162 SPRING AT THE CAPITAL. 



strong, bell-like whistle or warble, and presently catch 

 a glimpse of the bird as he jumps up from the ground 

 to take an insect or worm from the under side of a leaf. 

 This is his characteristic movement. He belongs to 

 the class of ground warblers, and his range is very 

 low, indeed lower than that of any other species with 

 which I am acquainted. He is on the ground nearly 

 all the time, moving rapidly along, taking spiders and 

 bugs, overturning leaves, peeping under sticks and 

 into crevices, and every now and then leaping up 

 eight or ten inches, to take his game from beneath some 

 overhanging leaf or branch. Thus each species has 

 its range more or less marked. Draw a line three 

 feet from the ground, and you mark the usual limit 

 of the Kentucky warbler's quest for food. Six or 

 eight feet higher bounds the usual range of such 

 birds as the worm-eating warbler, the morning ground 

 warbler, the Maryland yellow-throat. The lower 

 branches of the higher growths and the higher 

 branches of the lower growths are plainly preferred 

 by the black-throated blue-backed warbler, in those 

 localities where he is found. The thrushes feed 

 mostly on and near the ground, while some of the 

 vireos and the true fly-catchers explore the highest 

 branches. But the Sylviadee, as a rule, are all partial 

 to thick, rank undergrowths. 



The Kentucky warbler is a large bird for the genus, 

 and quite notable in appearance. His back is clear 

 olive-green ; his throat and breast bright yellow. A 



