40 BLACKBURN'IAN' W.vnBLI.It. 



al seasons that they are at all comaijn. I have seen this pret- 

 ty little warbler quite plentiful here on two or tliree occasions 

 in my early collecting days, back in the " sixties " but never 

 as numerous as they were on May lo and ii, 1900. \Vhen 

 migrating, the Blackburnians usually prefer woodlands com- 

 posed of deciduous tre^s, but in their summer homes they fre- 

 quent evergreens. They are active warblers, and, as a rule, 

 keep among the upper branches of the trees. 



Breeding FIahits. The favorite nestino: orounds of the 

 Blackburnian Warbler are the evergreen forests of the elevated 

 regions of western Massachusetts and northern New England. 

 The nests are usually bulky structures, and are placed on a 

 limb of an evergreen, at a height varying from ten to thirty- 

 feet or more. From the situation chosen they are difficult to 

 find, and hence may be classed among the rare nests of warb- 

 lers. 



Song. The alarm note of this fine warbler is rather low 

 and quite sharp. The song is pleasing, but simple, being 

 without any very marked peculiarity. It consists of a series of 

 six double, lisping notes, which become somewhat squeaky as 

 they advance, and terminate in an ascending scale. 



Migration and Breeding Range On May 27, 1876, 

 I procured a female Blackburnian at Williamsport, Pennsyl- 

 vania, that was about to deposit her eggs. This was among 

 the earlier records which indicated a southward breeding ten- 

 dency of this species along the Alleghanies. From this region 

 they extend northward, and breed commonly in Berkshire, 

 and Worcester counties, Masachusetts, in northern New Eng- 

 land, northward to Laborador, They winter from eastern 

 Mexico, south to Peru. 



In moving southward the Blackburnians pass Massachu- 

 setts durino; the last week in Aug-ust and the first week in 

 September. I found them common at Watsontown, Pennsyl- 

 vania, from August 29 to September 6, and then in gradually 

 decreasing numbers until the 22. 



