XLIY 



HE YELLOW WARBLER 



AMONG our small birds, of which we have such great 

 numbers, there is none more commonly known and 

 more widely distributed than the yellow warbler or, as it 

 used to be known when I was a child, the summer warbler. 

 It comes flocking North in the early part of April and 

 stays with us till late fall. It is one of the birds that seem 

 to come all at once. We children used to watch eagerly 

 for the first bluebird or robin, and then expect it to be 

 several days before we would see another, and usually two 

 or even three weeks would pass before they became com- 

 mon. This was not true of the yellow warblers. When 

 you saw one you could expect to see others right along, 

 and they were among the most numerous of our small birds. 

 There is a large family of the warblers, and it may be 

 rather difficult for the beginner to learn to recognize them. 

 In the key you will find the characteristics of the family 

 and by becoming acquainted with two or three warblers, 

 it will be easier to recognize the others. We have chosen to 

 tell the story of the yellow warbler not only because it is 

 plentiful over more of our country than any other but be- 

 cause it is one of the easiest to recognize. It arrives in the 

 spring ahead of most of the small birds, and this makes it 

 still easier to recognize. 



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