NATURAL HISTORY. 



23 



RED-rOLL WARBLER. CANADA WAEBLER. HEMLOCK WARBLER. 



MOURNING WARBLER. 



ash. Cheeks, collar round the neck, and 

 under parts generally, white, largely spot- 

 ted with black on the breast and sides; line 

 of black spots from the chin towards the 

 shoulders. Two white bars on the wings. 

 Primaries brown, edged on their outer 

 webs with greenish yellow. -Tail, wood 

 brown, the two outer ieathei's on each side 

 liaving large white spots on their inner 

 webs. Bill, dark horn color. Tail emar- 

 ginate, reaching three-fourths of an inch 

 beyond the folded wings. Legs, flesh color. 

 Female and young dull yellowish olive, 

 streaked with black and gray. Length 5 

 inches; spread, 8. 



History. — The Blackpoll Warbler is pret- 

 ty generally diffused over the United States, 

 and has been observed as far north as the 

 54th parallel of latitude. Audubon found 

 the nest of this species in Labrador, built 

 in the forked branches of a fir tree, about 

 three feet from the ground. It was formed 

 of mosses and lichens, lined first with coai"se 

 dried grass, then with fine moss, and lastly 

 with feathers. The nest contained 4 eggs, 

 but he has given no description of tliem. 

 It pi'obably breeds in Vermont, but I ara 

 not aware that its nest lias ever been found 

 here. 



ash, with central parts of the feathers on 

 the head, black, giving it a dark spotted 

 appearance. Wings and tail brown, edged 

 with grayish. Line under the eye descen- 

 ding down the side of the throat towards 

 the shoulders, black. Spot in the forehead, 

 a broad line towards the eye, and all be- 

 neath, bright lemon yellow. A broad 

 rounded band of black spots across the 

 breast, forming a sort of collar. Under 

 tail coverts white, tinged with yellow. 

 Upper mandible brownish ; tlie loAver man- 

 dible, the legs and feet, flesh color. Second 

 and third primaries subequal, longest. 

 Tail long, rounded, reaching 1.2 beyond 

 the tips of the folded wings. The female is 

 greenish above, and all its markings less 

 distinct. Length, 5 inches; spread, 8.5. 



History — This is a rare species, being 

 I only occasionally rnet with in Vermont. 

 jit breeds, according to Audubon, in Penn- 

 j sylvania, Maine, and the British Provinces, 

 I and if so, it doubtless breeds in Vermont, 

 i though I am not aware that its nest has 

 I been found here. It is said to range as far 

 j north as the 55th degree of latitude. The 

 I nest is usually built in a low evergreen. 

 j The eggs, about fi\ e in number, are white, 

 i with a few dots of brownish red. 



THE RED-POLL WARBLER. 

 Sylvia riificapilla. — Latham. 



Description. — General aspect brownish 

 olive, streaked with dusky lirown ; croAvn 

 dark rufous. Line over the eye, and all 

 beneath, yellow. The two lateral tail feath- 

 ers with large spots of white on their inner 

 webs, extending to their tips. The yellow 

 on the breast streaked and spotted Avith 

 bay. Legs and bill dusky brown. Thej 

 first three quills nearly equal, second long- 1 

 est. Tail slightly notched, and reaches 

 one inch beyond the folded wings. FeJ7i ale 

 without the rufous crown, and having the | 

 spots on the breast brown instead of bay. j 

 In the young male the crown is spotted 

 with bay, and the breast yellowish brown. 

 Length, 4.75; spread, 7.5. j 



History. — The history of this little war- ' 

 bier appears to be very little known. I 

 have two specimens, a male and a female, 

 from which the above description is drawn. 

 They were both shot by my friend Paine, in 

 Orange county, in 1848, one on the 20th of 

 April and the other in September. It has 

 been observed, according to DeKay,_from 

 Mexico to the 55th degree of north latitude. 

 Whether it breeds or not in Vermont, I 

 have not been able to ascertain. 



THE CANADA Wx\.RBLER. 



Sylvia pardalina.—BoyAPA:i.i:E. 

 DESCRirTioN. — All the upper parts bluish 



THE HEMLOCK WARBLER. 



Sylvia parus. — Wiison. 



Description.— Color above greenish yel- 

 low, striped with dusky ; bill, Avings and 

 tail brownish black ; two white bars on the 

 wings; quills edged with greenish. Line 

 over the eye, throat and neck yellow; be- 

 neath, yeilov.', streaked with dusky on the 

 breast and sides; under tail coverts white; 

 patches of white on the inner webs of the 

 two outer tail feathers; legs and under 

 mandible greenish yellow. First quill 

 longest; tail emargiuate. Length, 5.25 ; 

 spread, 8.5 



History. — This bird resides, for the most 

 part, in thick Hemlock forests, and hence 

 it has derived its name. Its nest , according 

 to Audubon, is usually bitilt m a hemlock 

 or spruce, at a considerable elevation from 

 the ground, and is composed of slender 

 twigs and lichens, and lined with hair and 

 feathers. The specimen above described 

 was shot in Randolph, and the bird, no 

 doubt, breeds here. 



THE MOURNING WARBLER. 



Sylvia Philadelphia. — AYilson. 



Description.— Head and sides of the 



neck bluish slate; upper parts of the body, 



wings and tail, dark yellowish olive-green; 



space before the eye, and frontlet, black. 



