284 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



SWAINSON WARBLER : Limnothlypis swainsonii 

 (Audubon) .* 



State records. — The Swainson warbler was first recorded 

 from Alabama by Nathan Clifford Brown, who, in 1878, dis- 

 covered three singing birds in the vicinity of Coosada.f Dr. 

 Avery observed the species only once at Greensboro, Septem- 

 ber 6, 1890, when he collected a young female specimen. 



In the big river swamps above Mobile, in May, 1911 and 

 1914, and July, 1913, I heard at different points at least 9 

 singing birds of this species, but on account of the impenetra- 

 ble character of the vegetation was not able to collect any. 

 In Catoma Swamp, near Teasley Mill, Montgomery County, I 

 heard the song of this bird several times on April 1, 1914, 

 and again in May. Specimens were taken at Tuscaloosa, 

 June 2, 1913; on Sipsey Fork, near Mellville, May 1, 1914; at 

 Prattville Junction, May 9^ 1914; and in Bear Swamp near 

 Autaugaville, May 24, 1913. The bird was frequently heard 

 in Bear Swamp and in other swamps near Autaugaville, and 

 has also been noted on the upper Choctawhatchee, near Edwin 

 (June), and at Muscle Shoals, on the Tennessee River 

 (April 24). 



On an island in the Tennessee River near Florence, in May, 

 1912, I found 2 nests and saw 3 or 4 of the warblers. Both 

 nests were in rather open canebrakes in heavy timber, on dry 

 ground, but close to the border of a small slough. They were 

 loosely fastened in the upper brianches of cane stems, about 

 4 feet above the ground. One nest, found May 5, contained 

 2 eggs; May 8 it held 3 eggs and the female parent was in- 

 cubating ; she allowed me to approach within 4 feet of her be- 

 fore she flew off and quickly disappeared. The other nest 

 was found the same day but was empty, though apparently 

 just completed. The eggs are pure white, unspotted. 



General habits. — This is one of the least known of the war- 

 blers, being confined in the breeding season to the deep 

 swamps-and river-bottom woods where canebrakes are found. 

 Though by no means generally distributed, in many localities 



*Helinaia swminMiti of the A. O. U. Check-list; for change of name see The Auk, 

 vol. 87, p. 444, 1920. 



tBrown, N. C, Bull. Nuttall Oi-nitb. Club, vol. 3, pp. 172-178, 1878. 



