THE HOODED WARBLER. 



{Sylvania mitrata.) 



" He was recog-nizable at once by the bright yellow hood he wore, bordered all around 

 with deep black. A bright, flitting blossom of the bird world!" — Leander H. Keyser, in 

 Bird Land. 



This beautiful little warbler is a resi- 

 dent of the eastern United States. It is 

 more common in the southern portion of 

 this district and throughout the Missis- 

 sippi Valley. Its breeding range ex- 

 tends from the Gulf of Mexico as far to 

 the northward as southern Michigan. It 

 winters in the West Indies, in Mexico, 

 and in Central America. Though a wood 

 warbler it prefers the shrubby growths 

 in low and well-watered places rather 

 than the forest. It is said to be abundant 

 among the canes of the Southern States. 

 Many other names have been given this 

 warbler, all having reference to the ar- 

 rangement of the black and yellow colors 

 on the head. It is called the Black-head- 

 ed Warbler, the Hooded Flycatching 

 Warbler, the Mitred Warbler, and the 

 Black-cap Warbler. 



Activity seems to be the keynote of its 

 life. It is in constant pursuit of insects, 

 which it catches while they are on the 

 wing. Unlike the flycatchers it seldom 

 returns to the same perch from which it 

 flew to catch its prey. 



The words of Mr. Keyser most aptly 

 describe the habits of the Hooded War- 

 bler. He says, speaking of an hour spent 

 in observing the bird's behavior, "He was 

 not in the least shy or nervous, but 

 seemed rather to court my presence. Al- 

 most every moment was spent in captur- 

 ing insects on the wing or in sitting on a 

 perch watching for them to flash into 

 view. Like a genuine flycatcher, as soon 

 as a buzzing insect hove in sight, he 

 would dart out after it, and never once 

 failed to secure his prize. Sometimes he 

 would plunge swiftly downward after a 



gnat or miller, and once, having caught 

 a miller that was large and inclined to be 

 refractory, he flew to the yiound, beat it 

 awhile on the clods, and then swallowed 

 it with a consequential air which seemed 

 to say, 'That is my way of disposing of 

 such cases !' Several times he mounted 

 almost straight up from his perch, and 

 twice he almost turned a somersault in 

 pursuit of an insect. Once he clung like 

 a titmouse to the bole of a sapling." 



To some its notes, which are quite mu- 

 sical, lively, sweet and happy, seem to re- 

 semble twee, twee, twitchie. Mr. Chap- 

 man says the song "is subject to much 

 variation, but as a rule consists of eight 

 or nine notes. To my ear the bird seems 

 to say, 'You must come to the woods, or 

 you won't see me.' " 



The nest of the Hooded Warbler is us- 

 ually built in low shrubs, sometimes but 

 a few inches from the ground and seldom 

 higher than two feet. It is constructed 

 of fine rootlets, and fibers of bark com- 

 pactly interwoven with leaves, fine grass 

 and hair. It is lined with grass, hair and 

 feathers. The eggs, which are usually 

 five in number, are white, or nearly white, 

 in color, with red or brownish spots near 

 the larger end. They are nearly three- 

 fourths of an inch in length, and a little 

 over one-half of an inch in th 3ir greatest 

 diameter. 



Three years or more are required for 

 the development of the fully adult plu- 

 mage. The throat of the female, though 

 black, is not as pure a black as that of 

 the male, and it is not so extensive or as 

 well defined. 



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