March, 1884.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



27 



.72X-55, .71x54, .71x53, respectively. 

 C. O. Tracy, Taftsville, Vt. 



The Caerulean Warbler. 



(Dendrceca cmrulea.) 

 I. 



The Caerulean or Blue Warbler, as it is 

 sometimes called, is perhaps as abundant 

 in the "White Water Valley of Southeastern 

 Indiana as anywhere within its range. Its 

 distribution is peculiar, being recorded 

 from the Atlantic coast westward into 

 Eastern Kansas, and from the Gulf of 

 Mexico northward into the Province of 

 Ontario (Hamilton) and Minnesota. It 

 appears in greatest numbers, and its range 

 extends farthest north, in the Mississippi 

 Valley, and its breeding range may, prac- 

 tically, be said to be from the Ohio Valley 

 northward. The Caerulean Warblers reach 

 this latitude about April 20. They are 

 found more frequently along the river val- 

 leys and upon the hillsides than upon the 

 upland ; they prefer the more open wood- 

 land, especially that in which the prevailing 

 timber is sugar-maple, elm and linden. 

 They are not gregarious and where found 

 appear to be evenly distributed. They are 

 seldom found nearer the ground than 

 twenty feet, ranging from this height to 

 the tops of the tallest trees. They are 

 among the most common of our woodland 

 birds, equalling in numbers the Redstart 

 and Golden-crowned Thrush. Their food 

 includes almost all the insects which fre- 

 quent the trunks, branches and foliage of 

 trees, as well as many species of day flying 

 insects which flit about among the tree- 

 tops. When high in the trees they may be 

 easily mistaken for Flycatchers, and when 

 lower down, among the larger branches, 

 their habits remind one of the Titmouse 

 and Creeper. 



Upon the arrival of the Caerulean War- 

 blers they are in full song, the song re- 

 minding me somewhat of that of the 

 Golden-winged Warbler, (Helminthophaga 



chrysoptera.) The melody is interrupted, 

 or broken, and may perhaps best be repre- 

 sented by zee-zee-zee-zeet, with a gradual 

 rise in tone from the beginning to the end. 

 While foraging among the smaller branches 

 they may frequently be observed to stop 

 and give utterance to this strange song, 

 which is also nearly always uttered just 

 before flying from one tree to another. I 

 do not remember to have heard this song 

 while the bird was creeping among the 

 larger branches or upon the trunk of a 

 tree ; in such instances the note is similar 

 to that of the female and may be expressed 

 by tchep: the sound recalls to my mind 

 that made by some persons by a peculiar 

 smacking of the lips. The males arrive 

 two or three days before the females, and 

 for the succeeding two weeks outnumbers 

 the latter by about twenty to one. Occa- 

 sionally birds of the previous year are 

 taken, in which the beautiful blue of the 

 male is subdued or replaced by green, 

 sometimes quite dark, and the white parts 

 are tinged with dirty yellow. In from two 

 to three weeks after their arrival, they begin 

 love making and soon after they commence 

 the construction of their nests. The nest 

 is placed in the fork of a limb at some dis 

 tance from the body and at from 25 to 50 

 feet from the ground. I have seen several 

 nests being built, but have never taken one. 

 The female does the greater part, if not all, 

 the work of construction, while her more 

 gifted mate sings his rattling song from 

 some neighboring maple tree. All through 

 the Summer, early in the morning and late 

 in the evening, the song of the " Blue " 

 Warbler is a prominent feature in the syl- 

 van choir. 



When the young are able to fly, the whole 

 family forage together and for some time 

 at least maintain the family group unbro- 

 ken. I am not prepared to say whether 

 more than one brood is reared in a year, 

 but I shall not be surprised to find that to 

 be, at least occasionally, the case. Early in 

 August these pleasant little sojourners 



