The Birds of El Paso County, Colorado 583 



abundant along the valley streams in the trees and bushes. 

 The males come first, but their mates are not long in following, 

 and Aiken took a mated pair May 21, 1898, near Colorado 

 City. It is a characteristic warbler of the foothills, and perhaps 

 the most abundant of this group of birds in these localities. 

 The first nest of this species known to science was found and 

 described by Aiken. This was sunk in the ground in a tuft 

 of bunch grass growing in a clump of oak brush, with the 

 dead grass hanging over and completely concealing the nest, 

 which was reached through a small round hole like a mouse 

 hole through the protecting grass. This nest contained five 

 fresh eggs, and was found about June 1, 1873. The species 

 seems to nest exclusively about the oak brush. 



Vermivora celata celata. Orange-crowned Warbler. 



Common in migration. Arrives the very last of April, 

 having been observed on the 27th and 28th of that month in 

 different years. 



This warbler is common about the trees and bushes of the 

 valley streams and in the foothills during the first half of May, 

 and is one of the very earliest of the warblers to arrive in 

 spring, but there are no breeding records for this County. 

 If Oberholser's subspecies orestera had been allowed by the 

 A. O. U. our birds would belong to it, being intermediate in 

 characters between celata and lutescens. 



Vermivora peregrina. Tennessee Warbler. 



Rare; but one record for the County, a juvenile male 

 taken by Aiken, September 28, 1872. Aiken has found several 

 near Limon, some distance easterly from our limits, and it is 

 undoubtedly a regular migrant in the eastern parts of Colorado. 



Compsothlsrpis americana usneae. Northern Parula Warbler. 



Rare, but one record for El Paso County, a male taken by 

 Aiken, May 11, 1872, on Turkey Creek. 



