100 NORTH AMERICAN WARBLERS. 



Rica it has been noted several times, but in only one instance has it 

 been reported as common — at Miravalles/* on the northwest coast, at 

 1,400-2,000 feet. At San Jose^ (3,500 feet) it is quite rare. The 

 southernmost points at which its occurrence is recorded are the volcano 

 of Chiriqui^ in Panama, and Bonda^ on the coast of northern Colombia. 



The range of the oven-bird in the West Indies is extensive; it 

 includes the larger islands and extends to St. Croix and St. Thomas of 

 the Lesser Antilles. The bird is found throughout the Bahamas; 

 there are records of its occurrence on twelve different islands, and it 

 winters in quite large numbers at least as far north as Andros and 

 New Providence. It is abundant in winter in southern Florida and 

 is less common thence to the central part of the State. On January 

 21, 1903, an individual w^as seen at Whitheld in northern Florida. A 

 few of the species sometimes spend the winter on the islands off the 

 coast of Louisiana.^ 



Spring migration. — In the records of the occurrence of the oven- 

 bird in spring in Florida migrants and wintering birds are indis- 

 tinguishably confused, excepting, of course, in the case of those 

 received from the light-houses. 



At Raleigh, N. C, the Brimle}^ brothers spent a great deal of time 

 and care in obtaining exact records of arrival and departure of birds. 

 Their records for the different years are, so far as most species are 

 concerned, surprisingly uniform, varying in a long series of 3^ears 

 only three or four days from the average. In the case of the arrival 

 in spring of the oven-bird, however, there are not only variations 

 from year to 3^ear, but quite large differences in the averages of five- 

 year periods. These five-year averages are as follows: 1885-1889 

 average, April 18; 1890-1891 average, April 12; 1896-1900 average, 

 April 22. The extremes are April 7, 1892, and April 29, 1899. It is 

 probable that variations in the winters, which drive the birds south or 

 allow them to remain even as far north as St. Augustine, may account 

 for this irregularity. The average date of arrival at Raleigh is prob- 

 ably April 12-15, while at. Asheville, N. C, in the mountains, it is 

 April 18. 



The oven-bird, called in southern Florida and the Bahamas the 

 ''night-walker," is one of the birds which strike most commonly 

 against the Florida lighthouses. The records of its striking are 

 voluminous, but can not be used with perfect confidence because of 

 the uncertainty whether the species has been in all cases clearly dis- 

 tinguished from other members of the genus. The earliest unques- 



« Underwood, Ibis, p. 434, 1896. 

 &Cherrie, Auk, IX, p. 21, 1892. 



^'Salvin, P. Z. S., p. 183, 1870; Bangn, Auk, XVIII, p. 368, 1901; Bangs, Proc. N. 

 E. Zool. Club, III, p. 62, 1902. 



'^Specimen in Carnegie Museum, Pittsl)urg, Pa. 

 ^ Beyer, The Avifauna of Louisiana, p. 40, 1900, 



