Sap Drinking Habits of Warblers.'— So far as I can gather very 

 little is known concerning the above matter, for in the nine or ten pages 

 devoted to the food of these interesting little birds in the standard work 

 on their life history, not a word is mentioned about it, and the only refer- 

 ence I know of wOl be found in. the Biological Survey, Bulletin No. 39 

 'Woodpeckers in Relation to Trees and Wood Products' 1911, p. 98, 

 wherein the author, Mr. W. L. McAtee, speaking of some defensive meas- 

 ures against sapsuckers recommends poisoning the sap, but adds the 

 following warning note, viz. : " It should be noted here that hummingbirds 

 and some other small birds, particularly warblers, wiU be killed by poison 

 intended for sapsuckers." From this we may gather that the habit is not 

 altogether unknown, but the majority of people, I think, are unaware of it, 

 certainly I have been paying special attention to this family for the past 

 few years, but have never noted it until the fall of last year (1916) and 

 therefore think my experience may be worth recording. It was on Sep- 

 tember 19, that whilst passing close to an old silver birch tree on the borders 

 of a large wood, a Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coronata) flew off one of 

 the overhanging branches, which at the time naturally caused me no 

 surprise, nor was I particularly interested, when returning some two 

 hours later the same thing occurred again. However in the afternoon 

 when covering the same ground the warbler again left the branch, as well 

 as a Yellow-breasted Sapsucker {Sphijrapicus varius varius) the trunk, I 

 must admit my curiosity was aroused, and I decided to secrete myself 

 and await results. It was not long before both birds returned to the tree, 

 the sapsucker to some holes in the trunk, and the warbler to some on the 

 upper side of the branch which I had not noticed. Here he regaled him- 

 self on the sap after the manner of his companion, and continued doing so 

 for some considerable time, until I came out of hiding when both birds 

 flew away. For the next two days I visited the spot on several occasion 

 and every time the warbler was there, and usually the sapsucker as well 

 but I never saw the former attempt to take the sap from the holes in the 

 trunk, but only from those on the branch, where it was able to perch readily 

 and drink at leisure, and no doubt eat any small flies or insects that may 

 have got caught in the sap as well. The next case to come under my 

 notice was that of an adult female Black-throated Blue Warbler {Dendroica 

 ccerukscens ccerulescens) which on October 1 (the latest date as it so happens 

 on which I have noticed it here) flew into the branches of a beach tree and 

 commenced imbibing the sap from some old sapsucker holes. Whilst 

 watching it I noticed another cluster of holes in the trunk, and it was not 

 long before the bird on hovering wings after the manner of a hummingbird 

 was abstracting the sap, and no doubt any insects from these also, thus 

 differing in this respect from the Myrtle, which as aheady stated never once 

 attempted the feat, although no doubt it was quite as competent to perform 

 it as the other. It looks as though this habit may only be resorted to in 

 the fall, when insects are scarce and late departing birds have some diffi- 

 culty in making all ends meet.— H. Mopsle y, Hatley,Que . 



> Read before the Nuttall Ornithological Club, May 21, 1917. 



