306 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



Northern Parula Warbler. Compsothlvpis americana pusilla 

 (Wils.) 



This beautiful little bird is smaller than the English Sparrow. 

 Its upper parts are a light grayish blue, with a patch of dull yel- 

 low in the center of the back, two prominent white wing bars and 

 white spots on the outer tail feathers. The throat and upper breast 

 are yellow fading to white underneath, and the breast of the male 

 is crossed by bands of blackish blue and reddish brown. The ex- 

 tent and number of bands varies with the age of the bird. 



The Parula Warbler is found locally in the Park, and is not com- 

 mon. I have met with it in but two places, one on English Run 

 where a single male was seen July 16, about two miles above Frecks, 

 and the other on the south side of Quaker Run not far from the 

 Park's western boundary, where a bird was heard July n, and at 

 least three males singing July 21. The Parula Warbler lives mostly 

 in the tree-tops of the forest where it is more easily heard than seen. 

 Like other warblers it is an active little bird, hopping or flitting from 

 branch to branch, and giving the observer only a casual opportunity 

 to view its attractive plumage. 



The song is high-pitched, shrill, and rather more buzz-like than 

 musical. There are two common forms, but both run upward in 

 pitch toward the end, and sometimes suddenly drop down for a 

 single short terminal note. The first form is a single long buzz of 

 this character, and the second is three shorter buzzes followed by a 

 longer one. 



In the nesting season the Parula Warbler is said to frequent 

 places where Usnca lichen hangs from the branches of trees, placing 

 its nest in such moss. No Usnea has been seen in the Park, and it 

 may be that the Parula does not follow that habit in this region. 



Red-tailed Hawk. Buteo borealis borcalis (Gmel.) 



This hawk, in adult plumage, can always be distinguished by its 

 reddish tail. Its shape and size will distinguish it from all but the 

 Red-shouldered Hawk. The red tail is visible in good light, even 

 when the bird is flying at a distance; for as it sails in great spirals 

 the upper surface of the tail tips toward the observer revealing its 

 distinguishing color when the bird tilts at the outer edge of each 

 circle. 



This is the commonest hawk in the Park and may be observed 

 almost daily, while all others were seen only a few times each. It 

 inhabits the forested hillsides but ranges far over the open country 

 in search of food. 



The voice of this hawk has a somewhat hissing quality like that of 

 a steam whistle. It calls " ps-see-ee yoo-00 " in a long downward 

 slur, longer than the Red-shoulder's call, and not usually repeated 

 immediately. A rarer call, which I heard along Limestone Brook 

 was of repeated notes, slurred upward, like " oolee oolee oolee 

 oolee." 



