294 MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



278 [661] Dendroica striata (Forst). 

 Black-poll Warbler. 



Abundant transient visitor; May 9 to June 1 ; September 4 to October 31. 



Next to the Yellow-rumped Warbler this is our most abundant autumn 

 migrant among the Warblers. It swarms at times among the groves in the 

 sand dunes and its familiar note is frequently heard as it flies over at night. 

 The birds are generally very fat both in the spring and in the autumn. 



279 [662] Dendroica blackburniae (Gmel.). 

 Blackburnian Warbler. 



Rare summer resident, not uncommon transient visitor ; May 1 5 to Sep- 

 tember. 



Eggs : June 2 1 . 



This Warbler breeds sparingly in various parts of the County, as at Lynn- 

 field, Middleton, and Andover. Mr. J. A. Farley 1 records the finding of a nest 

 of this species on June 21st, 1901, in Lynnfield, where he states that it is a rare 

 but regular breeder. " The nest was at the end of a long branch of a hemlock, 

 being 18 feet out from the trunk and 30 feet from the ground. Before any 

 attempt was made to crawl out on the branch, the female, alarmed doubtless by 

 a slight movement of the limb, suddenly tumbled out of the nest and fell, in 

 fluttering, fledgling style, straight down through the foliage to the ground, 

 recovering herself at the last moment before touching the earth and flying up 

 into the underbrush. The helpless way in which she fell led me to believe for 

 a moment that a full-grown young bird had dropped out of the nest. Even 

 when there were young in a nest, I never before noticed such behavior on the 

 part of a tree warbler nesting at such a height." The nest was "composed of 

 fine hemlock twigs and lined with a few pine needles. It was set firmly in 

 among twigs and was beautifully concealed from view above by a long, full- 

 leaved, horizontal spray, which arching over within two inches of the structure, 

 made a miniature A-tent for the sitting bird." 



1 J. A. Farley: Auk, vol. 18, p. 399, 1901. 



