326 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



Redstart. Sctophaga ruticilla (Linn.) 



Among the warblers, the Redstart is second only to the Black- 

 burnian in brilliance of coloring. The upper parts, throat and upper 

 breast of the male are black, enlivened by patches of brilliant, fiery 

 orange on the wings, tail and sides of the breast. The under parts 

 are white. The female is soft brown where the male is black, and 

 yellow where he is orange, a more modest coloring than that of her 

 mate, but by no means unattractive. Young males are brown and 

 yellow like the female, but with breast patches beginning to show 

 traces of orange. As they wear this plumage until a year or more 

 old, birds of this sort may often be found singing and sometimes 

 mated and nesting. 



This warbler does not seem to be especially common in the Park. 

 It inhabits low growths of thick bushes or small trees, in places 

 where small flying insects, which form a large part of its food, 

 abound. It is an active little bird, flitting about through the bushes, 

 darting out for tiny insects, or spreading its tail in a way that 

 seems designed to show its beautiful markings. 



The song is weak, and delivered in a high-pitched, thin voice. 

 It is quite variable in form, " tsee tsee tsee tsee-eet," with an up- 

 ward slur on the last note being a common form. The bird often 

 indulges the habit of singing two or three entirely different songs, 

 one after the other. The quality of voice will distinguish it better 

 than the form of the song. 



The nest is placed in a bush or small tree, usually six to ten 

 feet from the ground. It is similar to those of other warblers. The 

 female incubates the eggs, but when they are hatched both parents 

 take part in feeding the young. 



Mourning Dove. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis (Linn.) 



This bird may be identified by its rather large size, a little larger 

 than the Robin, its long tail, with middle feathers longest and 

 outer feathers marked with white, its rather pointed but not narrow 

 wings, and general blue-gray color. Its swift flight, when once 

 known, is also characteristic. 



This wild Dove is uncommon in the Park, but mainly found in 

 the trees and bushes bordering streams. It was seen along the 

 Allegheny River, near Salamanca July 3, in the Tunungwant Val- 

 ley July 23, and near Limestone Brook the same day, where a pair 

 were found feeding on the ground in an open field. One was also 

 heard along Quaker Run on July 9. The birds are most likely to 

 be seen in pairs through the summer. 



The voice of this bird is unmistakable. It is a long-drawn-out, 

 slow, mournful cooing, lower-pitched than most bird notes, usually 

 beginning with a higher-pitched note, slurring first upward and 

 then downward, and ending with three or four notes low in pitch and 

 slurred downward. It may be written " ooee-eeah-coo-oo-coo- 

 coo-00." 



The nest of this bird is a flat platform of sticks placed in a bush 

 or tree, sometimes one that overhangs water. Only two eggs are 

 laid, and these are pure white. 



