266 HOODED WARBLER. 
fragrance. Flies, mosquitoes, moths, butterflies, bugs of all kinds, spiders, small cater- 
pillars, etc., are its main food. When flying in pursuit of insects, it has a peculiarly 
graceful manner of closing and spreading its broad tail like the Redstart. 
The nesting of this Warbler is highly interesting. In south-western Missouri the 
nest is usually placed in a snow-berry bush, only one or two feet above the ground. It 
is well hidden among the dense foliage and branches of these peculiar bushes and is 
built of fine bark-strips, skeleton leaves, catkins from hickory and oak trees, fine 
grasses, all compactly woven together with spider webs. The lining consists of grape- 
vine bark; occasionally it is lined with horse or cattle hair throughout. These nests are 
not so beautiful as those found in the kalmia and swamp honey-suckle thickets of the 
East. Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn., gives the following description of the nesting 
of the Hooded Warblers in the kalmia thickets in south-eastern Connecticut : 
“It was back a mile from the public road in the deep old woods, chestnuts, beeches, 
and birches of seventy-five years’ standing, with a short undergrowth of kalmia aver- 
aging some two and a half feet in height. This shrub is abundant here and is frequently 
found in patches of considerable extent. I was passing quietly along in such a place 
when something flitted across my path almost from under my feet. It passed so swiftly 
from sight I could not distinguish it, disappearing instantly in the adjacent shrubbery, 
but I knew what it was, for I had been through the same experience before. Scrutinizing 
every shrub ever so carefully, I failed to fix my eyes on the nest that I knew was there, 
for I could soon hear the sharp, clear note of the female Hooded Warbler a few paces 
away in the thickets, and catch an occasional glimpse of her as she flitted from shrub 
to shrub, and from one thicket to another, and I could see the white patches of the 
tail open and shut with every movement. 
“Taught by past experience, I presently abandoned searching and retired a short 
distance, carefully marking the spot, to watch the bird and wait developments. As I 
moved away from the spot, I could perceive that the bird approached it again by the 
continually repeated chip nearer and nearer at each repetition, till in five minutes it 
was silent or with only an occasional note, and I knew she was on the nest. I listened 
keenly for every note as I again approached the spot, for this bird will occasionally 
repeat her note when on the nest, as I have often proved, and when she went fluttering 
off, I saw the little shrub tremble and knew that there was the nest closely hidden 
among the dark green kalmia leaves, but very easy to see now that I knew just where 
to look. Pieces of yellow birch bark, beech and chestnut leaves carefully matted and 
bound together and to the triangular crotch, formed the base of the structure, rounded 
and neatly finished at the top with the inner bark of chestnut and cedar, with fine 
grass and scales from beech buds and a little fern down mixed in, and all secured com- 
pactly together with spider webs. I speak advisedly having seen the bird diligently 
gather the webs. Inside the nest was neatly and smoothly lined with mixed horse hair 
and very fine grass. Largest outer diameter 3.50 inches, inner diameter 2.00 inches, 
and depth 2.00 inches, and built in a little kalmia bush about fifteen inches from the 
ground. This description will answer for most of the many nests I have found of the 
species, with varying quantities of birch bark and fern down, invariably in a kalmia 
bush. This was the 26th of May, 1879, and within this nest were four beautiful 
