THE PROTHONOTARY WARBLER. 



"5 



Range in Ohio. — Rare during migration. Summer resident in restricted 

 localities, such as the Grand and Licking Reservoirs, and the major streams 

 draining into the Ohio. Casual elsewhere. 



PRE-EMINENT in a galaxy of beauties is this truly "golden" Warbler 

 of the swamps. He does not come over hill and dale with a rush and flutter 

 of wings and a nervous anxiety to get on, such as characterizes most of the 

 northern migrants, but proceeds rather in leisurel)' fashion along the valle}'s 

 of the larger streams. Sedate in movement and fearless, but not bold, in bear- 

 ing, this rare bird appears to bring with him something of the languorous air 

 of the South-land from 

 which he hails. His 

 chosen haunts, too, 

 flooded lowland woods, 

 are even more strongly 

 suggestive of those wa- 

 tery fastnesses of the 

 south, where the spe- 

 cies is found in greatest 

 abundance. 



Indeed, it is within 

 comparatively recent 

 times that the Prothon- 

 otary Warbler has be- 

 come known as a bird 

 of Ohio. Dr. Wheat- 

 on first reported it in 

 1862 on hearsay evi- 

 dence. It was after- 

 wards found breeding at 

 the St. Mary's reser- 

 voir by ^Ir. Charles 

 Dury, of Cincinnati. In 

 the spring of 1902, Mr. 

 Irving A. Fieldof Gran- 

 ville found it breeding 



at several places about the Licking Reservoir, where I also had the pleasure 

 of studying it, both at that time and during the season of 1903, On the 

 28th of April, 1902, I observed a male on the banks of the Olentangy^ near 

 Columbus, and again two days later. 



As one walks along that portion of the containing levee of Licking Reser- 

 voir shown in our first illustration, a glance to the right discovers only the 

 lapping waves and the rough rubble of the levee, but at the left the gaze falls 



.\ PROTHONOTARY WARBLER'S FRON'T YARD. 



A NEST IS SITUATED JUST OVER THE LEVEE WITHIN 20 FEET OF THE 

 water's EDGE. LICKING RESERVOIR, 

 LICKING COUNTY, OHIO. 



