306 WiDMANN, Hottie of Backmans Warbler. \\^\ 



which is fortunately not found in swampland, but the Chipping 

 Sparrow is, and, if the presence of the Bachman's Warbler is not 

 suspected, it is indeed possible to mistake its song for a shrill 

 variety of the Chippy's well-known ditty. 



From a ten days' observation of the Bachman's Warbler, May 

 8 to 17 inclusive, it appears that the bird is very easily overlooked, 

 even in a region where it is common. Its small size, its pro- 

 tective coloration, and its quiet ways combine to make it next to 

 invisible among the heavy foliage of its habitat. The singing 

 period is probably of short duration. Visits to neighboring 

 islands, on both the Missouri and Arkansas sides, revealed the 

 presence of a number of singing males, some with large, others 

 with small and pale, throat patches, the former undoubtedly the 

 older, the latter the younger individuals. On going over the 

 same grounds repeatedly it was noticed that the intensity of their 

 singing mood changed greatly ; the old males, that were in a frenzy 

 at the time of my arrival, sobered down, while the pale throats 

 became gradually conspicuous and excited songsters. The time of 

 nest building is probably the period of constant song, but after 

 the eggs are deposited the desire for singing becomes so capricious 

 that the locating and census-taking of the Bachman population is 

 a time-consuming task. 



Even if in song it takes minutes to find the bird, though he is 

 generally seated on a dry or thinly-leafed branch at a height of 

 twenty to forty feet from the ground. The reason why it is so 

 difficult to locate him is his habit of pouring out his song into 

 different directions, now to the right, then to the left, even turning 

 entirely around on his perch. When he leaves, he is liable to fly 

 quite a distance, far enough to get lost out of sight for the 

 moment, and in the wildness of his home it takes several minutes 

 to follow him over fallen trees and around impenetrable thickets 

 or pools of water. 



In spite of my careful watch for eight hours on the 9th, no clew 

 to the location of the nest was had ; the female was seen but twice 

 and for seconds only, when the male darted down upon her, from 

 his perch in the tree to the brambles below, where he caught hold 

 of her, and a short squabble took place. This I took for a sign 

 that she was sitting on eggs, for males often attack their mates 



