FAMILY Mniotiltidz. 
ordinary bird student through their songs. These songs, 
without exception, are pitched extremely high, There 
are a few I can find with a register that extends be- 
low the highest G of the piano, and many extend ap- 
proximately to G an octave above that, which is four 
whole tones more than the piano undertakes to account 
for! When a bird sings as high as that, we may as well 
admit that a musical ear is sorely puzzled, and a defec- 
tive one hopelessly tone-deaf. It is therefore no simple 
matter to determine the intervals in a Warbler’s song, 
and notation must represent them approximately rather 
than exactly; this, however, will in no wise prevent 
a due recognition of the song printed on paper, for its 
mechanical rhythm is of far greater importance than its 
pitch. Naturally enough no musician will consider the 
Warblers good songsters—on the contrary, as a class. 
they are the very poorest of the woodland singers. In 
imitating their songs I have to produce a lisping whistle 
by placing the tongue immediately back of the upper 
front teeth, and forcing the tonein between, and making 
it high or low by the movement of the lips. In this way 
alone should my notations be read, and not with the aid 
of the piano except as it may serve in locating the tones. 
The majority of the Warblers arrive late in the spring, 
most of them travelling by night. - Their food consists 
mainly of insects, untold myriads of which they destroy 
during one season alone. How muchsuch work accrues 
to our benefit, who shall say! 
Black and This Warbler, sometimes called the Black 
ig pil td and White Creeper, is very common and 
L. 5.25 inches Most easily recognized. He has a habit of 
April 25th walking upside down as well as right side 
up with the ease and agility of a true Creeper, hence 
a contusion of titles. The bird is admirably marked; 
he is asymphony in black and white; Nature has rung 
all the changes possible with those colors. Head barred 
black and white, a white stripe over each eye; ear coverts 
black; upper parts streaky black and white; two white 
wing-bars on each wing; inner webs of outer tail feath- 
ers white-patched; throat and upper breast black, or 
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