TWENTY COMMON WARBLERS. 



PART I. 



Miss Merriam thus sums up the Warb- 

 lers : "Plumage, mostly variegated and 

 brilliant. Females generally duller than 

 males. Song, in many cases only a trill. 

 Food, insects. Habits, nervous, restless." 

 These, then, are the general character- 

 istics the student of the somewhat diffi- 

 cult family, Mniotiltidae or Wood Warb- 

 lers, must bear in mind. 



In the following an endeavor has been 

 made to give the specific characters and 

 convey some idea of the songs. The 

 twenty birds, I may here state, were 

 chosen almost at random ; and in forming 

 an ''order of precedence" it has been 

 necessary to ignore check-list order to 

 make way for this classification. The 

 first six essentially spring migrants are 

 also seen in the fall, but less conspicu- 

 ously. The next eleven are summer resi- 

 dents of Allegheny County, Pennsyl- 

 vania. The last three essentially fall 

 migrants are also seen in the spring, but 

 less conspicuously. 



GROUP I. 



The Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coro- 

 nata) is at once distinguished by its fotir 

 yellow spots, one on the rump, one on the 

 crown and one on each side of the breast, 

 and the breast and flanks are marked with 

 black. It is the first of the warblers to 

 arrive in the spring, and is usually seen 

 in small parties. It utters a distinctive 

 "tchip." In the fall it is often seen hov- 

 ering like a sparrow hawk, and at such 

 times its yellow rump is very prominent. 

 John Burroughs tells us that "The Yel- 

 low-rumped Warblers (Myrtle Warblers) 

 are the most noticeable of all in the 

 autumn. They come about the streets 

 and garden, and seem especially drawn to 

 dry, leafless trees. They dart spitefully 

 about, uttering a sharp chirp. In Wash- 

 ington I have seen them in the outskirts 

 all winter." Dr. Warren, in his "Birds of 

 Pennsylvania," says this warbler "is the 

 most abundant of all the family occurring 

 in this State." But, of course, this applies 

 only to four or five weeks of the year. 



The Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendro- 

 ica pensylvanica) may be known by its 

 yellow cap, its chestnut sides and its 

 white under parts. Mr. Chapman says 

 of its song : "They have two songs, both 

 of which closely resemble that of the yel- 

 low warbler, though a practiced ear can 

 at once recognize the song of either." Mr. 

 Walter, in "Wild Birds in City Parks," 

 interprets the song, "chee, chee, chee, 

 chee-ar." Dr. Warren writes : "In the 

 spring this handsome little warbler is 

 generally most frequently to be found in 

 woods or thickets." 



The Blackburnian Warbler (Dendro- 

 ica hlackhurniae) is one of the most 

 beautifully colored and patterned of our 

 v/arblers. Its rich orange-colored throat 

 fades first to yellow, and finally to white 

 at the belly. The crown is black, save for 

 an orange center. Its back is black and 

 white, and the conspicuous wing-bars 

 and inner vanes of the tail feather are 

 white. Mr. Burroughs says : "He has a 

 very fine v/arble, suggesting that of the 

 redstart, but not especially musical." Mr. 

 Minot writes the song, "wee-see, wee-see, 

 tsee-tsee, tsee, tsee, tsee-tsee, tsee-tsee," 

 the latter syllable being on the ascend- 

 ing scale ; the very last, shrill and fine. 



The Black-throated Green Warbler 

 (Dendroica virens) may be known, 

 spring or fall, by the bright yellow 

 cheeks, black throat and olive-green 

 back, though in the fall the black throat 

 is often neutralized to ashy. If we call 

 its song a sweet, drowsy "zee, zee, zee-ee, 

 zee," we convey som^e idea of its form, 

 but do not explain why our ornithologists 

 almost unanimously agree in praising 

 such a simple song. Mr. Torry calls it 

 "an old friend (no acquaintance, if you 

 please,)," and interprets the notes "trees, 

 trees, murmuring trees." Again he says, 

 speaking of the warblers, "They do not 

 warble, it must be owned, and few of 

 them have much distinction as singers, 

 the best that I know being the Black- 

 throated Green, and the Kentucky." Mr. 

 Bolles writes the song in a very simple 



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