54 Birds Every Child Should Know 



I don't believe there is anybody living who 

 could name at sight every one of the seventy 

 warblers that visit the United States. Some 

 are very gaily coloured and exquisitely marked, 

 as birds coming to us from the tropics have a 

 right to be. Some are quietly clad; some, like 

 the redstart, are dressed quite differently from 

 their mates and young; others, like the yellow 

 warbler, are so nearly alike that you could see 

 no difference between the male and female from 

 the distance of a few feet. Some live in the 

 tops of evergreens and other tall trees ; others, 

 like the Maryland yellow-throat, which seems 

 to prefer low trees and shrubbery, are rarely 

 seen over twelve feet from the ground. A few, 

 like the oven-bird, haunt the undergrowth in 

 the woods or live most of the time on the earth. 

 With three or four exceptions all the warblers 

 dwell in woodlands, and it is only during the 

 spring and autumn migrations that we have an 

 opportunity to become acquainted with them ; 

 when they come about the orchard and shrub- 

 bery for a few days' rest and refreshment during 

 their travels. Fortunately the cheerful little 

 yellow warbler stays around our homes all 

 summer long. Did you ever know a family so 

 puzzling and contradictory as the Warblers ? 



The great majority of these fascinating and 

 exasperaVlng relatives are nervous, restless little 

 sprites, constantly flitting from branch to 



