1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



539 



Fur the Nate Ensland Farmer. 



THE BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND — No, 16. 



WAKBLERS. 



Hemlock TTarMer — Autumnal Warhler — Bay Breasted Warbler 

 —Chestnut-Sided Warbler — Pine Warbler. 



The Hemlock W.^rbler, {Sylvicola pants, 

 Jardine; Sylvia par-ws, Wilson,) was discovered, 

 and first described by Wilson, in 1812, and sub- 

 sequently by Audubon, Bonaparte and Nuttall. 

 It does not appear to be a very common species, 

 if, indeed, it is entitled to rank as a distinct spe- 

 cies, which has been much doubted by competent 

 ornithologists ; and we have but little informa- 

 tion concerning its history. It derives its name 

 from being commonly observed among the thick 

 boughs of hemlock trees. Wilson olsserves as 

 follows concerning its habits : "It is a most live- 

 ly and active little bird, climbing among the twigs, 

 and hanging like a Titmouse on th^ branches ; 

 but possessing all the external characters of the 

 Warblers. It has a few iow and very sweet notes, 

 at which times it stops and repeats them for a 

 short time, then darts about as before. It shoots 

 after flies to a censiderable distance ; often be- 

 gins at the lower branches, and hunts with great 

 regularity and admirable dexterity, upwards to 

 the top, then flies off to the next tree, at the low- 

 er branches of which it commences hunting up- 

 wards as before." 



Later authors are disposed to consider the 

 Hemlock Warbler identical with the following 

 species, the Autumnal Warhler, regarding the 

 Hemlock Warbler as the adult ; of which there 

 18 some degi-ee of probability. Among those who 

 support this view are Drs. Brewer and DeKay, 

 and other eminent ornithologists, while Prof. 

 Baird, a« observed in the preceding number, makes 

 the Hemlock Warbler the Blackburniaa Warbler, 

 {Si/loicola Blackbuniice,) in its autumnal dress ; 

 and disposes of the Autumnal Warbler by mak- 

 ing it identical with the Bay-Breasted Warbler, 

 {Sylvicola castanea,) considering it merely that 

 bird in immature or autumnal plumage ; and for 

 the support of either conclusion there seems but 

 a small degree of probability. Audubon, Nut- 

 tall and Bonaparte, as well as Wilson, consider 

 the two as distinct. 



The Hemlock Warbler is Ave inches and a half 

 in length, and eight in extent 5 upper parts black, 

 with streaks of yellow olive ; upper part of the 

 head yellow, with minute black spots ; beneath yel- 

 low, deep and bright on the breast, and paler on the 

 belly, with dusky or black streaks on the belly 

 and breast ; wings barred with white, and the 

 three exterior feathers on each side of the tail, 

 white on their inner vanes. 



The Autumnal W^vrbler, (Sylvicola autum- 

 nalis, Jardine ; Sylvia auiunuialis, Wilson,) con- 

 sidered by some (as above noticed) as the young 

 of the Hemlock Warbler, is common here in the 

 fall, arriving in September from the North, (some, 

 however, probably passing the summer in the ex- 

 treme northern parts of New England,) and for 

 about two weeks is quite numerous, frequenting 

 alike the orchards, gardens, thickets and forests 

 of all kinds, though apparently preferring birch 

 to other trees, as they pass leisurely southward 

 to their winter quarters beyond the United States. 

 They are exceedingly active, and while searching 

 for their winged food, occasionally emit their low, 



sweet warbling song, which, at this "melancholy 

 season," may be listened to with peculiar plea- 

 sure, Wilson first described this species, and 

 only meeting with it in the autumn, gave it the 

 name which it bears. Aadubon, however, seems 

 to have been more fortunate ; and after observ- 

 ing that it makes its appearance in the lower parts 

 of Louisiana early in March, and after spending 

 a few days hurries rapidly northward, hardly stop- 

 ping until it reaches the remote parts of the State 

 of New York, he states : "I have found it breed- 

 ing in the immediate vicinity of the Cayuga Lakes, 

 and on the borders of Lake Champlain, in retired 

 parts of the woods, which it seems to prefer dur- 

 ing summer months. I have also found it in the 

 lofty forests of that portion of Pennsylvania, usu- 

 ally called the Great Pine Swamp. The nest, like 

 that of many other Sylvice, is partially conical 

 and pensile, and is formed of the soft bark of 

 vines, lined with the down of various plants. The 

 eggs are from four to six, of a white color, tinged 

 with red, and sprinkled with brownish dots at the 

 larger end." Observing the female sitting as late 

 as the 20th of August, he concludes that this spe- 

 cies rears two broods of young each season. 



The length of this species is four and three- 

 fourths inches ; extent eight inches ; general col- 

 or above light green olive, (with obscure dusky 

 stripes in autumn ;) beneath yellowish white ; the 

 upper part of the breast dull yellow ; white bars 

 on the wings, and white spots on the exterior tail 

 feathers. 



The Bay-Breasted Warbler, (Sylvicola cas- 

 tanea, Swainson; Dendroica castanea, Baird,) is 

 one of our rarest Warblers, concerning whose 

 history but little is known. It is occasionally 

 seen here in spring, generally in May, while on 

 its way to more distant northern regions, and is 

 again very rarely met with on its return south- 

 ward in autumn. Audubon speaks of something 

 peculiar in regard to the appearance of this bird 

 in different parts of the United States in spring. 

 He relates having met with them in Pennsylva- 

 nia, New Jersey and New York as early as the 

 beginning of April, where they are seen but for 

 a few days, and in Louisiana as late as the latter 

 part of June, "when the cotton plant was cov- 

 ered with blossoms, amongst which they were 

 busily searching for food." But neither Audubon 

 nor Wilson are able to give us further informa- 

 tion of the habits of this bird. The present year 

 I shot a male of this species the 20th of May, in 

 this vicinity, the only one I met with during sev- 

 eral days of hunting. 



The Bay-Breasted Warbler measures about five 

 inches in length, and eleven in extent ; crown, 

 fore neck, breast and sides under the wings chest- 

 nut or bay ; abdomen and lower tail coverts white, 

 tinged with reddish ; forehead, cheeks and line 

 over the eye black ; upper plumage generally yel- 

 lowish-gray, spotted and streaked with dusky ; 

 tail, as usual with the Warblers, marked with 

 white ; and there are white bars on the wings. 

 The female is similarly marked, but has the col- 

 ors paler. 



It appears that there is, or has been, much dis- 

 pute in regard to whether the four Warblers last 

 described (Blackburnian, Hemlock, Autumnal and 

 Bay-Breasted) are merely four nominal species, 

 some only representing the immature states of 

 plumage of the others, or whether they really con- 



