ONTARIO. 



some others of its class, and soon announces its arrival by the 

 frequent utterance of its characteristic notes, which are readily 

 recognized when heard in the woods, but difficult to translate 

 into our language. When the Warblers are on their migratory 

 journey they use trees of all kinds as resting places, but while 

 seeking food this species evidently prefers the pines, and 

 is most frequently seen among the higher branches. In the fall 

 they are active as ever in their movements, but are mostly silent, 

 except in the utterance of a simple chirp to advise each other of 

 their whereabouts. 



266. DENDROICA VIGORS1I (AuD.). 671. 

 Pine Warbler. 



Uniform yellowish-olive above, yellow below, paler or white on belly and 

 under tail-coverts, shaded and sometimes obsoletely streaked with darker on 

 the sides; superciliary line yellow; wing-bars white; tail blotches confined to 

 two outer pairs of feathers, large, oblique. Female and young similar, duller ; 

 sometimes merely olive-gray above and soiled-whitish below. The varia- 

 tions in precise shade are interminable, but the species may always be known 

 by the lack of any special sharp markings whatever, except the superciliary 

 line, and by the combination of white wing-bars with large oblique tail spots 

 confined to the two outer pairs of feathers. Length, 5^ to nearly 6 inches. 



HAB. Eastern United States to the Plains, north to Ontario and New 

 Brunswick, wintering in the South Atlantic and Gulf States, and the Bahamas. 



Nest, in a pine tree, well up from the ground ; built of strips of bark, root- 

 lets and grass, and lined with plant down, hair and feathers. 



Eggs, usually 4 ; white, tinged with pink and spotted with reddish-brown. 



The Pine-creeping Warbler is not remarkable for either the 

 gaiety of dress or activity of movement which distinguish most 

 of the others of its class. It is a large, quiet Warbler, yellowish- 

 green above and greenish-yellow below, and is most frequently 

 observed creeping on the trunks or branches of the pine trees 

 searching for insects among the crevices of the bark. It does 

 not seem to be generally distributed, for Dr. Wheaton speaks 

 of it as being rare in Ohio, and Mr. Saunders has not met with 

 it near London, while at Hamilton it is rather a common species, 

 and raises its young near the city every season. 



267 



