THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 195 



seven times, and loud enough to be heard at a distance of 

 thirty or forty yards. It was some time before I could 

 ascertain whether the song proceeded from a bird or an 

 insect." 



The food of the birds consists of insects. 



, Palm. Length, five and one-fourth 

 inches; extent, eight inches and over; bill, five-eighths of 

 an inch; crown, chestnut brown, with a yellow streak 

 over each eye; back, duller brown, faintly streaked with 

 dusky; wings and tail, brown, the latter with white spots 

 on the outer feathers; under surface, yellow, with chest- 

 nut streaks on the sides of the neck and breast; duller in 

 fall. 



There are two varieties of this bird, the eastern one be- 

 ing more properly called the Yellow Palm Warbler. 

 The Western Palm Warbler differs in having the under 

 surface buffy white, the yellow showing only on the 

 feathers under the tail. 



Both birds occur in New Jersey during migrations, but 

 the former is much the more plentiful. The birds breed 

 far northward and winter in the Southern States and 

 Mexico. 



The birds differ from all the other small Warblers in 

 their habit of wagging the tail up and down like the Tit- 

 lark and Water Thrush . 



Warbler , Parula, or Blue Yellow-backed War- 

 bler. Length, four and three-fourths inches, extent, six 

 and a half inches; bill, one-third of an inch, black above, 

 flesh-color below; head, blue; a small touch of white 

 above and below the eye; throat, yellow; back, blue, with 

 a triangular or crescent-shaped greenish yellow patch in 

 the middle; breast, yellow, with brownish or chestnut 

 band across it, which is generally dusky in the middle; 

 belly, white; tail, dark slate, with two white spots; wings. 

 dark slate, edged with blue and with two white bars; leg , 



