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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE BIRDS OF NE"W ENGLAND — No. 15. 

 WAKBLERS. 



Myrtle Bird, or Yellow-Crowned 'Warbler— Tellow Red Poll 

 Warbler — Black and Yellow Warbler — Summer Yellow Bird, 

 or Yellow Warbler — Blackburnian Warbler. 



The genus SyJvicola, of Swainson, (nearly sy- 

 nonymous with the genus Dendroica, of Gray, 

 adopted in later systems,) embraces a considera- 

 ble group of the Warblers that inhabit our for- 

 ests, and at times frequent our gardens and or- 

 chards, some twenty species being found in New 

 England — beautiful little creatures, of which some, 

 possessing considerable powers of song, and sub- 

 sisting upon insects, are of great benefit to the 

 interests of man, and are wholly devoid of harm- 

 ful proclivities. 



The Ykllow Crowned Warbler, or Myrtle 

 Bird, (Si/lvicola coronata, of Swainson, Audu- 

 bon, DeKay, and others ; Dendroica coronata, 

 of G. R. Gray,) is doubtless the most numerous, 

 as well as one of the handsomest, of all the War- 

 blers that visit us. During the last days of April 

 they generally begin to arrive in New England 

 from the Southern States, they spending the win- 

 ter among the cedar and myrtle swamps of the 

 Carolinas and adjoining States, and for about ten 

 days frequent alike every thicket, orchard and 

 garden, in considerable numbers, searching the 

 opening buds and tender expanding leaves for 

 the destructive insects and their larvaj that at this 

 time prey upon the tender foliage, and are thus 

 of great services in checking the ravages of these 

 destructive pests of vegetation. Some seasons 

 they appear for several days to exceed in num- 

 bers any, if not all others, of our small birds ; 

 yet each individual or party stops with us but a 

 very short time, and in constant restlessness while 

 here, hurries northward, and others continually 

 arrive to briefly fill their places ; and in a few 

 days all have left for more northern countries, 

 where they spend the summers, and rear their 

 young. About the beginning of October they 

 again appear in great numbers, spend but a week 

 or ten days with us, and proceed slowly southward 

 to spend the winter. At this time the beautiful 

 colors that adorn them in the spring are obscured, 

 and they might easily be taken for a different spe- 

 cies. This species has been frequently described 

 as the Yellow-Rum ped Warbler ; and from its 

 subsisting chiefly in winter on the berries of the 

 myrtle, {Myrica cerifera,) has acquired the name 

 of Myrtle Bird. Its habitat extends over the 

 whole of eastern North America, as far westward 

 as Missouri. 



This species is five inches and a half in length, 

 and eight inches in alar extent. Whole upper 

 parts, (in the spring,) fine slate-blue, streaked 

 with black, except the crown and rump, which, 

 with the sides of the breast, are rich yellow ; un- 

 der parts, white ; breast and sides black, edged 

 with white ; spots of white on the three exterior 

 tail feathers, and two bands of the same on the 

 wings. The female has the colors less vivid than 

 the male. In the autumn the sexes are similar, 

 of a plain brown or "mouse color," faintly streaked 

 with black ; the yellow on the rump is still con- 

 spicuous, but on the crown and sides of the breast 

 only perceivable on a close examination. 



The Yellow Red-Poll Warbler, {Sylvicola 



peteclda, of Swainson, Audubon and others ; 

 Dendroica palmantm, of Prof. Baird,) arrives 

 from the south about the middle or 20th of April, 

 and, though not a numerous species, is not un- 

 frequently met with for two or thi-ee weeks, when 

 it retires to swamps and secluded situations to 

 breed, spending the summer with us. On its 

 first arrival in spring, it frequents the orchards 

 and gardens, (as well as the borders of thickets 

 and fences,) in company with the Pine Warbler, 

 {Sylvicola pimts,) its allied congener, and often 

 alights on the ground to search for its food, which 

 mainly consists of larvae and winged insects. As 

 soon as the season has advanced it is very rarely 

 seen, and about the last of September leaves us 

 for the South, as it spends the winter in the south- 

 ern parts of the Union ; in summer it inhabits 

 the whole United States east of the Mississippi 

 river. Its few notes are hardly deserving the 

 name of song. 



Length five inches; extent seven and a half; 

 line over the eye, and lower parts, fine, bright 

 yellow, the breast striped with dull red ; crown, 

 reddish -chestnut j brownish- gray-olive above, 

 streaked with dusky, and inclining to greenish- 

 olive on the rump ; tail with white spots on the 

 outer feathers. 



The Black and Yellow Warbler, {Sylvicola 

 maadosa, Swain. ; Dendroica viacidosa, Baird,) 

 or Spotted Warbler, of some authors, is generally 

 considered a scarce species, (Wilson speaks of 

 meeting with but two individuals,) but for several 

 years I have observed them quite frequently in 

 our woods in May, particularly the present year, 

 when, for a few days about the 23d, a dozen might 

 be obtained in a few hours ; and in September 

 again I have often met with them. They inhabit 

 the whole United States east of the Missouri riv- 

 er, according to Prof. Baird, and south to Guate- 

 mala ; and they doubtless breed in the northern 

 parts of New England, as an ornithological friend 

 informs me he has observed them in the vicinity 

 of the White Mountains early in July. They are 

 generally shy, and are rarely seen outside of the 

 thicket or forest, feeding much upon insects that 

 infest the common birch at this season, when the 

 leaves are tender and but half expanded. Its 

 notes are peculiar and pleasing, but hardly de- 

 serving the name of song. 



This elegant species measures five inches in 

 length ; stretch of wings, seven and a half ; up- 

 per part of the head light grayish-blue ; front, 

 lores, cheeks, and a line beneath the eyes, black ; 

 a large black patch on the back, bordered with 

 greenish ; lower parts yellow, fading into white 

 on the abdomen, and streaked with black on the 

 breast and sides ; broad, white bands on the wings ; 

 tail, like the wings, black, with a large spot of 

 white near the middle of each feather, except the 

 two middle ones. The female corresponds with 

 the male in the markings of the plumage, but the 

 tints are much paler. Both sexes are quite dif- 

 ferently marked in the fall. 



The Yellow Warbler (Sylvicola cestiva, 

 Swain. ; Dendroica cestica, Baird,) often called the 

 Summer Yelloir Bird, to contradistinguish it from 

 the common Yellow Bird [Carduelis iristis,) a 

 resident species, is a very common summer species 

 in many localities, in the eastern part of the 

 United States, and its habitat is said to extend 

 over the whole United States, from the Atlantic 



