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THE YELLOW-POLL WARBLER. 



Sylvia estiva, Gmel. 



PLATE XCV. Male. 



As soon as the welcome note of the Purple Martin is heard in spring, 

 on its return to the United States, which, in Louisiana, sometimes takes 

 place early in March, the little Warbler here presented to your inspection 

 foUows, and is seen gaily moving from tree to tree, feeding on the smaller 

 insects, and tuning its pipe, which, however, is not the most melodious. 

 Tt approaches the gardens and orange-groves, and again flies off to the 

 willows, along the margins of the pools and lagoons. Its sojourn is of 

 short duration in Louisiana, for it moves gradually eastward as the sea- 

 son advances, leaving nothing but the recollection of its passage through 

 the land. Its migration, in as far as I have been able to ascertain, is 

 principally performed during the night. T have observed many in the 

 course of one day in a place, which, next day, if the weather had become 

 warm, scarcely contained a single individual. It never breeds in the 

 district mentioned above, nor even in the State of Mississippi. A few 

 breed in Kentucky, more in Ohio, and their nests in this manner increase 

 the farther you proceed eastward. I have seen many of these birds, as 

 well as their nests, on the Genessee River ; but in the States of New 

 York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, they may be 

 found in every orchard and garden, and even in the streets, among the 

 foliage of our trees. 



The males chase each other with great courage, and fight for a few 

 moments, to establish their claim to any particular spot or tree, after 

 which they are seen climbing up and down among the twigs and smaller 

 branches, looking keenly among the leaves and blossoms for insects. 

 Careless of the presence of man, the Blue-eyed Warbler is easily ap- 

 proached. The same carelessness makes it build its little nest almost 

 always within reach of the latter. The parents are very assiduous 

 in the discharge of their duties. They construct a nest about the 

 middle of May, in the forked branches iof a small tree, often within a 

 few paces of a house. The nest is strongly fastened to the twigs, is for- 



