THE MAGNOLIA WARBLER. 



(^ N this number of Birds we pre- 

 sent two very interesting speci- 

 mens of the family of Warblers, 

 (? J I the Magnolia or Black and 

 Yellow Warbler, ranking first 

 in elegance. Its habitat is eastern 

 North America as far west as the base 

 of the Rocky Mountains. It breeds 

 commonly in northern New England, 

 New York, Michigan, and northward. 

 According to Mr. William Brewster it 

 is found everywhere common through- 

 out the White Mountains of New 

 Hampshire. Its favorite resorts are 

 little clumps of firs and spruce shrubs, 

 also willow thickets near streams and 

 ponds and other damp places. " Its 

 gay colors and sprightly song will at 

 once attract the attention of even the 

 casual observer. The nest is usually 

 placed in the horizontal twigs of a fir 

 or spruce at heights ranging from four to 

 six feet, five being the average eleva- 

 tion, and the favorite localities are the 

 edges of wood paths, clearings, or roads 

 bordered by woods. Sometimes the 

 nests are built in the tops of young 

 hemlocks ten or fifteen feet up, or in 

 the heart of the forest thirty-five feet 

 above the g-round." Mr. Brewster 



describes the nest as loosely put 

 together, of fine twigs, preferredly hem- 

 lock, coarse grasses and dry weed- 

 stalks. The lining is fine black roots, 

 closely resembling horse-hair. The 

 eggs are four, very rarely five, of 

 creamy white, spotted and blotched 

 with various shades of reddish brown, 

 hazel and chestnut. The markings 

 are generally large and well defined 

 and often form wreaths about the 

 larger ends. 



Ridgway mentions the Magnolia 

 Warbler as " one of the most agile of 

 its tribe, its quick and restless move- 

 ments being more like those of the 

 Redstart than those of its nearest 

 kindred. The tail is carried some- 

 what elevated and widely expanded, to 

 display the broad white band across 

 the middle portion of the inner web of 

 the feathers, which together with the 

 bold contrasts of black, yellow, and 

 blue-gray of the plumage, render it 

 both conspicuous and beautiful." 



Mr. Langille describes the song of 

 the Magnolia Warbler as " a loud, 

 clear whistle, which may be imitated 

 by the syllables chee-to, chee-to^ chcc-tee-ee, 

 uttered rapidly and ending in the fall- 

 inof inflection." 



I CAN BUT SING. 



" O little bird of restless wing, 

 Why dost thou sing so sweet and loud? 

 Why dost thou sing so strong and proud ? 

 Why dost thou sing? " 



" Oh I have drunk the wine of spring, 

 My mate hath built a nest with me : 

 My hope flames out in song," said he, 



"I can but sing." 



i86 



