20 SONGS OF WARBLERS 



them to depart, the more southern breeding individuals of the 

 Summer Warbler and the Redstart begin their fall migration in 

 early July, when the season is warmest, and their insect food 

 supply has not yet reached its maximum. 



In the light of the foregoing statements, it is no wonder that 

 the study of bird migration has interested naturalists for genera- 

 tions and that the number of students of the migration of birds is 

 steadily increasing. 



SONGS OF WARBLERS 



From a purely musical point of view, Warblers, as a family, take 

 low rank as songsters. Nevertheless, the voices of even the technically 

 least-gifted among them often so potently appeal to our memory that, 

 as we hear them, the pleasures of the past are added to our enjoyment 

 of the present. All the sweetness and promise of spring seems stored 

 in Parula's little sizzling gurgle ; there is good cheer and sunshine in 

 Yellow Warbler's simple lay; peace and rest in the quaint seeing 

 of the Black-throated Green. The flight songs of the Seiuri and the 

 unique potpourri of the Chat, however, give these Warblers just claim 

 to a place among our leading song-birds. 



If not great songsters, the Warblers are at least great singers. 

 During the winter, I have heard only the Pine Warbler sing, but all 

 the species, so far as I am aware, sing freely during their migrations 

 and many of them have a second, if brief, song period in the Fall. 



Acquaintance with their songs is of the greatest assistance in 

 identifying these small, active haunters of the tree-tops, not one in 

 a hundred of which may be satisfactorily seen. It would, therefore, 

 be fortunate for the student of birds with a field-glass if some intelli- 

 gible method of transcribing Warbler's songs could be devised. But, 

 alas ! not only do two people rarely hear the same song alike, but one's 

 best attempts at description after a time are often meaningless to 

 oneself. Still a description of a bird's notes may be an aid to identi- 

 fication, and especial attention has therefore been paid to this phase 

 of Warblers' biographies, while the following classification of War- 

 blers' songs may further assist the student in gaining a clue to the 

 identity of some well-heard but poorly seen singer. 



A preliminary arrangement places in one group birds which sing 

 more than once or twice from the same perch ; in another, those which 

 pause only while singing and, between songs, continue their search 

 for food or, indeed, sing even while moving. It will be observed 



