590 



BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. 



extends over four tail feathers, in which case tlie thir.l feather will have neai'ly a^ much white as theseconl. 

 This is true regarding one male taken in Boston, May 5, 1884, but the extended white is found on the third 

 feather on the right side only, that on the other having the usual shaped nnrk. and there is no white on the 

 fourth feather on either side. Readily known in the adult male by the beautiful orange breast and black 

 back, and in all other stages by the resemblance to this stage and the peculiar V shaped mark on the thii-d 

 tail feather. Breeds throughout Northern New England States and along the mountains, at least, as far , 

 south as Pennsylvania ; winters south of our limits. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Length, 4.75 to 5.30 ; stretch, T.fiO to 8.55 : wing, 2.60 to 2.75 ; tail, 1 .7( » to 1 .!)(.) : bill, MJ to .45 : tarsus, 

 .60 to .80. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, placed in trees, composed of strips of bark, moss, etc., lined with feathers. Egg.';, three or fjur 

 in number, pale greenish white in color, spotted and blotched, usually anjund the larger end. with brown an I 

 black of varying shades. Dimensions, .40 by .63 to .45 by .65. 



HA CITS. 



Although the Bliirkl)urni;iu Wiirl)lL'r8 iuv r.it'n'^r rare in Eisteni M.\ssachu8etts dur- 

 iiii;- inigi-ations, sdiiio are to he t')iin(l every seayo i. T!iev are, however, very cnmiiioii in 

 eentral Pennsvlvaiiia hotli sprinii; and tall. I found them aljundant at Willianisport a.s 

 early as May 9, 1876, and their short, pleasing w.irhle could !>e Iieard on all sides. A few 

 apparently rem.ain to hreed, for 1 took a female on May 27 whieli contained eggs nearly 

 ready to dejiosit, and I also occasionally heard the songs of the males along t!ie mountain 

 sides even hiter than this. These arc most emphatically arhoreal warhlers, for they are 

 apt to frefiueut tlie tops of the highest trees of the woodlands, through which they pass, 

 or in which they live in sunnuer. Thus I tbur.d thcin iiuioiig the to]is of the high 

 spruces and hemlocks at Upton in the spring of 1871, and they ])!ace their nest.s at ;i coit- 

 sideralile elevation. 



During the autunuial migration the Blackhurniaus pass through middle Pennsyl- 

 vania, and I found them conunon at Watsontown as early as September 6, 1870. Thus, 

 they would seem to avoid the eastern coast region; for they i)ass through Mexico and 

 Central America to reach their winter cpiarters in South /^nu'i'ica. Dr. Bryant records 

 seeing a pair at Nassau, Bahamas, April oO, 1859 ( Proceedings Boston Society of Natural 

 History, Vol. VII, 1859, page 110. ) hut I have never seen it there. 



DENDROICA VSREISIS. 



• Black-throated Green Warbler- 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Cu. Size, small. Form, slender. Tail, a little rounded, and the terminal white spots extend 

 over four pairs of feathers. CoLOii. Adult male. Above, bright greenish or golden yellow. \\'ings. 

 brown, edged with whitish, and the two row's of coverts are tii)ped with white, forming bars. Tail, brown, 

 w hitc edged, with outer web of basal two-thirds of two outer feathers white, and two-thirds of inner web of 

 outer also white. The basal line of demarkation slopes back at an acute angle from the vein to tlie inner 



