Notes from Field and Study 



i75 



present time. I am inclined to think the 

 bird was disabled at migration time, and 

 could not leave for its usual winter home 

 with the other migrants. I judge this from 

 the fact that his left wing appeared to be 

 about an inch lower than the right, when 

 the bird was perching with the wings 

 folded to his body. — Geo. L. Fordyce, 

 Youngstown, Ohio. 



A Freak Downy Woodpecker 



During the winter of 1911-12, I ob- 

 served a freak Downy Woodpecker having 

 yellow and white instead of the usual 

 black and white markings, and having no 

 red on the head. This curious freak came 

 many times to my suet near the house. 

 It disappeared during the first half of 

 April, 191 2, and I did not see it again. I 

 should be glad to hear from any person 

 who has observed it since. — Howard 

 Hopkins, New Haven, Conn. 



The Worm-eating Warbler in April 



On April 14, 1913, I observed a Worm- 

 eating Warbler in the woods at Englewood, 

 N. J. The bird was by the roadside, not 

 far from the ground, at close range, and was 

 carefully examined with a pair of binoc- 

 ulars. Its buffy greenish yellow head and 

 breast changing to grayish on the crissum, 

 to olive-green on back and wings, which 

 were without bars, and set off by black 

 stripes on either side of the head (a broad 

 central area between them) and by nar- 

 rower black stripes through the eyes, were 

 noted. Though in a good locality for the 

 species in summer, the date seems very 

 remarkable. There were many small 

 insects on the wing, but trees and shrubs 

 were still almost entirely leafless. — John 

 Treadwell Nichols, New York City. 



Notes on the Song of the Carolina 

 Wren 



As the Carolina Wren has been one of 

 the most common birds in my locality 

 since I can first remember, I have had 

 excellent opportunity to learn something 



of its song. I dare say, there is not one 

 day during the year when I neither see nor 

 hear a Carolina Wren, and very few there 

 are when I do not hear one or more singing. 

 Indeed, this bird is one of the most per- 

 sistent singers known to me. It seems to 

 be a rule with him to sing whenever he is 

 not busily satisfying his appetite, regardless 

 of the time of day or year; though, of course, 

 the song is rather more frequently heard 

 during the spring of the year. However, 

 I believe I have never known him to sing 

 while feeding, as do many of the Warblers. 

 Many times during the day he hops up to 

 a convenient perch to pour forth his loud, 

 ringing melody. 



Weather conditions seem to count for 

 but little with him. To him it is all 'God's 

 good weather,' in one form or other. Not 

 infrequently his cheerful voice may be 

 heard above the racket of the rain, or 

 while the air is full of flying snow. Yet 

 the song is not so monotonous as one 

 might think a song so frequently heard 

 would be. 



The song is a cheerful ringing melody, 

 surprisingly loud for the size of the bird, 

 as it may be distinctly heard at a distance 

 of fully half a mile on a still day. It con- 

 sists of two to four syllables, repeated 

 from two to seven times, then an interval 

 of a few seconds before the song is re- 

 peated. The song is always uttered quite 

 rapidly, and is subject seemingly to almost 

 an unlimited list of variations, though all 

 have the same characteristic loud ringing 

 quality, and to me are easily distinguish- 

 able from the song of any other bird. 

 However, Mr. Stone (in Educational 

 Leaflet No. 50 of the Audubon Society, 

 on the Carolina Wren), writes of the diffi- 

 culty of distinguishing the song of this 

 Wren from that of the Cardinal or Tufted 

 Titmouse. Both of the latter are very 

 familiar birds to me, but I must say that, 

 previous to reading this, I had not thought 

 of the resemblance noted. 



To my ear, the song of the Cardinal is 

 more of a whistle, and does not possess 

 the tinkling qualities of that of the Wren. 

 Moreover, the Cardinal's song is not 

 usually a continuous repetition, as is the 



