Birds of Allegany Park 299 



after each. These phrases vary greatly, and a little careful observa- 

 tion will show that each individual bird has twenty-five to thirty 

 different ones, repeating certain of them frequently, but others 

 more rarely. In this respect it differs from the Yellow-throated and 

 Blue-headed Vireos, these latter birds having decidedly less variety. 

 The voice is rather high-pitched, clear and musical, but monotonous 

 in its persistence. 



The nest is a beautiful pocket-shaped structure hung from the 

 horizontal fork of a small tree or bush, three feet or more from the 

 ground, but never near the top of a large tree. The nest is made 

 mainly of bark, held together by spider web. Paper is put into it 

 where nests are built near civilization, and the lining is of finer 

 strips of bark. 



Black-throated Green Warbler. Dcndroica virens (Gmel.) 



Close observation of this little bird reveals yellow on the side of 

 the head, with a somewhat dusky line through the eye and on top 

 of the head, and a greenish back. The gray wings and tail are 

 marked with white wing bars and tail spots. The throat is deep 

 velvety black, and this mark extends back along the sides, ending 

 in long, narrow black streaks. The breast and under parts are 

 white. The female is somewhat duller in coloring. 



This is by far the commonest warbler of the forested areas in 

 the Park. Like the Magnolia and Blackburnian it shows a prefer- 

 ence for hemlock trees, although its foragings are frequently ex- 

 tended to the upper branches of the hardwoods. Living most of 

 the time in the tree-tops, it is more difficult to see than the Black- 

 throated Blue, or even than the Magnolia. 



We may most easily know of the presence of this warbler by its 

 song, which has a more musical, ringing quality than most of the 

 warblers, a sound that one soon associates with the forest depths. 

 There are two distinctly typical forms. The first may be written 

 " see see see see too ta," the first four notes of even, high pitch, the 

 fifth note lowest, and the last medium. The other form may be 

 written " see-ee-see-ee-dedeta." The first two notes are long-drawn- 

 out, and the last three quick and short. The pitch varies with indi- 

 vidual birds, the two long " sees " being of different pitch, some- 

 times the first and sometimes the second being lower. The " de de " 

 notes are of even pitch usually, but not always higher than the first 

 two ; and the last note is short, low in pitch and often omitted 

 entirely. 



The nest of this warbler is most commonly placed in a hemlock 

 tree. It is cup-shaped, made of strips of bark, and built in a fork 

 of the limbs near the top of a small tree, sometimes in a large one, 

 often among the lower limbs. I found such a nest near Lime- 

 stone Brook, July 27. It contained young birds which the mother 

 was industriously feeding. 



Scarlet Tanager. Piranga erythromelas Vieill. 



The male of this bird with its brilliant red body and black wings 

 and tail, is unmistakable when clearly seen. The female is less 



