WOOD WARBLERS. 



355 



ler-wee — 



ably) niul Connecticut (rarely ) nortliwtinl ti> LaWnulor, and south along the 

 crest oftlic Allt'tjhanu's to (ie<>r;.'ia; winti-rs in tlie tropins. 



Wiishin^jton, wry coninion T. V., Ajil. •^") to May '_'."); Aujj. 27 to Ort. IH. 

 Sin;; .Sini,M'omnion T. V., Apl. li5 to May ;i^; Aui^. -') to Oct. 10. ('ainl)riiige, 

 rather connnon T. V., May h) to 2:>; Sept. 20 to Oct. \0. 



AV.v^, of .strips of tmri\, fine iL'rasses, and pine needles, lineil witli hairliko 

 black rootlets, in the heavier under^irDwtli of dcii^u woods, nsiiiilly witliin 

 two feet of the ground. J'-'jijn, three to five, >rniyish white, with distinct and 

 obscure olive-brown markings, chietly al>out the larger ends, -OS x 'oO. 



The male lilack'throuted IJlue Warhler can be idontified at sight, 

 but his ob.<^curely cohired mate has been the cause ot many a field 

 student's neckaehc. Wlien flitting about with other Warblers it is 

 difficult to observe any positive character by which to distinguisli her; 

 but the white spot at the base of the primaries is an unmi^takable 

 mark, if one can see it clearly. 



When nesting, the birds seem to require woods with rather heavy 

 undergrowth. Their call-note is a sharp, recognizable chip. The 

 song of the male is generally written zicee-zwee-zwee, but both call- 

 notes and song are subject to variation. 



655. Dendroica coronata (Zt'nn.). Mvrtle Wakblek; Yellow- 



RVMi'Ei) Wahbleu. (Fig. I'S.) A'i. ^. — A yellow jmteh on the crown, rump, 

 and eithtr s'ult of the bread; upper parts i)]uish gray, streaked with black; 

 two white wing-bars; outer tail-feathers with white spots on their inner 

 vanes near the tip; throat white; breast and upper belly heavily marked 

 with black; lower belly wliite. Ad. <i . — Similar, but with less black below; 

 breast simply streaked with black ; upper parts brow ner. Int. and ads. in 

 winter. — Yellow crown patch more or less concealed by brownish tips to the 

 feathers ; rump Vjright yellow ; yellow on the sides of the breast mueli re- 

 duced; upper parts grayish brown, streaked with black; wing-bai"s grayish ; 

 tail with white patches; under parts soiled white, streaked with black. L., 

 5-G5; W., '2-8.5; T., L'-J-) ; B. from N., -iiO. 



Rtmarks. — The yellow patches on the crown, rump, and sides of the breoat 

 are characteristic of this species. 



Bancje. — Eastern North .\meriea: breeds fi'om northern Minnesota and 

 northern New England northward ; winters from the Middle States south- 

 ward. 



Washington, abundant W. V., Sept. 28 to May 20. Sing Sing, common 

 T. v., A pi. 13 to May 28; Aug. 10 to Nov. 11 ; a few winter. Cambridge, 

 abundant T. V., Apl. 18 to May 20; Sept. 20 to Nov. 3; a few winter. 



Nest.^ of vegetable fibers lined with grasses, in conit'erous trees five to ten 

 feet up. Eo(js, four or five, white or grayish white, distinctly and obscurely 

 spotted and speckled or blotched with olive-brown or rufous-brown, VTO x •r)2. 



These strong, hardy Warblers leave their cousins of the woods 

 and in loose companies forage in old fields and scrubby growtlis 

 among the bayberry or myrtle {Myrica cerifera) bushes, which bear 



