LAND BIRDS. 637 
in spring, Mr. Wood’s earliest record in twenty-five years at Ann Arbor 
being May 3, 1883, and the average May 15, while in three years the arrivals 
were May 19, May 20 and May 27. Dr. Gibbs gives the first record for 
Kalamazoo county, a specimen taken by Mr. Syke, May 21, 1882, but his 
first records for Howard City, Montcalm county, are May 18, 1880, May 
11, 1882 and May 20, 1883. He found them common if not abundant in 
Montcalm and Wexford counties. Specimens were killed on Michigan 
lighthouses as follows: Detroit River Light, May 15, 1886; Pt. Aux 
Barques Light, Lake Huron, May 12 and 13, 1883; Spectacle Reef Light, 
Lake Huron, May 31, 1892, May 22, 1893, August 23, 1887. 
The Mourning Warbler is a decidedly rare bird east of the Alleghanies 
but seems to be fairly abundant as a nesting bird in parts of northern 
Michigan if not throughout. It is by no means confined to wet ground, 
but frequents thickets and brushy clearings. In such situations it may 
be found among the bushes, or singing from the top of a low tree, reminding 
one both in habits and song of the Maryland Yellowthroat, but being 
much more conspicuous. Dr. W. H. Dunham states that in Kalkaska 
county he has found it a common breeder. Under date of August 1, 
1906, he writes “IT have seen from one to four pairs in every old chopping 
I have visited all summer up to date. They were almost as common here 
this summer as in Marquette county, where I spent from June 25 to July 
21 this year.” It was found frequently in the Porcupine Mountains, 
Ontonagon county, by the University of Michigan expedition in 1904, 
and was evidently nesting, females accompanied by young barely able 
to fly being seen several times. Peet also records it at Isle Royale, Lake 
Superior, in July 1905. The writer found it nesting in some numbers at 
Munising, Alger county, July 6, 1903, and observed a female feeding young 
at Grand Marais, in the same county, a few days later. Mr. E. A. Doolittle 
states that in the summer of 1906 he found it a common breeder on Grand 
Island, Lake Superior, and came across three nests (between June 19 
and July 12) containing eggs. Dr. W. H. Dunham found a nest in Kalkaska 
county June 7, 1902, ‘which was located at the edge of an old chopping, 
on the ground, and was shaded by vines commonly known as wild buck- 
wheat. There were four fresh eggs.” 
Dr. Gibbs found the Mourning Warbler an abundant summer resident 
in Montcalm county from 1880 to 1884, and speaks of it as perhaps the 
most abundant species of the family in that county. Our southernmost 
summer record for the state was obtained by E. R. Kalmbach, who found 
two males in a swamp near Lansing, Ingham county, July 7, 1907. Both 
were in full song and undoubtedly had nests in the vicinity. One specimen 
was collected and its identification confirmed by the writer. 
According to Ridgway: ‘The eggs are not separable from those of 
the Connecticut and Kentucky Warblers,” that is, they are white or creamy 
white, speckled and spotted with brown, reddish brown and lilac gray. 
They average .71 by .54 inches. 
The song is variously described by different writers as suggesting that 
of the Maryland Yellowthroat, the Kentucky Warbler, the Ovenbird 
and the Water-thrush. Mr. Walter Faxon describing the song in western 
Massachusetts says: ‘The song that I most often heard resembles the 
syllables thur-ree, thur-ree, thur-ree. A refrain consisting of three notes, 
with the accent upon the last, or of two notes with a strong accent on 
the first, the voice falling on the second, was sometimes appended. At 
other times the form of the song was quite different, consisting of but five 
