AMERICAN WARBLERS. 49 



The Pine Warblei's are always yery common m the exten- 

 sive pine woodlands of Cape Cod, but during the past summer 

 ( 1902 ) they wei*e particularly abundant at my place, Cam]) 

 Metacomet, in the town of Barnstable, outnumbering- every 

 other species of warbler. In fact, there was scared}^ a moment 

 during the day, when one was in the pine w^oods, that the song 

 of one or more could not be heard, Thei'e is considerable 

 variation in the songs. Some indi\'iduals sing quite melodi- 

 ously, and from this pleasing lay all gradations may be heard 

 to a ti'ill which is nearly, or quite, as coarse as that of a 

 Chipping Sparrow. IS^ot but that the song of the w^arbler is 

 readily to be distinguished from that of the S})arrow, for it is 

 always given slow ly and in a i-ather low key ; whereas the 

 Chippie gives his trill in a shrill, high key and utters it rapidly, 

 liesides this his song is longer. The Pine Warblers had 

 ceased singing at Barnstable on August 1. Although they 

 must have been common after this time, we saAv them but 

 seldom in our w^alks through the pine woods. On August 

 15, however, I came upon a little group of young that were 

 feeding in some i)ines near the camp in company with some 

 Chickadees. \ careful examination of these birds showed 

 that, although they still retained a greater portion of the nest- 

 ling plumage, they were moulting, for I could see the two 

 lines of new% yellow feathers, one on either side of the breast, 

 appearing among the dull gray of the first ])lumage. As I 

 w as w^atching them, an adult male evidently the father of the 

 flock, came in sight. He, too, w^as moulting; tail-less, rag- 

 ged in plumage on back and breast, he presented a forlorn ap- 

 pearance of w^hich he seemed fully aware, for, catching sight 

 of me, he at once disajjpeared among the thick foliage of the 

 pines, wdiere, in obedience to a few low call notes which he 

 gave as he w^ent, he was follow^ed by his offspring. 



