Birds of Lewiston-Auburn 31 



in May, the earliest I have seen one being May 7. It is 

 quite numerous till after the middle of the month and I 

 have seen it on David's Mountain the first of June. In 

 September it is much in evidence again. My latest date 

 of seeing one is October 10. 



Its song is a drawling, wheezy tone with a musical note 

 in the middle of the strain. When I hear its pastoral 

 music, I feel like saying, the oboe of the sylvan orchestra. 



As most warblers rear but one brood the song period 

 is brief and by the last of June there is a change in their 

 songs and family life, but this species is one of the war- 

 blers that sings well into the summer. 



31 . (662) BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER 



A somewhat rare migrant; occasionally nests in this 

 locality. I saw one just north of Lake Auburn in nest- 

 ing time. My record gives the earliest date of arrival as 

 May 19, but it has been reported earlier. The cold spring 

 of 1917 none were seen till the last days of May, so that 

 I saw one on David's Mountain that year as late as June 7. 

 From my observation this warbler enjoys the tip end of 

 an evergreen tree. One of the most interesting sights 

 was this color scheme of black, white and grey on the back 

 and the beautiful orange of the throat, performing acro- 

 batic feats on the tiptop of a spruce. The declining 

 June sun shining on bird and tree made a good subject 

 for an artist. 



32. (661) BLACK-POLL WARBLER 



A somewhat common migrant. The last warbler to 

 arrive during the vernal migration. It may be seen after 

 May 20, but is more numerous the last days of May and 

 first of June. About the middle of September flocks of 

 these warblers reappear in changed plumage of greenish 



