WARBLERS 307 



The nest is placed in a pine tree, 12 to 80 feet above the 

 ground, usually on a horizontal limb or sometimes in the ter- 

 minal twigs of a nearly upright branch ; it is rather bulky and 

 solidly constructed of weed stems, the stems of dry leaves, 

 grapevine bark, horse-hair, etc., and plentifully lined with 

 feathers. 



Food habits. — C. S. Brimley, writing of the food habits of 

 the pine warbler (in North Carolina) says: 



This species feeds on insects and their larvae but like all 

 our resident species consumes a large amount of vegetable food 

 during the winter, e. g., the seeds of the short-leaved and lob- 

 lolly pines (Pinus mitis and P. taeda) as well as the berries of 

 dogwood (Cornus florida) and Sumac (Rhus copaUina). During 

 the spring and summer this species feeds mostly in the pine 

 trees; during autumn and winter it also feeds on the gn^ound to 

 a great extent and may then be found almost anywhere.* 



PALM WARBLER: Dendroica pcUmarum palmarmn 



(Gmelin). 



State records. — The palm, or red-poll, warbler is a common 

 spring and fall migrant throughout the State and a rare win- 

 ter resident near the coast. Fall migration takes place chief- 

 ly during October. Dean saw a number of the birds at Annis- 

 ton, October 8 (1916). Avery noted them at Greensboro on 

 October 12, 21 and 25; McCormack observed the first at 

 Leighton on October 24 (1891) ; and Golsan saw two at Au- 

 taugaville, October 16 (1915). In the pine flats of the coast 

 region in February I saw only a few individuals of this sub- 

 species. One specimen was taken near Mobile, February 5, 

 and one or two were seen at Bayou Labatre, February 9, 1912 ; 

 Holt saw a few at Jackson, February 19-26, 1912. 



Spring migration begins the last of March or first of April 

 and continues till early in May. I took specimens at Jackson 

 Lake (Elmore County), March 27; Squaw Shoals (Jefferson 

 County) , April 12 ; and Autaugaville, April 16 ; and noted the 

 bird, also, at Tuscaloosa, April 6 and 7 (1915), and on Sand 

 Mountain, April 11 and 15 (1914). Holt collected one at 

 Myrtlewood, April 19 (1912). Dr. Avery found this bird 



•Brimley, C. S., The Auk. vol. 8. p. 199, 1891. 



