THe PERCHING BrrRps. 57 
Warblers, viewed as to their habits, are birds of 
the trees, of the low bushes, of the ground, and of the 
water. It is seldom, then, that we can wander out of 
town in any direction, from April to October, and not 
see one or more members of the great group. But 
how are they to be recognized from true flycatchers, 
or sparrows, or greenlets? This is not always an 
easy matter, but there are a few points that may be 
borne in mind. Warblers are little birds, less rather 
than more than five inches in length, slender, with a 
narrow, sharp bill, and usually colored very conspic- 
uously. They are warblers by name, but do not, as 
a rule, have any song that attracts attention; and 
when migrating, often merely utter a sibilant lisp that 
is harsh and unpleasant. The “song,” of course, 
varies among the different species, and the birds can 
be recognized, in many cases, by the character of the 
utterance. They are all extremely restless birds, and 
move among the branches of the trees with so rapid 
a movement that identification becomes difficult, es- 
pecially among those that are rather plainly colored. 
This quick manner indicates at once that they are 
not sparrows. 
The number being so great, it is impracticable to 
give a detailed description of each, even of those that 
are common to our Atlantic seaboard. The first of 
the great migratory troupe to appear is the “ Yellow 
Red-poll,” and often, very early in April, a hundred 
or more will be found in an orchard or among the 
pines about the farm-house. They twitter rather than 
sing, hunt insects with tireless assiduity, remain but 
a short time, and leave their hunting-grounds for 
