FEATHERED GEMS 



the warblers by their notes. This is a great advantage 

 in field work, and, for that matter, to know all bird- 

 notes as far as possible. It will save one a great deal of 

 needless searching and instantly call one's attention 

 to the presence of rare species which otherwise would 

 probably be overlooked. 



To a great many people there is a special fascination 

 connected with the nesting of the warblers, just as there 

 is in finding the various species on their spring migra- 

 tion. Their little houses are so dainty, and ordinarily 

 so well concealed and hard to find, that the discovery 

 of a warbler's nest is a distinctly interesting and en- 

 livening event. Most of them nest well to the north. 

 Only about seven kinds breed at all commonly in most 

 Middle-Eastern districts — namely, the Yellow, Chest- 

 nut-sided and Black-throated Green Warblers, Oven- 

 bird, the Northern Yellow-throat, Redstart, and Black 

 and White Creeper or Warbler. A few more breed 

 sparingly or locally — such as the Chat, Kentucky, 

 Hooded, Blue-winged Yellow and Worm-eating War- 

 blers, especially in the Middle States; and casually 

 there or in the latitude of southern New England the 

 Nashville, Golden-winged, Parula, Black-throated Blue, 

 Pine and Canadian Warblers and the Louisiana Water 

 Thrush. Out of about sixteen kinds which at all 

 normally breed in the regions where I have lived — 

 Massachusetts and northern Connecticut — I have found 

 the nests of twelve. The number grows very slowly, 

 and only by persistent and assiduous searching. But 



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