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THE WORM-EATING WARBLER. 



Sylvia vermivora, Lath. 

 PLATE XXXIV. Male and Female. 



The nest of this active little bird is formed of singular materials, 

 being composed externally of dried mosses and the green blossoms of 

 Hickories and Chestnut^trees, while the interior is prettily lined with fine 

 fibrous roots, the whole apparently rather small for the size of the occu- 

 pants. About the middle of May the female lays four or five eggs, 

 which are cream-coloured, with a few dark red spots near the larger end, 

 leaving a circular unspotted part at the extremity. The nest is usu- 

 ally placed between two small twigs of a bush, not more than eight or 

 nine feet from the ground, and sometimes only four or five. 



The flight of the Worm-eating Warbler resembles that of the Crested 

 Titmouse, being of short duration, and accompanied with the same rust- 

 ling noise, which is occasioned by the rather concave formation of their 



wings. 



It merely passes through Louisiana in spring, appearing there as 



early as the beginning of April, and extends its migrations to the borders of 

 liake Erie, where I shot several in autumn. It is probable that it pro- 

 ceeds farther north. It returns through Louisiana about the end of Oc- 

 tober, only remaining a few days on its passage. 



It is an inhabitant of the interior of the forests, and is seldom found 

 on the borders of roads or in the fields. In spring they move in pairs, 

 and, during their retrograde marches, in little groups, consisting each of 

 a family, seven or eight in number ; on which accoimt I am inclined to 

 believe that they raise only a single brood in the year. They are ever 

 amongst the decayed branches of trees or other plants, such as are acci- 

 dentally broken off by the wind, and are there seen searching for insects 

 or caterpillars. They also resort to the ground, and turn over the dried 

 leaves in quest of the same kind of food. They are unsuspecting, and 

 will svifFer a person to approach within a few paces. When disturbed, 

 they fly off to some place where withered leaves are seen. They have 

 only a few weak notes, which do not deserve the name of song. Their 

 industry, however, atones for this defect, as they are seen continually 



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