l66 ' THE CHICAGO ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



eminently successful. I quote from his report:* "On July 2d, 

 at six A. M., I started out ; crossing the river bottom (near Butler 

 bridge, Oscoda County, thirty-five miles northeast of Roscommon, 

 Michigan) I came to a steep terrace which forms the edge of the 

 Norway plains. This is very wet, and in places fine springs 

 seep out. Here also is a dense growth of cedar with tamarack 

 near the foot of the terrace. Fir, balm of Gilead -and birch make 

 up the timber. Climbing this slope I found a rather level plain 

 with scattering Norway and jack pines. In places these have 

 been cut off, and in their stead there has sprung up a more or 

 less thick growth of small jack pines, yellow oak and poplar. 

 The ground is covered with a mat of wintergreen, sweetfern and 

 trailing arbutus. I was walking slowly through this, watching 

 the junco, song sparrow, chipping sparrow and the vesper spar- 

 row — ^the most common bird of these plains — when suddenly I 

 heard a new song, loud, clear, joyous and full of sweet melody. 

 This song may be described as follows: weche chee-chee-chee- 

 r-r-r. The r sound is quite prolonged and loud. The first two 

 notes are low, then the notes gradually increase in volume to the 

 end. I thought it a Kirtland, although I had never before heard 

 its song. I heard this song repeated at intervals of about thirty 

 seconds, and from dififerept directions. I tried to catch a glimpse 

 of the singer, but for a long time failed to do so, as he kept among 

 the thick jack pines and scrub oaks. I repeatedly tried to go 

 where he sang last, and finally saw him flit from a bush to a yellow 

 oak scrub and light about threft feet above the ground. As I 

 watched him he sat quite erect, threw forward his head and the 

 wonderful song rang out. This song was remarkable because of 

 its volume and rich melody. I was sure this was the bird for 

 which I was in search ; but in order to make certain the identity 

 I shot it. A moment later I held in my hand a fine adult male 

 of Kirtland's Warbler." Though Mr. Wood saw other specimens 

 of this Warbler, both male and female, it was not until the eighth 

 of July that he was successful in his hunt for a nest. He says : 

 "We had nearly reached the line of Crawford County when I 

 heard a song and on stopping, soon saw a male Kirtlandii singing 

 from his favorite tree. I slipped from the wagon and secured 

 this male. Driving on one half mile I saw a male fly to a dead 

 tree near the road. This bird had a worm in its mouth, so I 

 concluded that its nest was near by, and that it would go to it 



*Bull. Michigan Orn. Club, Vol. V, March, 1904, 5. 



