Oct., 1883.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



75 



The next group to be studied is com- 

 posed of the Blaokburnian Warbler, (7>. 

 blackhurnim). Black-throated Blue War- 

 bler, {D. ceerulescens,) Black and Yellow 

 Warbler, {D. maculosa,) Black- throated 

 Green Warbler, (7>. virens), and the 

 Black- poll Warbler, (Z). striata.) These 

 the handsomest of our Warblers, have many 

 points of resemblance in their movements. 

 They all j^ass entirely beyond the United 

 States for the winter, except the Black- 

 throated Blue, a few of which nest in 

 Florida. They all journey across the en- 

 tire width of our country to nest regixlar- 

 ly in British America, though a few indi- 

 viduals may nest in the dense forests of 

 Northern Minnesota. Their movements 

 usually take place about the same time, 

 and flocks usually contain two or three 

 kinds, while even all five are sometimes 

 found together. The Black-polls, as a 

 whole, are the latest migrants, bringing 

 up the rear of the Warbler host, but num- 

 bers can be found migrating earlier with 

 the other Warblers. They all enter the 

 United States about the first of March, 

 pass very slowly up the Mississippi Valley, 

 reaching the middle about May 1. Then 

 as the trees put forth their leaves and in- 

 sect life is rapidly multiplied, they hasten 

 their flight, and June 1 seas most of them 

 beyond our northern border. No. (52) is 

 evidently in their regular track, as all five 

 species were seen at his station, the height 

 of the season being about May 15, which 

 is a week or ten days later than usual. 

 For some unknown reason the Black- 

 throated Blue, the Blackburnian and the 

 Black-throated Green Warblers shun the 

 vicinity of St. Louis, and in their migra- 

 tions pass it by on the other side. No. 

 (30) did not find any of them this spring, 

 these being almost the only ones of the 

 thirty-six kinds which he did not observe, 

 and he says that during six years of close 

 study, he has only seen them a very few 

 times. Both south and north of there 

 they are quite common. 



We may next treat in one group several 

 Warblers which are rather southerly in 

 their range. These are the Prothonotary, 

 {P. citrea,) Yellow-throated, {D. dotnini- 

 ca,) Prairie, (/>. discolor,) Kentucky, {D. 

 yor?«osa,) Yellow-breasted Chat, {I. virens) 

 and the Hooded Warbler, {M. mitratus.) 

 All winter entirely beyond the United 

 States, except the Yellow-throated and the 

 Prairie, a few of which remain in Florida ; 

 and all usually stop to breed before they 

 reach the 39th parallel, though a few pass 

 a little ways beyond, and the Chat has 

 sometimes reached Minnesota. The Y'el 

 low-throated was the first one this year to 

 reach the middle districts, reaching St. 

 Louis 4-12 and (38) about 4-28. Next 

 came the Hooded Warbler which (30) saw 

 4-17, then the Prothonotary arriving at 

 (35) on 4-11 : at (30) 4-20, but at (21) not 

 vmtil 5-7. A few days later the Chat made 

 its appearance. No. (30) saw it for the 

 first time 4-23, and on 4-26 it was quite 

 common, about twenty-five per cent hav- 

 ing arrived. It did not increase much 

 from then until 5-2 and 5 3, when the bulk 

 came. No. (38) foimd his first one 4-27. 

 No. (47) says a pair nested there this 

 summer, but are very rare in that region. 

 No. (52) did not see one until 5-19, when 

 a beautiful male was shot. Another was 

 seen two days later, and was twice heard 

 afterwards. Last of this group came the 

 Prairie and the Kentucky Warblers, which 

 reached Southern Illinois about the middle 

 of April, and the limit of their northward 

 journey about May 3. 



[Continued next Month.] 



. -♦■ 



Bare Finds. J. N. Clark has found this 

 season the following sets of eggs : Barred 

 Owl, 2 : White-bellied Nutliatch, 9 ; Hairy 

 Woodpecker, Black-cap Titmouse, 6 ; Large- 

 billed Water Thrush, Whippoorwill, Downy 

 Woodpecker, Hiimming Bird, Hooded 

 Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Eose- 

 breasted Grosbeak, Blue-winged Yellow 

 Warbler and a lot more of the commoner 

 Connecticut species. 



