322 THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, 



over the eyes; bright yellow from the base of the bill to the 

 eye, then white to the neck; upper parts, reddish-brown 

 and blackish-brown, intermixed with streaks of whitish; 

 wing-bars, white; cheeks, dark-ash; throat, white; under 

 parts, whitish-ash; female and immature male, with the 

 bright head-markings quite obscure. The male, in perfect 

 plumage, is decidedly beautiful; by some he is regarded as 

 the most beautiful of all the Sparrows. 



The nest, on the ground, in bushy fields, is of dried 

 grass, weeds and mosses, lined with rootlets or fine grasses. 

 The eggs, 4 or 5, some .85X-62, are grayish-white, spotted 

 and splashed with brown and paler markings. The White- 

 throat winters throughout the Southern States. 



THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. 



The most prominent physical feature just south of Lake 

 Ontario is the Ridge, a graceful elevation of sandy soil sup- 

 posed to have been once either the shore of the lake, or an 

 immense sand-bar. The highway, which follows its great- 

 est elevation, and is broad enough to admit several teams 

 abreast, was once the grand thoroughfare from Buffalo to 

 Albany. Now the northern branch of the New York Cen- 

 tral Railroad and the Erie Canal just south of it have broken 

 up the great line of stage-coaches, and greatly decreased 

 the immense processions of farm wagons loaded with prod- 

 uce, and the crowds of light-hearted travelers on pleasure 

 and visiting excursions. Thus the great Broadway of the 

 region round about has been almost cleared of its enter- 

 prise. The distilleries and hotels are deserted, and the 

 towns either have ceased to grow or are in a state of decline. 

 But the beautiful highway, almost equally good at any time 

 of year, is still the same. Spring comes here days almost 

 weeks in advance, and the mildness of autumn lingers with 



