18 



SUPPLEMENT TO THE OOLOGIST. 



Tlie Black-throated Blue Warbler inhabits 

 a wider range of country than the preceding 

 species, it being found plentifully in all the 

 states east of the Missouri, the headwaters 

 of that river, according to Audubon, being 

 its north-western limit. It is a very com- 

 mon species, chiefly migratory, and is found 

 in company with others of the same family. 

 In the fall it frequents groves of small and 

 stunted trees and bushes, generally prefer- 

 ring slopes and hill-sides, Mr. Gentry 

 states that its habits of feeding " are soli- 

 tary, mostly arboreal, and mainly restricted 

 to dense forests, where among the smaller 

 trees and bushes it gleans a scanty subsis- 

 tence. "When driven by necessity to the 

 taller trees, unlike its near congener whose 

 history we have just detailed {D. virens), 

 it never visits the topmost boi;ghs, but re- 

 stricts itself exclusively to the lower branch- 

 es." With the first portion of this state- 

 ment we do not coincide, for, in our exper- 

 ience, it has been found to be sociable, 

 feeding in company with other species with 

 great confidence, and searching among the 

 trees, and occasionally the leaves and moss, 

 on the ground. Mr. Samviels says that 

 those observed by him were in tall oaks and 

 chestnuts, "actively moving about through 

 the foliage, snapping at flies and other in- 

 sects." 



The flight of this Warbler is short, un-. 

 dulating and not protracted. Often while 

 on wing, like the Yellow Bird, it will sud- 

 denly wheel sharply from its course and 

 alight with a tioic/i upon a sapling, from 

 which, after a preliminary quirk of the 

 tail and a glance around, it will continue 

 its occupation. Its food is not confined en- 

 tirely to insects : when the wild apple and 

 cherry trees begin to blossom, they fre- 

 quent these trees and devour the tender in- 

 ner portions of the blossom in apparent 

 preference to insects. 



The breeding range of this Warbler is not 

 yet clearly defined, but it doubtless nests in 

 suitable localities in the United States at 

 least as far south as the forty-second paral- 

 lel. Its choice of breeding situations seems 

 to be wild and mountainous districts, pre- 



ferably near a stream of water. Birds have 

 been shot in nearly all the New England 

 States and in New York durino; the nestino; 

 season, and in the latter state have been ob- 

 served repeatedly at that time. Audubon 

 desci'ibes a nest he found in Nova Scotia 

 as being composed of slips of bark, mosses 

 and fibrous roots, and lined with fine grass 

 overlaid with feathers. It was placed on 

 the horizontal branch of a fir tree, at a 

 height of seven or eight feet from the ground. 

 The same author says of the eggs : " The 

 eggs, four or five in number, are of a rosy 

 tint, and, like those of most other Sylvioe, 

 scantily sprinkled with reddish-brown at 

 the larger end." 



The male Black-throated Blue Warbler 

 is readily distinguished from any other 

 Warbler. Its upper parts are uniformly 

 grayish-blue lighter at the edges of the wing 

 coverts ; the sides of head and neck' from 

 the eye, the chin, throat and a narrow 

 frontal band, black, this color extending 

 nearly to the tail ; tail and Aviugs pale 

 black, all except the innermost feathers of 

 the former having a spot of white on their 

 inner webs ; under parts whitish. The fe- 

 male is dull olive above, yellowish beneath. 



The Germantown Telegraph says : 



"The Mocking Bird, hitherto almost ex- 



I clusively confined in its habitat to the 



! Southern States, gives some indications of 



. . ... 



becoming migratory and visiting the noi th 



in summer. A pair have recently been dis- 

 covered in Rochester, N. Y., wlwre they 

 I have nestled and are raising a brood of 

 I young. This may be, however, only an 

 exceptional case." 



We have noticed that the King Bird 

 is a great fruit eater. The cherry tree is 

 one of its favorite haunts, where, after driv- 

 ing away the Robins and Orioles, it will 

 remain through the fruit season, and 

 though eating few cherries, it picks and 

 drops large quantities. 



