lU.AC'.K- rilKOATltl) GREKX WAKIU.EIJ. 4;» 



estas of the birds are usually taken in the topmost branches 

 of some favorite pine, where even a powiM-ful bird glass will 

 only reveal their forms indistinctly. 



Bkeedixg Hahi'is. a favorite place for a nesting site 

 with the Black-throated Cireens is ;i branch of a white pine, 

 and the neat little home is often placed on it not far from the 

 trunk, but sometimes amono; the outer twiq;s. I have known 

 a barberry bush to be chosen. The nest is built the last w-eek 

 in May, and late in June the young may beseen accompanying 

 their parents. 



So\G. The Black-throated Green Warbler has a pecul- 

 iarly sweet song often consisting of five notes, to which some- 

 times one or two more notes are added. This song may be well 

 rendered by the words, '• Good Sai)it The-re-sa *' given with 

 a rising inflection, and with a decided accent on the last sylla- 

 ble of the last word. When notes are added it is to the first 

 portion of the song, thus the first word is repeated wdth every 

 additional note. One member of my class, thinking the war- 

 blers more devoted to nature than to the Saint, hears the bird 

 say, '' Trees, trees, Jiiiw-inttr-ing' trees ", Another pupil thinks 

 the bird more egotistical and hears him constantly reiterate, 

 ''^ I am the Black-throated Green ". Of course not all of the 

 the men.bers of this species sing alike, possibly, in fact, prob- 

 ably, the young birds, for a year or tw^o, do not sing as well 

 as the adults, hence there is considerable variation in their 

 songs. Then again, in common, as I now think, with all of 

 the warblers, the Black-throated Greens sing an entirely dif- 

 ferent sono- in mid-summer from that q-iven earlier in the sea- 

 son. In this case the late song is a much more simple w^arble, 

 with little or no resemblance in syllables or accent to the 

 spring songs. I have given considerable attention during the 

 past few^ years to these summer variations in bird songs, and 

 have come to the conclusion that they are due to the gradual 

 weakening of the muscles of the lower larynx(8ee page 4 ) this 

 w^eakening occurring in sympathy w:ith the shrinking of the 



