ORNITHOLOGIST 



OOLOGIST. 



Sl.OO per 

 Annum. 



VOL. VI. 



Joseph M. Wade, Editor and Publisher. 

 Established March. 1875 



NORWICH, CONN., OCTOBER, 1881. 



Single Opy, 

 10 Cents. 



NO. 8. 



Blue-winged Yellow Warbler. 



US NKSTING HABITS, &C. 



The pretty Hebninthophaga pinus is to 

 be found in nearly all kinds of wooded 

 country in southern Indiana and Illinois. 

 It seems to prefer open woods with under- 

 growth of bushes and briers, and the open 

 ings in and about the bottom woods. H is 

 easily found by its notes which can be called 

 neither song nor warble, but resembles the 

 inhaling and exhaling ot the breath in a pe- 

 culiar rasping tone, unlike any other bird of 

 my acquaintance. It made its appearance 

 at Wheatland, Indiana. April 25th, and be- 

 came plentiful in a day or two. It is not 

 suspicious, allowing a near approach, and 

 seems to make a thorough search of one 

 branch before going to another. While 

 thus engaged it adapts its position to the 

 place to be examined, often hanging head 

 downwards. Whether searching for food, 

 or while sitting still, the male at short in- 

 tervals lifts his head and gives his wheezy 

 notes. It generally inhabits the bushes or 

 lower limbs, frecpiently near the ground but 

 seldom in the tops of tall trees. The fe- 

 males arrive soon after the males and they 

 are soon mated and begin their household 

 preparations. Though I could not catch 

 them at their work of building, I was sev 

 eral times aware of the close proximity of 

 an unfinished nest by the anxiety betrayed 

 by the female, who seemed as interested in 

 me as I was in her. But owing to the 

 bushes it was impossible to keep at a dis- 

 tance and watch her. 



As soon as his mate is sitting, the male 

 enlarges on his music, giving quite a pretty 

 warble, but it was seldom indulged in, and 



I heard it but a few times. While opposite 

 Mount Carmel, Illinois, in Indiana, on May 

 i9lh, I missed a Hooded Warbler, but soon 

 heard it sinking a long distance off, and 

 just contrary to the course I was pursuing. 

 Usually I kept on my way and took the 

 chances of finding another, but at this par- 

 ticular lime I meant to have that bird I 

 killed it, and when within a few feet of 

 where it lay, a bird started from the ground- 

 My instant thought was of the Hooded 

 Warbler, but as quickly recognized the 

 Blue- winged Yellow Warbler which alighted 

 on a bush near by and began to chirp in the 

 manner of most of the Warblers. My joy 

 may be imagined when, on pushing aside 

 the leaves of a bush by my side near the 

 ground, I beheld five little rosy-tinted eggs, 

 perfectly fresh, in a nest situated between 

 the three or four stems of the bush! The 

 nest was sunken to the level of the ground, 

 and about the size of that of a Maryland 

 Yellow-throat, only deeper, being three 

 inches in depth inside It was composed 

 of a quantity of oak leaves sparingly mixed 

 with a rather coarse grass, and lined with 

 fine grass and one or two horse hairs. The 

 ground color of the eggs are white, rather 

 sparingly spotted and streaked with light 

 purplish brown and a few dark jnirple 

 specks. They are among the lightest col- 

 ored Warblers' eggs. 



Not desiring the birds I let them live, and 

 they chirped about me till I left I picked 

 the Hooded Warbler up carefully, thinking 

 as I did so that death to him was fortune 

 to me in more than his own value. 



The Blue-winged Yellows were anxious 

 birds about the middle of June, the young 

 then being just out of their nests. Tiiey 

 moult in July and become quiet. — Fred. T. 

 Jencks, Providence, R. I. 



