AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 103 



BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER, 



Jl. O. U. No, 636, (Mniotilta varia,) 



RANGE. 



Very abundant in the United States east of the plains. They breed 

 from Virginia and Kansas northwards throughout their range and in 

 winter may be found from the gulf states southwards, 



DESCRIPTION, 



Length, 5 in.; extent, 8,5 in,; tail, 2,25 in. Bill and feet, black. Eye, 

 dark brown. Male: — Upper parts, black, streaked with white. Median 

 line, Superciliary line, tips of middle and greater wing coverts, edge of 

 secondaries and spots on inner webs of outer tail feathers, white. The 

 under parts are white, heavily striped with black. Female: — The upper 

 parts are similar to those of the male bird, but the under parts are 

 mostly without the black markings. 



NEST AND EGGS. 



An overhanging stone, fallen tree trunk, decayed stump or a loose 

 piece of bark is generally made use of to furnish a shelter for these 

 nests. They are compactly made by twisting grass, leaves and strips 

 of bark together and lined with hair or fine roots. Four or five creamy- 

 white eggs speckled with chestnut will occupy such a nest about the lat- 

 ter part of May. 



HABITS. 



A musical dreamy note breaks upon our ears. A succession of hiss- 

 ing whistles in a very high key. A Black and White Warbler is near us, 

 but just how near remains to be seen, for their notes are very deceiv- 

 ing when you try to find' them. We will not find his habits to be like 

 those of the other Warblers. Neither are they the same as the Creep- 

 ers, although he is as frequently called the Black and White Creeper, as 

 a Warbler. He creeps about the limbs and trunks of trees to be sure, 

 but the true creepers always assist themselves with their tail in clinging 

 to the limb, while this Warbler does not. Again, unlike the creepers, 

 who commence at the bottom of a tree and work their way by a series 

 of hitches, upwards, this subject will traverse a tree in any position more 

 .after the manner of the Nuthatches. The'strongly contrasting markings 

 of the full plumaged male make a combination that is very dazzling to 

 the eyes and gives the impression that his colors are a blue and black, 

 whereas they are not. The height of diligence is shown by these gaud- 



