WARBLERS. 77 



Tennessee Warbler. Vermivora peregrina. 



The Tennessee is one of the commonest of the wood warblers in 

 migration, occurring in both spring and fall. Its summer home is in 

 Canada and the northern United States. A single bird was noted at 

 Delight as early as April 6 (Savage), but at Helena the species is 

 usually observed between April 19 and May 12. I saw numbers of 

 them at Lake City between April 30 and May 2 and at Walker Lake 

 May 4 and 5. The fall migration takes place chiefly between Septem- 

 ber 15 and October 15. 



Western Parula Warbler. Compsothlypis americana ramalinse. 



This tiny warbler is a very common summer resident in most parts 

 of the State. It arrives in the vicinity of Helena about the first 

 of April (earliest, March 24) and departs about the first of October. 

 I observed the species in numbers at Mammoth Spring, Conway, 

 Wilmot, Camden, Womble, Chester, Pettigrew, and Cotter, and it 

 probably breeds in all those localities. Specimens were collected at 

 Chester and Womble. There are no definite fall records. This 

 species is an inhabitant of river-bottom timber and builds its nest 

 usually in a bunch of hanging moss. Its food is said to consist largely 

 of spiders, caterpillars, small flies, and beetles. 



[Cape May Warbler. Dendroica tigrina. 



This is one of the rarer warblers, but occurs quite regularly in migration in the Missis- 

 sippi Valley on its way to and from its summer home in Canada. It may be looked for 

 in Arkansas in late April or May and again in September.] 



Yellow Warbler. Dendroica sestiva. 



The yellow warbler occurs as a summer resident in the northern and 

 northwestern parts of Arkansas, but apparently does not breed south 

 of the Ozarks and their foothills. It is reported as a rare breeder at 

 Clinton, but does not occur in summer at Helena. I found it in the 

 breeding season at Pettigrew (common), Chester, Cotter, and Mam- 

 moth Spring. It appears in migration at Helena between April 14 

 and May 15. In the fall it leaves very early, passing south from the 

 last of July to the middle of September. One was noted by Preble 

 September 16, at Fort Smith. The yellow warbler is at times domes- 

 tic in its habits, often taking up its abode in orchards and in trees or 

 shrubbery surrounding farm and village houses. It is considered one 

 of the most useful birds of the farm, feeding largely on caterpillars, 

 cankerworms, barkbeetles, wood-boring beetles, and weevils (For- 

 bush) . 



Black-throated Blue Warbler. Dendroica cserulescens. 



This is a northern breeding species, occurring in the Mississippi 

 Valley in migration during April, May, and September. There is 

 only one record from Arkansas — a bird seen by Mrs. Stephenson at 

 Helena, April 7, 1904. 



