TEN2^ESSEE WARliLER. 573 



If, while the coUecter is walking in the woods in e irly June, lie olwerves afeuiile hinl 

 that appears uneasy, he should quieth' ivtreiit for a short distance and after watching- a 

 a short time will generally see the anxious Warbler enter her nest. 1 have foinid rar^i 

 eggs in this way which woultl otlierwise have remained undiscovered, but hnve always 

 found that it is useless to searcli for a nest which is concealed on the gi'oiiud wit'iout 

 having more knowledge of its whereabouts tliau is imi)arted by the uneasv actions <;f the 

 female. 



I ha\-e several times searched fjr the unkiow.i eggs of tlie Tennessee Warbler while 

 the female was flying frantically about, chirping loudly and fre(|uentl\- alightino- within 

 a yard of my head. In spite of these assurances that I was very near the nest, I liave 

 always given up the search in disappointment, after having, perhaps, unconsciously cru^lu'd 

 the concealed prize at my feet. In these instances, a half liimr spent in carefully watch- 

 ing the l)ird from a little distance would pi'ob;U3ly h;\ve been rewarded; but the mosquitoes 

 and black tiies are so numerous in the sections where the Teiuiessee Warblers breed 

 ( Northern New England ), that during a single moment of inaction their stings become 

 unendurable and one cannot remain quiet for any length of time. 



It is singular that, although, as far as is known, with the single* exception of Lucy's 

 Warbler, all the members of the genus Helminthophaga place their nests on t!ie around 

 the males perch in elevated situations while singing, and, excepting during the breedinir 

 season, neither male nor female is often seen upon the ground. They all j'requent the 

 tops of trees which stand on the borders of woods or in open fields, and none of them are 

 apt to be found in the deep forest; of the five species which occur commonly in eastern 

 United States, the Tennessee and Nashville are found on the borders of woods, while the 

 Blue-winged Yellow, Orange-crowned, and Golden-winged prefer the more open sections. 



The latter named species may occur rarely in northern Florida as it is Cjuite abun- 

 dant in Georgia. I once saw a small Warbler at Key West which I thought might be the 

 Tennessee, but, as it was flitting (piickly through the thick bushes I could not be certain 

 but it is more probable that this was a specimen of Bachmtin's Warl)ler, bat I was not aware 

 at that time that this species occurred in Florida. The Nashville arrives in Massacliusetts 

 about the middle of May, breed during the first week in June, and depart in earlj' Septen:- 

 ber. They are very rare in Florida, and to my knowledge there has been but one spec- 

 imen taken in that state ; this was captured by Mr. Boardman, at Jackonville. on March 

 13th, 1869. 



HELMIMTHOPHAGA PEREGRiMA. 

 Tennessee Warbler. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Cii. Size, small. Wing bars and spots on tail absent. Bill, not long. Tongue, tliick. narrow 



and horny, deeply bifid, and the terminal portion is provided with large, course cilia. Coix)R. Adult male. 



Top and sides of head and neck, all around, ashy gray. Remaining upper parts, olive green, briglitest on tlie 



rump. Beneath, white, faintly tinged everywhere, but more especially on the sides with oHvaceous. Tlie 



