THH OOLOGI8T. 



153 



to decrease the mortality I used a 

 field-glass as much as possible. It 

 was very useful when warblers were 

 near the ground or in trees to the 

 height of about thirty feet, if the birds 

 possessed distinctive under markings. 

 However, it was practically useless at 

 that height against strong light or af- 

 ter sundown, and very uncertain at 

 times when the birds were in the tall 

 tree tops. To accomplish good re- 

 sults in warbler hunting requires hard 

 work and much patience. At times 

 the woods are apparently void of war- 

 blers, but experience has taught me 

 that, at least, a few may be found in 

 every suitable woods. This scarcity 

 may occur in the height of the sea- 

 son and is probably due to drainage 

 by a flock of travelers. If you keep 

 constantly in motion and attend strict- 

 ly to business the reward is certain, 

 although the amount of success de- 

 pends on how familiar you are with 

 the woods or, rather, the more favor- 

 able places. The terrestrial kinds are 

 not difficult to discover, as you can 

 penetrate their haunts and force them 

 from cover, but the more aboreal spe- 

 cies can not be reached in the thick 

 foliage of the forest trees. One of my 

 first experiments was to climb a tree, 

 commanding a view on all sides, and 

 wait for the birds, but in this I was 

 depending entirely on such as chan- 

 ced in one little spot of a large woods, 

 and even then they were more diffi- 

 cult to see than when looking from 

 the ground, while it was no easy mat- 

 ter to mark down anything shot, and 

 if wounded it was sure to escape be- 

 fore I could reach the spot. I have 

 seen a winged Nashville and Tenne- 

 see crawl entirely out of sight beneath 

 a dead leaf when other concealment 

 was wanting. Another of my errors 

 was wasting time in exploring unlike- 

 ly and out of the way places, believ- 

 ing such localities the most liable 

 to contain rarities. Another point, 



to be remembered, is that loud noises 

 inspire alarm and the birds flee at the 

 report of a gun; so by the time you 

 have picked up your specimen the re- 

 mainder have vanished from sight 

 and hearing. Never shoot into a 

 flock without first ascertaining their 

 direction of travel and you can then 

 sprint one or two hundred yards and 

 get some trace o fthem again. In the 

 woods the migrating flocks are usual- 

 ly of many species and the beginner 

 is liable to see only the prominent 

 kinds. Sometimes a small company of 

 three or four individuals will work 

 through the woods so much scattered 

 that there will be a hundred yards or 

 so between each bird. They remain 

 silent, except for flying from tree to 

 tree when a sharp peep is uttered to 

 keep in touch with one another. In a 

 case of this kind success depends on 

 quick work and some experience. It 

 does not pay to watch the water holes, 

 as migrating warblers will seldom 

 come down to drink and bathe. A no- 

 table fact is that the success of abo- 

 real warblers in eluding detection is 

 in no way due to wariness or sagacity. 

 They feel absolutely safe in the tree 

 tops and are totally indifferent to 

 what transpires on the ground be- 

 neath, The cause is protective color- 

 ation and food habits that keep them 

 among the slender twigs and leaves. 

 Of this type is the Tennessee. On 

 windy days they are practically safe 

 among the agitated leaves but are be- 

 trayed in calm weather by their natur- 

 al activity. As another type the Black 

 and White may be mentioned. They 

 spend much time about the tree 

 trunks and large limbs and can not 

 be overlooked. A mounted owl would 

 make an excellent decoy. 



In number of species the Mniotil- 

 tidae surpass all other families here, 

 and rank second in abundance of indi- 

 viduals. During 1906 I noted thirty 

 species, or six in excess of the Frin- 



