THE TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. 



(Dendroica townsendi.) 



Dr. Robert Ridgway, in the Ornithol- homes in shrubby places, while others are 



ogy of Illinois, uses the following words seldom found except in forests. As their 



in speaking of that family of birds called food is practically confined to insects, 



the American Warblers (Mniotilidae), they frequent our lawns and orchards 



"No group of birds more deserves the during their migrations, when they fly in 



epithet of pretty than the Warblers ; Tan- companies which may include several 



agers are splendid ; Humming-birds are species. Mr. Chapman, in his Handbook 



refulgent ; other kinds are brilliant, gaudy of Birds of Eastern North America, says, 



or magnificent, but Warblers alone are "Some species flit actively from branch to 



pretty in the proper and full sense of that branch, taking their prey from the more 



term." exposed parts of the twigs and leaves ; 



As they are full of nervous activity, and others arc gleaners, and carefully explore 



are "eminently migratory birds," they the under surfaces of leaves or crevices in 



seem to flit rather than fly through the the bark ; while several, like Flycatchers, 



United States as they pass northward in capture a large part of their food on the 



the spring to their breeding places, and wing." 



southward in the fall to their winter homes The Townsend's Warbler is a native of 

 among the luxuriant forests and planta- Western North America, especially near 

 tions of the tropics. All the species are the Pacific coast. Its range extends from 

 purely American, and as they fly from Sitka on the north to Central America on 

 one extreme to the other of their migra- the south, where it appears during the 

 tory range they remain but a few days in winter. In its migration it wanders as far 

 any intermediate locality. Time seems east as Colorado. It breeds from the 

 to be an important matter with them. It southern border of the United States 

 would seem as if every moment of day- northward, nesting in regions of cone- 

 light was used in the gathering of food bearing trees. It is said that the nest of 

 and the night hours in continuing their this Warbler is usually placed at a con*- 

 journey. siderable height, though at times as low 



The American Warblers include more as from five to fifteen feet from the 



than one hundred species grouped in ground. The nest is built of strips of 



about twenty genera. Of these species fibrous bark, twigs, long grasses and 



nearly three-fourths are represented in wool, compactly woven together. This is 



North America at least as summer vis- lined with hair, vegetable down and 



itants, the remaining species frequenting feathers. 



only the tropics. Though woodland The eggs are described as buffy white, 



birds they exhibit many and widely sep- speckled and spotted with reddish brown 



arated modes of life, some of the species and lilac-gray, about three-fifths of an 



preferring only aquatic regions, while inch in length by about one-half of an 



others seek drier soils. Some make their inch in diameter. 



11 



