BIRDS OF THE CAMBRIDGE REGION. 3^:; 



206. Dendroica maculosa (Gmel.). 

 Magnolia Warbler. Black and Yellow Warbler. 



Transient visitor, usually rather common in spring, not uncommon in autumn. 



SEASONAL OCCURRENCE. 



May 6, 1902, one seen, Belmont, R. Hoffmann. 



May 12 — 25. 

 May 30, 1 888, one seen, Cambridge Region, W. Faxon. 



August 25, 18S4, one ini. female' taken, Watertown, \V. Brewster. 



September 10 — 25. 

 October i, 1870, one seen, Belmont, W. Brewster. 



I have known Magnolia Warblers to be really abundant in the Cambridge 

 Region for days at a time, about the middle of May, but during average years 

 no one observer is likely to note more than ten or a dozen birds in the course of 

 a spring migration, while half that number would represent an e.xceptionally full 

 record for a single autumn. In spring the species haunts extensive upland woods, 

 especially such as abound in vigorous young white pines, hemlocks and red 

 cedars. It also visits blossoming fruit orchards rather freely, and isolated rows 

 or clusters of willows by no means rarely. I often see it in our garden, and it 

 continues to appear sparingly in other densely populated parts of Cambridge. 

 It used to occur very regularly and at times not uncommonly in the region just 

 to the westward of Mount Auburn. Ever since I can remember, however, the 

 Magnolia Warbler has been met with most frequently and numerously in the 

 wilder portions of Arlington, Belmont, Lexington, and Waltham. In autumn, 

 when it frequents deciduous trees much more than at other seasons, I have 

 repeatedly found it among scattered gray birches near Rock Meadow and in 

 dense thickets of alders or viburnums in the Fresh Pond Swamps. 



Despite its liking for deep and solitary woods the Magnolia Warbler is a 

 trustful and social little bird, showing almost no fear of man and consorting 

 freely at times with Warblers of its own and several other species. In May we 

 often hear its odd, emphatic and rather variable song of which one of the com- 

 monest forms can be closely rendered by the words pretty-pretty-Rachel. 



' No. 9484. collection of William Brewster. 



