452 Birds of Colorado 
a little white around the eye; below white, with irregular patches of 
black on the chest and streaks of the same colour on the flanks ; iris 
brown, bill black, legs dark brown. Length 5-25; wing 3-10; tail 
2-55; culmen -40; tarsus -75. 
The male in autumn and winter is very different ; the general colour 
above is dingy brown with indistinct streaks of black, the crown-patch 
concealed by the brownish tips of the feathers ; but the rump is bright 
yellow ; below and the sides of the head dingy white, and the yellow 
breast-patches are hardly noticeable. The female in spring is like the 
male but is smaller—wing 2-80—and duller in colour, the back is 
strongly washed with brown and the crown-patch is smaller ; the sides 
of the head dusky brown, not black, and the black of the lower-parts 
is more streaky and less patchy. Young birds are like the female, 
but duller and less marked. E 
Distribution.—Breeding far north from Alaska and Labrador south 
to the northern border of the states from Minnesota to Massachusetts, 
wintering in the middle tier of the states from Kansas and Massachu- 
setts south to eastern Mexico, Panama, the Bahamas and the Greater 
Antilles. 
The Myrtle-Warbler is « rather uncommon spring migrant in the 
eastern part of Colorado up to the foothills of the mountains, arriving 
about the last week in April—E] Paso co. April 28th (Allen & Brewster), 
Loveland April 24th-25th (W. G. Smith)—and passing onward about 
the end of May. It has not been found breeding in the State, nor 
has it been recorded during the fall migration, but recently H. G. Smith 
(08) has found it wintering at Holly in the Arkansas Valley. As it 
is well known to winter in south-eastern Kansas, this is not surprising. 
The following are additional recorded localities: Boulder co. on 
migration (Henderson), Idaho Springs up to 9,000 feet (Trippe), Denver 
(Henshaw), Limon (Aiken), Salida May 9th (Frey), and Fort Lyon 
(Thorne apud Cooke). 
Habits.—The Myrtle-Warbler is generally seen about 
low trees, moving briskly along and picking up small 
insects, though in winter it is said to feed largely on 
berries, especially those of the myrtle, from which it 
gets its name. It has a characteristic “ Tchip” or 
“Tchep,’”’ while Henshaw states that its song is a low 
and sweet warble resembling that of the Audubon. 
Beyond our limits it nests in small coniferous trees, 
while the eggs, usually four in number, resemble those 
of other Warblers. 
