The Birds’ Calendar 
ment of manner and quiet elegance of plumage, 
it is not surpassed by any of the warblers. 
With such varied combinations of brilliant 
tints as are to be found in the warbler family, it 
is doubtless impossible to give the palm of ab- 
solute pre-eminence to any one species. When 
I first saw the ‘‘ black-throated greens’’ I was 
positive that here was the finest of the group. 
Twenty-four hours afterward I found a beau- 
tiful specimen of the prairie warbler, and then 
{ was considerably shaken in my mind. ‘The 
next day I discovered the exquisite ‘‘ hooded 
warbler,’’ and then how the ‘<< black-throat- 
ed green ’’ stock went down! To the bird-stu- 
dent how many a warbler has been the idol of 
an hour! And when the ‘ Blackburnian’’ ap- 
pears on the scene, how it consumes to ashes all 
its rivals, making one ashamed that his heart 
was ever taken captive by any other. What a 
satisfying little specimen, too, is the ‘‘ mag- 
nolia,’’ for whom one’s ardor is less intense, 
but possibly more enduring, than for the Black- 
burnian; while there is a delicacy of form and 
hue in the Canada fly-catcher that is quite 
enchanting. And then, too, apart from the 
inherent excellence of any species, its degree 
of rarity has so much to do in forming our 
204 
