CONNECTICUT WARBLER (Oporornis 
agilis) 
Range: Breeds in Canadian Zone from Mani- 
toba to central Minnesota and northern Mich- 
igan; winters in South America, probably in 
Colombia and Brazil. 
_ Discovered by Wilson in Connecticut early 
in the last century, the Connecticut warbler re- 
mained almost unknown for many years until, 
September 7, 1870, I found it numerous in the 
fresh pond swamps of Cambridge. The bird 
thus rediscovered rapidly came into the lime- 
light, and there are few eastern observers of 
the present day who are not tolerably familiar 
with the appearance and habits of this warbler. 
In fall it is common throughout eastern United 
States in low, swampy thickets. It habitually 
feeds on the ground, and is so silent and shy 
as easily to escape the notice even of one on 
the lookout for it, especially as its single chirp 
of alarm is infrequently uttered. In fact, the 
only way to be sure that one or more Con- 
necticut warblers are not concealed in the 
shrubbery of a suspected locality is to beat 
over it systematically, not once, but many times. 
When startled, the warbler flies noiselessly to 
the nearest shaded perch, and there sits mo- 
tionless, watching the intruder, till it decides 
either to renew its interrupted search for food 
or to seek some distant place, far from the dan- 
ger of intrusion. Under such circumstances its 
motions are highly suggestive of the staid and 
quiet thrushes, and in no respect similar to the 
sprightly warblers. The Connecticut is one of 
the few species that for some reason choose 
distinct routes of migration, as in spring it 
passes up the Mississippi Valley instead of 
through the Atlantic Coast States, which form 
its southern route in fall. The bird is known 
to breed in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, 
Manitoba, and elsewhere in the north. The 
only nest so far found, however, appears to be 
one discovered by Seton in Manitoba. As was 
to be expected, it was on the ground. 
MOURNING WARBLER (Oporornis 
philadelphia) 
Range: Breeds in lower Canadian Zone from 
-seast central Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, 
southwestern Keewatin, Nova Scotia, and Mag- 
dalen Islands south to central Minnesota, 
Michigan, central Ontario, and mountains of 
New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and 
West Virginia; winters from Nicaragua and 
Costa Rica to Colombia and Ecuador. 
The mourning warbler is a near cousin of 
the Maryland yellow-throat and, like that bird, 
sticks rather closely to Mother Earth, being no 
lover of tree-tops. Unlike the yellow-throat, 
however, it is one of the rarest of the family, 
and few ornithologists have ever enjoyed op- 
portunity to get on familiar terms with it and 
to observe its habits adequately. 
Most observers, like myself, have come across 
a few in migration from time to time, chiefly 
in spring, when the bird’s habits may be de- 
scribed in general terms as a combination of 
those of the Maryland yellow-throat and the 
Connecticut warbler. During the spring mi- 
gration it frequents brushy hillsides and damp 
thickets, and in the nesting season seems par- 
97 
tial to briar patches, in which it places its 
bulky nest of leaves and stalks. 
The song is said to be rich and full and has 
been compared with that of the Maryland yel- 
low-throat and the water-thrush. 
MACGILLIVRAY WARBLER 
(Oporornis tolmiei) 
Range: Breeds mainly in the lower Cana- 
dian and Transition Zones from central 
British Columbia, central Alberta, and south- 
ern Saskatchewan south to southern Cali- 
fornia, southern Arizona, and northern New 
Mexico, and from the Pacific coast to the 
eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains and 
southwestern South Dakota; winters from 
Lower California to Colombia. 
Though closely resembling the mourning 
warbler in appearance and representing that 
bird in the west, the Macgillivray warbler 
differs widely in habits. Thus it is far more 
generally distributed, both in the mountains 
and in the lowlands, and is much more numer- 
ous. In my own experience I have found it 
in summer chiefly in moist thickets of willows 
or other brush along streams, and a suitable 
locality is rarely without a pair or two. Other 
observers, however, have found the bird on 
dry brushy hillsides. This warbler nests from 
a few inches to a few feet above the ground. 
It has a short, though pleasing, song which is 
repeated at brief intervals. 
HOODED WARBLER (Wilsonia citrina) 
Range: Breeds in Carolinian and Austrori- 
parian Zones from southeastern Nebraska, 
southern Iowa, southwestern Michigan, central 
New York, and the lower Connecticut Valley 
south to Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia; 
winters from Vera Cruz and Yucatan to Pan- 
ama. 
While the hooded warbler has a wide range 
in eastern United States, its center of abun- 
dance is the lower Mississippi Valley. It is 
common only locally and wholly absent from 
many sections except as a casual migrant. Of 
the bird, one of our most beautiful warblers, 
Chapman says: 
“To my mind there is no warbler to which 
that much misused word ‘lovely’ may be so 
aptly applied as to the present species. Its 
beauty of plumage, charm of voice, and gen- 
tleness of demeanor make it indeed not only a 
lovely, but a truly lovable bird. Doubtless, 
also, the nature of the hooded warbler’s haunts 
increases its attractiveness not merely because 
these well-watered woodlands are in them- 
selves inviting, but because they bring the bird 
down to our level. This creates a sense of 
companionship which we do not feel with the 
bird ranging high above us, and at the same 
time it permits us to see this exquisitely clad 
creature under most favorable conditions.” 
WILSON WARBLER (Wilsonia pusilla 
pusilla) 
(For text, see page 90) 
CANADA WARBLER (Wilsonia 
canadensis) 
(For text, see page 90) 
