance, while passing the cultivated district of higher 

 tree growth, between Jledford and the little village of White 

 Horse, we noted, among other species, the Scarlet Tanager, 

 Downy Woodpecker and Indigo Bunting. None of these birds 

 were observed at any other locality. 



Although the whole of the region covered by our trip beyond 

 White Horse is spoken of as the " Barrens," it, nevertheless, 

 presents two very different and almost contrasting physical char- 

 acters — the cedar swamps and the plains. 



The somewhat circular outlines of the cedar swamps occur 

 through the entire barrens and form one of the most striking 

 features of the region. These swamps, or bogs, more properly, 

 are apparently but shallow pools of amber-colored water stained 

 by the moulding vegetation. In some cases their origin can be 

 traced to the overflow of a nearby stream or else it is the drain 

 from impervious soil collecting in a slight depression. Upward 

 from this grows an almost impenetrable jungle of white cedar, 

 rendered even more difficult of traverse by a dense growth of 

 underbrush. Such a growth, and particularly in such an iso- 

 lated area as the Barrens, might well shelter many of our rarer 

 and wilder species. It was only in these secluded fortresses 

 that we found such birds as the Parula Warbler, White-eyed 

 Vireo, Hairy Woodpecker and White-bellied Swallow, all of 

 which seemed to be characteristic of the cedar swamp. 



\\'hile exploring one of these bogs I was again impressed with 

 the peculiarity in the notes of certain individuals of the Maryland 

 Yellow -throat, a fact which I had previously noted in the case 

 of one or two birds in a somewhat similar locality on the island 



