THE BIRDS IN WINTER 



again in the woods pecking rotten stumps or fallen 

 limbs in search of dormant beetles. 



Fifty-five species of Warblers inhabit North 

 America. These birds are insectivorous in their 

 feeding habits, which of course also means that 

 they are migratory. A partial exception to the rule 

 is found in the common Myrtle Warbler. Although 

 in winter these birds range south to Panama, many 

 remain as far north as New Jersey, Kansas, and the 

 Ohio Valley. This does not mean that insects are 

 found in these regions in sufficient numbers to supply 

 the larder of the Myrtle Warblers, but it does mean 

 that they find acceptable substitutes for their usual 

 food. Oddly enough, what they depend on is not 

 animal matter in any form, but consists of berries 

 which contain some of the essential food properties 

 of fatty meats. One of the most popular with them 

 is the common bayberry. 



Among the sand dunes of the extensive "Banks" 

 along the North Carolina coast there grows in great 

 profusion a small bushy tree known as the yaupon. 

 [89] 



