58 



IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



one wing had hajdly enough 

 feathers with which to fly — indeed 

 the appearance of this crow was 

 disreputable in the extreme. A 

 hen had secreted her nest in the 

 door yard and although we had 

 sought it a number of times, we 

 could not find it. However, the 

 crow came down into the yard 

 one day and found it at once and 

 when I followed to see what he 

 was at, his beak and all his breast 

 were dripping with the eggs he 

 had broken. Neither did he care 

 for the insults heaped upon him 

 by king-birds, grackles, orioles, 

 and other birds, but would pro- 

 ceed deliberately to their nests and 

 rob them. One day I saw him 

 approach the nest of a blue-jay 

 hidden in a cedar tree. In vain 

 was the attacks of a score of 

 grackles and other birds, and 

 when the blue-jay realized that 

 all opposition was in vain, with a 

 heart-broken cry, it abandoned 

 the nest to the marauder. 



Every observer of birds has, no 

 doubt, witnessed such scenes, and 

 has been led to entertain a pre- 

 judice against the crows, yet Na- 

 ture is all the time no doubt con- 

 serving her forces, restricting 

 what needs restricting, driving 

 some from natural to artificial en- 

 vironments, and man will more 

 often prove his \visdom by letting 



Nature's work alone, than by try- 

 ing to rectify her ways with his 

 rough hand. 



Warblers of Iowa. 



BY MORTON E. PECK, LA PORTE 

 CITY, IOWA. 



Paper read before the First Congress of 

 I. O. A, 



Vl/'ITH comparatively te w ex- 

 ceptions, the Warbler fam- 

 ily embraces our most highly col- 

 ored species of birds. In size 

 this group is second only to the 

 Sparrow and Finch tribes and 

 its limits are much better de- 

 fined, though the Terrestrial and 

 Fly-catching Warblers verge 

 closely on the Thrushes, Vireos, 

 and Fly-catchers. 



The American Warblers are a 

 distinct family of birds though 

 closely allied to the Old World 

 typical Warblers. But space 

 will not permit a discussion of the 

 affinities of the group. 



In spite of the brilliant color- 

 ation of the birds and their unique 

 position among the feathered 

 tribe, but few species are popu- 

 larly known. This is owing to 

 their shy and retiring habits and 

 partially, perhaps, to the fact 

 that during migration, while the 

 great body of them is with us, 

 they are almost entirely silent. 



Thirty six species of Warblers 



