74 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 8-No. 10 



only nine individuals in all of them, while 

 at the same date the twenty-third kind ar- 

 rived at St. Lonis. The later movements 

 of the Yellow-rumps were also irregular. 

 A flock of twenty-five was found 5-3, both 

 male and female, and in quite loud song". 

 Next day they were the most numerous of 

 the half dozen kinds present, about 80 per 

 cent being males in full plumage. The 

 next day not one could be found. About 

 eighteen were seen 5-6. On 5-7 the males 

 of last year came and most old males had 

 left. The bulk left 5-12 and the last one 

 followed 5-17, about two weeks after (30) 

 saw his last on 5-5. At (21) they remained 

 a few days later, the last leaving about 

 5-8. No. (57) found a few as late as June 

 1, while (60) does not report a " last " and 

 in all probability they nest quite regularly 

 in the pine forests near him. The greater 

 part of them nest in British America, and 

 very strangely, although none nest through 

 the central and southern part of the United 

 States, a few regularly stay behind and 

 nest in the West Indies ! 



What has been said of the movements 

 of the Yellow-rump applies almost as well 

 to the Y'ellow Eed-poll, (Z>. palmarnm.) 

 Though wintering farther south, preferring 

 the Southern States, and only occasionally 

 remaining as far north as Southern Ilhnois, 

 yet it soon overtakes the Yellow-rumiD, and 

 together they pass up the Mississippi Val- 

 ley — the Yellow-rump on the trees and the 

 Eed-poll spending most of its time on the 

 ground. The dates of the first and last 

 ones vary a little as would be expected, but 

 the movements of the bulk are the same. 



Among these flocks of Red-polls and 

 Yellow-rumps will sometimes be found an- 

 other Warbler, the Pine-ckeeping, {D. 

 pinus,) a plain bird, and rarely numerous, 

 but easily distinguished by its " creeping " 

 habits. No. (30) found a single male 4.21, 

 while (52) captured his first one 4-24, and 

 on 5-3 found a large flock of about sixty, 

 both male and female. These were the 

 only ones noticed by any of the observers. 



Another well known Warbler is the Sum- 

 mer Yellow-bied, {D. (estwa.) Like most 

 of his brethren he winters almost entirely 

 beyond the United States, but returns 

 about the first of March. No. (13) found 

 it 3-5, while (6) did not see it until 4-20 — 

 and this brings iip an interesting fact. 

 Stations (6), (21). (45) and (56) are all in 

 or near extensive praries, and their notes 

 show that the Warblers were from one to 

 two weeks later in reaching them than 

 they were at other stations in the same 

 latitude among the timber. The explana 

 tion of course is that insect food can be 

 sooner obtained in a well wooded country. 



Passing north our Golden Warbler 

 reached (14) on April 1, and (30) on the 

 18th, but (21) in the same latitude not un- 

 til the 28th. Nos. (37) and (38) found 

 them about May 1. A week later they 

 were in northern Iowa and southern Wis- 

 consin, and the middle of the month found 

 a few beyond our northern border. No. 

 (60) in the timber found them twelve days 

 before (56) on the prairie. The bulk fol- 

 lowed quite closely after the first ones, 

 and passed through (30) and (21) from the 

 1st to the 5th of May, and through (52) 

 from the 15th to the 17th. 



These notes will apply also to the Red- 

 start, with the exception that while the 

 Summer Yellow-bird nests from the Gulf 

 to and beyond our border, the Redstart 

 withdraws from the borders of the Gulf 

 and begins breeding a few degrees farther 

 north. The last one left (6) on 4-15 and 

 (13) on 4-20. The young males of last 

 year reached (30) two weeks after the old 

 males came. At (52) the first males — about 

 a dozen, came 5-10. Two days later the 

 proportion was six males to one female. 

 On the 17th the females arrived in flocks, 

 and the 19th was Redstart day — the spe- 

 cies being more numerous than all the 

 other Warblers together. Between two 

 and three hundred were seen, the males 

 and females being in about even numbers. 

 Three daj's later all but a few summer so- 

 journers had left. 



