THE OOLOGIST. 



186 



greens of the island of Mackinac where 

 during the summer of 1890 he occured 

 in unusual abundance. I knew that 

 the Magnolia Warbler should be found 

 there but it was only after two days' 

 search, when I was wandering along an 

 old unused road, almost lost in the 

 overhanging bushes, that I discovered 

 the bird. From the top of a low ever- 

 green a new note issued, pura i^ura 

 pura reoo, a business-like song with a 

 strong metallic accent rising and fall- 

 ing in the last two syllables. I had no 

 difficulty in finding the owner as he 

 frequently sallied forth, either to seize 

 a passing fly or to drive away some 

 audacious Redstart or other small bird, 

 for our friend is very pugnacious and 

 allows no intrusion on his chosen 

 domain. 



Having eaten his fill he flew to a 

 small dead sapling and devoted himself 

 exclusively to vocal ett'ort. While in 

 plain sight he repeated the song just 

 mentioned two or three times in rapid 

 succession, pausing a few numients, 

 apparently to ncjte the eft'ect of his 

 Avords. I turned to leave, thinking the 

 performance over, when I heard a clear 

 falsetto whistle, different in tone from 

 any bird-note I ever heard. Having 

 thus reclaimed my attentithi he gave 

 the second part of his varied reportoire, 

 a soft warble of the same falsetto tone 

 of voice, purra e hova, and I have at 

 last found a warbler that warbles. But 

 this is not all, while his hand is in he 

 intends to show off all his tine songs 

 before the reporter of the same, much 

 as the females of the human species 

 show oft' all their tine dresses before the 

 reporter of a newspaper. After a 

 slight pause to enable me to jot it down 

 he utters a sIvavi:) 2^'>"'-(i-ut-ut-i(i-ut-ut \n 

 the same falsetto tone. 



He evidently likes the effect of this, 

 f(jr he repeats it several times in a low 

 tone, cmnmenting on it by a harsh de 

 kay kay k'ty, like a minature Blue Jay. 

 What more developements there "would 



have been I am unable to say for at 

 that moment my dog, Avhich I had left 

 carefully at home came bounding and 

 crashing through the bushes, putting 

 my pretty performer to flight. I have 

 heard the same songs singly many 

 times since, but never all from the 

 same bird. When in the deep ever- 

 greens and out of sight this talented 

 bird utters two quick, sharp notes fol- 

 lowed by a warble of three notes, the 

 middle the highest, 7J/-«<pr?/ipMr?'eoo. 

 In closing the list I "will mention the 

 one least liable of all to be recognized; 

 issuing from the evergreens by the side 

 of the road, to careless ears it might 

 sound like the summer song of the Red- 

 start, cketvecch cheweech cheoo but the 

 dift'erenc'c is very appreciable on com- 

 parison, for does not the Redstart say 

 weechy weechy weecheoo^ 



During migrations, as I have before 

 intimated, the bird is nearly silent, 

 being found among the low evergreens 

 and tracts of scriib stuff". He seeks his 

 food among the twigs, and even on the 

 ground. Among other virtues he is 

 very punctual, the seventh of May is 

 the set time for his arrival in Kent 

 County and he is always (jn hand on uv 

 near the appointed day. 



"All this talk about a bird with never 

 a word about its nest and eggs!" the 

 same someone remarks in surprise. 

 To be sure, many of our oologists think 

 altogether too much of the eggs and 

 never get beyond a bowing acquain- 

 tance, knowing the bird by sight i)er- 

 haps, as is necessary for the identitica- 

 tion of the eggs, but never taking the 

 time or trouble to Ijecome really con- 

 versant with his ways and songs. It 

 gives more pleasure to a true bird \o\ev 

 to discover a new song of one of hi.s 

 favorites than to tind its nest and eggs. 



No"\v do not gather from the preced- 

 ing lines that I am not as enthusiastic a 

 collector as the Lest, a new skin or s(.'t 

 of eggs delights me as much as other 

 pi'ople, but I tliiiik a collection is of 



