iv 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Defense of territories 50 



Courtship and mating 51 



Vocalizations 52 



Pouncing 53 



Nesting behavior 54 



Nesting period 54 



Nest site and materials 55 



Egg laying and clutch size 60 



Cowbird parasitism 62 



Incubation 62 



Care of nestlings 63 



Care of fledglings 64 



Voice 64 



Song ^ 64 



Whisper song 65 



Flight song ^ 66 



Incomplete song 66 



Singing behavior 66 



Seasonal song cycle 68 



Daily pattern 69 



Rate of singing 69 



Cadence of delivery 71 



Comparison with associates 72 



Alarm or call note 72 



Feeding Behavior and Food 74 



Feeding behavior 74 



Bill wiping 75 



Food 75 



Miscellaneous Notes on Behavior 77 



Ground locomotion : 77 



Preening 77 



Head scratching 77 



Tail spreading 78 



Factors Affecting the Population 79 



Summary 81 



Literature Cited 84 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Frontispiece, Pair of Swainson's Warblers at nest near Jackson- 

 ville, Fla. vi 



Figure 



1. The Reverend John Bachman 5 



2. Audubon's painting of Bachman's tjrpe specimen 6 



3. Type locality of the Swainson's Warbler 7 



4. Edisto River near Jacksonboro, S.C. 8 



5. John Abbot 9 



6. Abbot's painting of the "Swamp Worm-eater" 10 



7. Brier Creek, Screven County, Ga. 11 



