52 PRAIRIE WARBLER. 



As both the Field Sparrow and Prairie Wurbler often 

 inhabit the same localities, the songs of both are frequently- 

 heard together, and then the harshness of the warbler's lay is 

 quite noticeable, but when heard alone, it sounds more music- 

 al. Thus I was glad enough to listen to the songs of the 

 Prairie Warblers that I heard in the Bahamas in April, and 

 again among the mangrove swamps of Southern Florida in 

 May. 



It is worthy of note that the Cayman Warbler, a species 

 which occurs on the Cayman Islands, in the Carribean Sea, 

 and which is closely allied to the Prairie Warbler, has a song 

 that somewhat resembles that of a small species of finch ( an 

 Euetheia ) , that also occurs on the same islands. This song 

 is quite unlike that of any other warbler with which I am ac- 

 quainted, sounding like " Zip ziip zip^ see-e-e ", lisping and 

 long drawn out, especially on the last syllable. 



Migration axd Breeding Range. I found the Prai- 

 rie Warblers abundant on Key West in November and De- 

 cember, 1870 and in Januar}', 1884. I have also found them 

 the most common of all the warblers all over the Bahamas in 

 winter, from Inagua northward; in fact, they even occur on 

 little, outlying keys, away from the larger islands. They 

 were common on Jamaica in the winter of 1888. 



"^l hey begin to move northward the last week in March, 

 and I found a few on Cayman Brae from the 22 to the 24 of 

 that month. Although some begin to leave the Bahamas 

 about April i, they are common up to the middle of this 

 month, and do not all disappear until the first of May. They 

 migrate through Middle Florida from the last week in March 

 until the middle of April, but here, as elsewhere, they are 

 most common near the salt water, or within a few miles of it. 

 They arrive in Massachusetts the first week in May, and oc- 

 cur most commonly along the coast or, at best, within fifteen 



