Wayne: Birds of South Carolina. 159 



tirely governed by the presence or absence of the Spanish moss, 

 and where the moss is growing in profusion the birds are common, 

 but where the moss is absent the birds are absolutely not to be 

 found. I observed numbers of these birds which were in full 

 song on March 7, 1884, and Mr. Benjamin True Gault (in 

 whose company I was), shot one on March 6, 1903, near Mt. Pleas- 

 ant. The birds remain until October 21, which is my latest 

 record. 1 



The nest is always built in the festoons of the Spanish moss, 

 from eight to more than one hundred feet from the ground, and 

 is constructed of the flower of the moss and a few pieces of fine, 

 dry grass. The eggs range from three to seven, generally four, 

 and are white, speckled, spotted, and blotched with reddish 

 brown and lilac shell markings, measuring .65 X .45. I have taken 

 full complements of eggs as early as April 15. Two broods are 

 raised. 



I shot a female at Old Town, Florida, on March 23, 1893, which 

 has nearly the whole of the top of the head bright blue . This spec- 

 imen is now in the collection of my friend Mr. William Brewster. 



The Parula Warbler winters from northern Florida southward. 



254. Compsothlypis americana usneae Brewst. Northern 

 Parula Warbler. 



This race of the Parula Warbler arrives much later in spring 

 than C. americana, my earliest record being March 17, 1902. 

 Its habits while here are identical with those of the southern 

 species, nor can I distinguish any difference in the song. Since 

 adult males are very hard to procure in autumn I cannot state 

 with certainty when this form arrives and departs. 



The breeding range extends from Virginia northward to New 

 Brunswick. 



255. Dendroica tigrina (Gmel.). Cape May Warbler. 



It appears that neither Bachman nor Audubon ever ob- 

 served this beautiful species in this state; in fact Audubon never 

 met with it in life. Although I have searched for it most dili- 

 gently during the migrations ever since 1883, it was not until 

 September 13, 1895, that I secured my first specimen, an adult 

 male which was shot from the top of a live oak tree, near Mount 



1 The latest record of the Charleston Museum for this species is October 22, 1908, 

 when it was reported at the Navy Yard by Mr. F. M. Weston, Jr. — Ed. 



