27

1916.

18. Orange-crowned Warbler. My very first spring record of the occurrence of this
Warbler was made on May 13 [May 13, 1916] when, about 6.30 A.M., I came upon a bird
sunning itself in a leafless thicket overrun with wild grape vines near our hill-side
poultry yard. Thence it flew, presently, to a low sweeping branch of a large hickory
and began probing the terminal, swollen buds in much the same deliberate, abstracted
manner as that so often characteristic of a Tennessee Warbler. It was very tame or
sluggish, permitting close approach. From distances no greater than ten yards I watched
it closely through my glass, in clear sunlight, for upwards of fifteen minutes,
identifying it beyond all possibility of doubt. It was an exceptionally dull-colored
bird, probably a [female], with dusky olivaceous upper parts and grayish underparts
tinged only very slightly with yellowish. The top of head appeared uniform with
the back in general coloring but its sides showed ill-defined & scarce noticeable
superciliary stripes. The bird was quite alone and uttered no sound save an
occasional faint lisping tsip sometimes abbreviated to tsi.

19. Tennessee Warbler. Never before have I known this species occur so numerously
during spring migration in any part of eastern Mass [Massachusetts]. On the morning of
May 20 [May 20, 1916] there were two [males] singing at once in the tree tops near our big elm while a third
was noted in Concord village by Faxon & Robbins; on the 21st [May 21, 1916] I heard one in an
elm over our lane and another in white pine woods near Pulpit Rock; on the
22nd [May 22, 1916] there was one in the lane elms, on the 25th [May 25, 1916] one in the neighboring orchard;
on the 26th [May 26, 1916] there were at least four in full song at the Farm, two in trees close to
the house and two in the Run, which one or two heard elsewhere in our woodland
may or may not have been additional birds & on this same day [May 26, 1916] Mr. Dexter heard
two others in Concord village; on the 27th [May 27, 1916] there were again two near our house
and one (noted by Prof. Norton) in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. To what extent
the self-same birds may or may not have been recorded by me more than
once at the Farm I cannot say but probably the total number of individual
birds thus noted was somewhat in excess of the actual total. However that may have
been it apparently equalled that of passing Black-polls of which I noted only eleven
in all & no more than two in any one day.