THE SWAINSON'S WARBLER. 



[Helinaia swainsonii.) 



Swainson's Warbler has a peculiar and 

 interesting history. This species has the 

 honor of being discovered, and then prac- 

 tically lost to sight for about forty years. 

 During this period of time, but three spe- 

 cimens are recorded as having been cap- 

 tured. The first of the three was taken 

 in Georgia ; the second, in Florida in 

 1869, and the third, in Cuba in 1872. 



In 1832, the Reverend John Bachman 

 discovered this Warbler near Charleston, 

 South Carolina. The specimens were 

 placed in the hands of Audubon, who 

 recognized that a new species had been 

 found, and gave it the Latin name that it 

 now bears. In his "Birds of America," 

 Audubon quotes the following record of 

 Mr. Bachman : 'T was first attracted by 

 the novelty of its notes, four or five in 

 number, repeated at intervals of five or 

 six minutes apart. These notes were 

 loud, clear, and more like a whistle than 

 a song. They resembled the sounds of 

 some extraordinary ventriloquist in such 

 a degree that I supposed the bird much 

 farther from me than it really was ; for 

 after some trouble caused by these ficti- 

 tious notes, I perceived it near to me, 

 and soon shot it. 



''The form of its bill I observed at once 

 to differ from all other known birds of 

 our country, and was pleased at its dis- 

 covery. On dissection, it proved to be a 

 male, and in the course of the same 

 spring I obtained two other males, of 

 which the markings were precisely simi- 

 lar. In the middle of August of that 

 year I saw an old female accompanied 

 with four young. One of the latter I 

 obtained. It did not differ materially 

 from the old ones. Another specimen 

 was sent me alive, having been caught in 

 a trap. I have invariably found them in 

 swampy, muddy places, usually covered 

 with more or less water. The birds which 



I opened had their gizzards filled with the 

 fragments of coleopterous insects as well 

 as some small green worms that are 

 found on water plants, such as the pond 

 lily. The manners of this species resem- 

 ble those of the prothonotary warbler, as 

 it skips among the low bushes growing 

 about the ponds and other watery places, 

 seldom ascending high trees. It retires 

 southward at the close of summer." 



Another interesting account is that of 

 Mr. N. C. Brown's experience with these 

 birds at Coosada, Alabama. In his rec- 

 ord, which was published in the Bulletin 

 of the Nuttall Ornithological Club 

 (1878), Mr. Brown says : "On April 12, 

 while forcing my way through the dark, 

 rank forest which lies about the source 

 of Coosada Creek, I caught the final 

 notes of an unknown song uttered close 

 at hand. Instanly seating myself on a 

 fallen tree, I awaited its repetition. The 

 woods about me were quite dry and com- 

 paratively deserted by birds, but along 

 the neighboring creek many vireos, 

 thrushes and swamp warblers were pro- 

 ducing such a babel of sounds that I 

 feared the voice of my unknown song- 

 ster might escape me. After the lapse of 

 a few minutes, however, a bird emerged 

 from a thicket within a few yards of me, 

 where he had been industriously scratch- 

 ing amongst the fallen leaves, flew into 

 a small sapling and gave utterance to a 

 loud, ringing, and very beautiful song. 

 Seen in the dim light of the woods, he 

 bore a decided resemblance to the Louisi- 

 ana water thrush, and his song might 

 almost have passed for an exceptional 

 performance by that bird. I at once sus- 

 pected his tnie identity, and in a few sec- 

 onds held in my hand the lifeless body of 

 a male Swainson's Warbler." Continu- 

 ing, Mr. Brown relates that he was im- 

 pressed by the absorbed manner in which 



