SVLVlCoLIlhK -THE WAKllLKIiS. 315 



It is said to l>e one of tlic livi'liost of its trilu', aiui to lu' alinnst cniistantly 

 in motion. It is loud of sccIikUmI placL's, and is e«iually common in the tliiek 

 caneluiikes, both of the lii^^li and the h>\v lands, and in the tan^U'd nnder- 

 Hjrowth of impenetialJe swamps. It has a peeuharly i^'iaeeful manner of 

 closing and o])enin,n its lnoad tail, that at onee distimxuishes it from every 

 other bird, as it gaml>ols from tree to tree, now in si;j:ht, and now hid from 

 the eve, but ever witliin hearin-'. 



Mr. Audubnu adds that its eall-note so closely resembles that of the 

 Spiza n'ris that it requires a pmetised ear to distin^^uish them. I»ut its song 

 is very dilferent. This consists of three notes, and is loud, lively, and ]>lea.s- 

 ing. This song is said to be made of sounds resembling the syllables fot, 

 wed, uretee. Extremely vocal in the early spring, it becomes nearly silent 

 as soon as its brood is hatched. It resumes its song when its mate is again 

 sitting on her eggs, as they have more than one brood in a season. 



They are described as exj)ert flycatchers, full of activity and spirit, Hying 

 swiftly after their insect prey, and catching the greater part on the wing. 

 Their flight is low% gliding, and often protracted. 



Mr. Bachman narmtes a striking instance of its courage and conjugal devo- 

 tion. While a pair of these AVarblers were constructing a nest, a Sharj)- 

 shinned Hawk ])ounced upon and bore off the female. The male foHowed 

 close after the Ilawk, thing within a few inches and darting at him in all 

 directions, and so continued until cpiite out of sight. 



Wilson states that it builds a very neat and compact nest, generally in the 

 fork of a small bush. It is formed of moss and flaxen fibres of plants, and 

 lined with hair or feathers. The eggs, five in number, he describes as of a 

 grayish-white, with red spots at the larger end. He noticed its arrival at 

 Savannah as early as the 2()th of ^larcli. Mr. Audubon adds that these 

 nests are always placed in low situations, a few feet from the ground. 



The late Dr. Oerhardt, of Varnell's Station, (leorgia, informed me, by let- 

 ter, that the Hooded Warbler deposits her eggs about the middle of May, 

 laying four. The nest is not unlike that of the Spiza n/anca, but is larger. 

 It is constructed of dry leaves and coarse grass on the outside, and witliin 

 of dry pine-needles, interwoven with long yellow grasses and sometimes with 

 horsehair. They are built, for the most ])art, in the neighborhood of brooks 

 and creeks, in oak bushes, four or five feet from the ground. The fem.ale 

 sits so closely, and is so fearless, that I)r. Gerhardt states he has sometimes 

 nearly caught her in his hand. 



In another letter Dr. Gerhardt describes a nest of this species as measur- 

 ing three inches in height, three in external diameter, and an inch and a 

 (piarter in the depth of its cavity. Externally it was built of dry leaves and 

 coarse grasses, lined inside with horsehair, fine leaves of i)ine, and dry slender 

 gmsses. It was constructed on a small oak growing in low bottom-land, and 

 was three feet from the ground. The complement of eggs is four. 



Mr. liidgway states that this s})ecies is a common summer resident in the 



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