THE PRAIRIE WARBLER. 91 



Just after noon there was a gentle rain, with occa- 

 sional thunder, for an hour and a half. Then a calm. 

 ~Not a ripple upon the surface of the water, and the 

 air cooler by ten degrees. All was fresh, peaceful 

 and inviting in the fields. A pleasing woodsy odor 

 mingled with that of the pines. The song of a car- 

 dinal, the cheery note of a wren, and the lisping call 

 of two or three warblers alone broke the silence. 



I watch for a time a warbler in a nearby scrub oak, 

 flitting from branch to branch, and peering furtively 



Fig. 28 Prairie Warbler. 



on every side. Its back is olive, with several chestnut 

 bars in the center. The under parts and throat are 

 bright yellow. Black bars border the sides of head 

 and throat. Is it the prairie warbler, Dendroica dis- 

 color Yiellot, northward bound ? If so, I would fain 

 send by him a message to the loved ones at home. 



March 21+, 1899. To-day I accompanied a party of 

 excursionists on a gasoline launch up the Tomoka, or, 



