YELLOW WARBLER. 



Presto. 



It is to be hoped future observations will not reveal new 

 forms, otherwise, one will be inclined to charge the Yel- 

 low Warbler with musical plagiarism! But from whom 

 could he steal such forms ? Certainly they do not accu- 

 rately represent those of any other Warbler, and who 

 can find fault with a bird who choosea to strike out 

 experimentally on new lines 1 



The Yellow Warbler is an interesting as well as a 

 beautiful character; he sings early in the morning and 

 late in the afternoon, he is quick in his motions, even 

 more rapid in song, charming in his almost fearless man- 

 ners, and marvellous in his sagacity, for not infrequently 

 the wise little creature outwits the miserable Cowbird, 

 and builds a new nest over the one in which the strange 

 egg has been surreptitiously deposited. I quote from 

 William Hamilton Gibson an amusing account of an 

 extreme instance: " Have we fully examined this nest 

 of our Yellow Warbler? Even now the lower section 

 seems more bulky than the normal nest should be. Can 

 we not trace still another faint outline of a transverse 

 division in the fabric about an inch below the one al- 

 ready separated? Yes; it parts easily with a little dis- 

 entangling of the fibres, and another spotted egg is 

 seen within. A three-storied nest! A nest full of sto- 

 ries certainly. I recently read of a specimen contain- 

 ing four stories, upon the top of which downy pile the 

 little Warbler sat like Patience on a monument, pre- 

 sumably smiling at the discomfiture of the outwitted 

 Cowbird parasite, who had thus exhausted her powers 

 of mischief for the season, and doubtless convinced her- 

 self of the folly of ' putting all her eggs in one basket.'** 



The voice of this Warbler is loud and exceedingly 

 penetrating. Travelling in an express train over the 

 Boston and Albany Railroad, I have more than once 

 clearly distinguished the song as it slipped in through 

 the ventilators of the car, and really dominated the din 

 of the train. 



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