THE WARBLERS 63 



The Chestnut-sided Warbler 



Length — ^About 5 inches. More than an inch shorter than 

 the English sparrow. 



Male — Top of head and streaks in wings yellow. A black 

 line running apparently through the eye and back of 

 crown. Ear coverts, chin, and underneath white. Back 

 greenish gray and slate, streaked with black. Sides of 

 bird chestnut. Wings, streaked with black and yellow, 

 have yellowish-white bars. Dark tail with white 

 patches on inner vanes of the outer quills. 



Female — Similar, but duller. Chestnut sides are often 

 scarcely apparent. 



Range — ^Eastern North America, from Manitoba and 

 Labrador to the tropics, where it winters. 



Migrations — May. September. Summer resident, most 

 common in migrations. 



In the Alleghanies, and from New Jersey and Illinois 

 northward, this restless little warbler nests in the bushy 

 borders of woodlands and the undergrowth of open woods, 

 for which he forsakes our gardens and orchards after a very 

 short visit in May. While hopping over the groimd catch- 

 ing ants, of which he seems to be inordinately fond, or flit- 

 ting actively about the shrubbery after grubs and insects, 

 we may note the broad, reddish brown stripe on his sides, 

 whereas the bay-breasted warbler, with which it is some- 

 times confused, has the crown, throat, and sides a rich 

 chestnut. With drooped wings that often conceal the 

 bird's chestnut sides, which are his chief distinguishing 

 mark, and with tail erected like a redstart's, he hunts in- 



