42 BLACK AND WHITE WARfiLER 



"At Berwyn, Pa., the Black and White Warbler inhabits timbered 

 upland, the rocky wooded hillsides and down to the damp swampy 

 thickets whenever there are sufficient undergrowths of laurel, saplings, 

 etc. It is at all times a woodland bird. 



"I have frequently seen the male and the female carrying white 

 grubs and white moths to their young; and feed a big lubberly Cow- 

 bird, out of the nest, as late as June 27. Another time, a female 

 fed a young Cowbird, at large, with green grubs taken from the 

 leaves of the chestnut and oak sapling. Three times in as many 

 minutes she dropped morsels down its gluttonous throat, all the 

 while exhibiting the most jealous care, guarding it from harm. It 

 was well able to fly." (Burns, MS.) 



Song. — The Black and White Warbler is not a vociferous singer 

 and its high screeping notes, to which the terms thin and wiry are 

 commonly applied, might readily escape the notice of a person not 

 listening for birds' voices. The sharp pit alarm note is rapidly and 

 loudly repeated when the birds fear for the safety of their young. 



"The ordinary call-note of the species, both in fall and spring, 

 resembles the syllable dzt; it often uttered rapidly, thus: dzt-dst-dzt- 

 dzt, while the bird is creeping about the trunks and large limbs of 

 trees. The usual song — not uttered in fall, I think — is monotonous, 

 consisting of a single lisping syllable repeated rather rapidly, five or 

 six times. A much rarer song I have heard in spring when much 

 migrational activity was being shown; this is much more elaborate, 

 and longer than the other. I heard it cmce in Amite County in July; 

 when the singer may have been a breeding bird" {Allison, MS.) 



"This Warbler has at least two main songs, both penetrating 

 and perfectly smooth-toned, as well as thin and wiry. The one com- 

 monly described consists of about eight like-toned notes, in barely- 

 separated couplets, with a slight emphasis on the second note of each 

 couplet : Ssee-wwee-ssee-wwee-ssee-wwee-ssee-wwee, — uttered neither 

 fast nor slowly. This song seems to be comparatively little subject 

 to variation, though by no means free from it. The other, longer and 

 less common song begins in the same way, but continues, after the 

 six or eight ordinary notes, with two or three somewhat hurried repe- 

 titions of the phrase, all in a slightly richer and more liquid tone, and 

 one or two on a slightly lower key. Thin and slight though it is, this 

 complete song has something of a rollicking sound, and ranks very 

 high among weak-voiced Warbler songs. The Black and White's 

 common call-note, small and rather sharp, is pretty easily recogniz- 



