WARBLERS 563 



Genus WILSONIA Bonaparte. 



684. Wibonia mitrafa (Gmel.). Hooded Warbler. 



Plumage of adult male : crown, occiput, sides of neck, whole throat and 

 part of chin black ; forehead, sides of head, front of chin, breast and belly 

 rich yellow ; above, back and sides bright olive green ; inner web of outer 

 tail feathers mostly white. Plumage of immature male : very similar but 

 with the black feathers tipped with yellow. Plumage of adult female : the 

 black on head and breast in general more restricted ; otherwise very similar 

 to male. Plumage of immature female ; uniform olive green above and 

 lemon yellow below, the black lacking or only slightly indicated. Wing 2.65 ; 

 tail 2.35. Bill with bristles at base. 



Geog. Dist.— Eastern United States, breeding rarely to eastern Kansas, 

 southeastern Nebraska, southeastern Wisconsin, central Michigan, southern 

 Ontario and Massachusetts, breeding rather commonly from Illinois to the 

 Atlantic coast south to Florida ; wintering in Yucatan, Guatemala, the north- 

 ern coast of Middle America from Vera Cruz to Panama, etc. 



County Records. — Cumberland; an adult male was taken at Falmouth, 

 September 10, 1904, by S. T. Dana and is now in the Bowdoin College collec- 

 tion, (Brownson, Auk 1905, p. 85). 



This is another straggler from its normal home, being only 

 once found in Maine. Regarding its habits I must again 

 quote entirely from the observations of others. It is said to 

 nest both in swamps and on hillsides chiefly in bunches of 

 Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel,) (Minot's Land and Game 

 Birds of New England, p. 132, Ed. 2, foot note by W. B.). 

 In Davie's Nests and Eggs, Ed. 5, p. 454, the species is said 

 to be one of the liveliest of its tribe, being active in catching 

 insects on the wing. It is said to frequent thickets and 

 undergrowth of high and low land, concealing itself when 

 pursued. I quote the following representation of its songs 

 as given in Warbler Songs, pp. 28-29: — "che-weo-tsip, che- 

 we-eo" (Mrs. Wright;) "You must come to the woods or you 

 won't see me" (Chapman;) "chee-ree-cheree, chi-di-ee;" "whe- 

 ree-whee-ree-eeh" (Langille.). There seems to be a first song 

 period lasting to late June and another in late August. The 

 male is said to have the same habit of opening and closing its 

 tail as the Redstart. 



A nest and eggs in my collection were taken with the female 



