274 NOKTU AMKItlCAX mtiDS. 



mens in nonrctin, near Savannali, early in Fclmiavv, and infora tliat aonio pass 

 the entire winter in (ieor^ia, wiiieli is not iinjn'Dlialile.as this bird can emhirc 

 severe weatlier witliout any ai)parent inconvenience. 



Tiiere are several niari<e(l ])ecnliarities in tlie haliits of this WaHder which 

 (listiiiynish it from every otlieroi' its j,'enns. Ah)ne of all the DcuAroica', so 

 far as is known, it ImiKls its nest on the jironnd.and isipnte terrestrial in its 

 habits, and, notwithstanding' the statements of earlier writers, these areciuite 

 different from all others of this gemis. It has very little of the habits of the 

 Creeper and still less of the Flycatcher, while it has all the manners of the 

 true (iround ^Varbler, and even a])pro.\imates, in this res])ect, to the Titlarks. 



iMy attention was first called to tlicse jiecnliarities by Mr. Downes of 

 Halifax, in thesunnnerof 1851; and I was surja-isod to find it ncstinyon the 

 ground, and yet more to note that in all its movements it appeared fully as 

 terrestrial as the Maryland Veliow-Tliroat, or the Towiiee I'incli. Since then 

 Mr. lioardman aiid other naturalists have found its nest, which is always on 

 the ground. 



Mr. MacCidloch, in the fourth volume of the Journal of the Tlostnn 

 Natural History Society, has given an inler(>sting jiajier upon the terrestrial 

 l)eculiarities of this species, siiowing tiiem to i)e nearly identical with those 

 of the sciiiri, with wiioni he tliinks it should be classed. In its terrestrial 

 movements this l)ird is shown to l)e (piite at home, while otluir Warblers, 

 when driven by necessity to feed upon the ground, are awkward, and mani- 

 fest a want of ada2)tation. 



Dr. Henry Bryant, another very close and accurate observer, in his notes 

 on the birds of the llaiiamas, rei'erring to this AVarbler, speaks of it as ex- 

 tremely abundant, but conlinetl to the sea-shore. " Its habits," he add.s, 

 apparently with some surprise, " are decidedly terrestrial, and it approaches, 

 in this respect, to the Titlarks. They were constantly running along the 

 edges of the road, or else hoi)ping amongst the low In'anciies in tlie ])astures. 

 I did not see a single individual .seeking for food amidst the large trees. 

 These birds could be constantly seen running uj) and down in the market in 

 search of sinall flies. Tiiese they caught either on the ground or else by 

 hopping up a few inches, scarcely opening the wings, and alighting directly." 



Mr. J. A. Allen, in his lUrds observed in Western Massachusetts, shows 

 that these pecidiarities of habits in this Warbler had not escaped his notice. 

 He speaks of it as " frequenting, in com])any with Jj. piiiits, the edges of 

 thickets, orcliards, and open fields, oiul is miirh on the (jmnad." 



^Ir. (^reorge A. Roanlman, writing me from St. Stei)hen, March, 18(57, says : 

 " The Yellow l!ed-Poll is one of our most common Warblers, and, nnlike 

 most other Warblers, spends mnch of its time feeding n])on the ground. It 

 is no uncommon thing to see a dozen or two on the ground in my garden at 

 a time, in early sjiring. Later in the season they have more of the habits of 

 other Warblers, and are in summer expert flycatchers. In tiie fall we again 

 see them mostly upon the ground, feeding with the lilue Snowbirds {Jnnco 



