THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 197 



the "winter in the Southern States and as far south as the 

 Bahamas. They are very common throughout the pine 

 barrens of New Jersey during the summer, arriving as 

 early as March 30. 



Minot describes their song as a "delicately trilled 

 whistle, " and Wilson says that it is a "simple reiterated 

 chirrup continued for four or five seconds." 



The food of the bird consists of the seeds of the pine 

 and of insects; the latter it generally takes While moving 

 along the trunks or limbs of trees Creeper-fashion, 

 although it -also pursues them into the air or to the 

 ground. 



Warbler, Prairie. — Length, four and three-fourths 

 inches; extent, six and a half inches; bill, one- fourth of 

 an inch; sides of neck, black; yellow line over eye and a 

 short one below it; back, olive green, spotted with chest- 

 nut; breast and belly, bright yellow; sides, bright yellow, 

 streaked with black; tail, olive green, with large white 

 spots on the outer feathers; wings, olive green, with two 

 yellow wing bars. The female has little or no brown on 

 the back. 



The nest is an exquisite piece of workmanship and very 

 light. It hangs from a branch in a bush or thicket and 

 is made of fine shreds of plant fibre, bark and fine tendrils; 

 it is lined with small roots and hair. The eggs are either 

 four or five in number, w^hite, with numerous brown spots, 

 forming a wreath near the large end, and two-thirds by 

 one-half an inch in size. 



The birds breed in the eastern United States as far 

 north as southern New England and spend the winter in 

 southern Florida and the West Indies. They are very 

 plentiful throughout the summer in the pine barrens in 

 New Jersey; migrants occur from May 10 to May 15 and 

 again from September 1 to September 15. 



The song of ttie bird is quaint and curious, consisting 



