1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 69 



on September 13, a few scattered individuals in flocks of D. 

 auduboni, but their numbers increased greatly during the next 

 few days, and as the Audubon warblers were rapidly leaving at 

 this time, conditions were reversed before the end of the month, 

 when only an occasional auduboni could be found in the flocks 

 of hooveri. The two species are so nearly alike in the winter 

 plumage as to render it difficult to distinguish between them in 

 life, especially in the case of the immature birds, but the call 

 notes are sufficiently different to be distinguished without any 

 difficulty. 



D. coronata has been reported as occurring in the northern 

 part of Vancouver Island in June (Brown, 1868, 420), but this 

 was probably a mistake, as it is doubtful if the species breeds 

 anywhere in the northwest coast region. 



Five specimens were taken at Errington in September (nos. 

 16371-16375), all immatures in first winter plumage. 



Dendroica auduboni auduboni (Townsend) 

 Audubon Warbler 



A common species at the various points visited on the east 

 side of the island in April and May. In the Beaver Creek 

 Valley and about Alberni in June and July it was exceedingly 

 abundant. Young out of the nest were observed at Errington, 

 May 25 ; about Alberni, in June and July, they were numerous. 

 An area along the water front in this vicinity, cleared of timber 

 for a new town site seemed particularly attractive to these 

 warblers, and scores of them were seen flitting about the piles 

 of brush and timber. Nine-tenths of the birds were in the 

 juvenal plumage. 



No Audubon warblers were seen in the higher mountains, nor 

 at Nootka Sound. They were abundant at Errington early in 

 September, usually feeding in the willow thickets bordering 

 the swamps, but after the middle of the month their numbers 

 diminished rapidly, and though some were seen up to the last 

 day of my stay (September 28), it was evident that they would 

 soon all be gone. 



Twenty-eight specimens were preserved (nos. 16376-16403), 

 eighteen adults in breeding plumage, nine in juvenal plumage, 



