Myrtle Warblers Wintering in Maine.— Several years ago there was 

 some comment in 'The Auk' with reference to a claim that Myrtle 

 Warblers had been found wintering in this State. Under title of 'The 

 Yellow-rumped Warbler Wintering in Maine,' Dr. Joseph L. Goodale 

 reported the capture of two of these birds from a flock of six at Pine 

 Point, Me., Jan. i, 1885 (Auk, Vol. II, p. 216). Mr. Nathan Clifford 

 Brown later expressed a doubt that these Pine Point birds tarried in 

 Maine throughout the season, implying that it was a time of unusually 

 severe cold (Auk, Vol. II, p. 307). 



I am now able to establish by reliable evidence the wintering in Maine 

 the past winter of a flock of three to six Myrtle Warblers. The season, 

 it should be remembered, was more severe than usual, the thermometer 

 being near the zero mark morning after morning through January, when 

 the birds were found. Jan. 10, 1904, I walked to Pond Cove, Cape Eliza- 

 beth, the snow being about two feet deep ami the day severely cold. 

 There I saw several birds flying about the trees near the road, but I did 

 not at that time succeed in fully identifying them, the snow being deep 

 and I was not suitably dressed for wading. Jan. 17, 1904, equipped for 

 any depth of snow, I went to the same locality for the purpose of 

 ascertaining if possible what the birds were. They were found in the 

 same general locality and identified fully as Myrtle Warblers. I saw 

 three at that time. They were living in the edge of evergreen woods and 

 were found feeding on a weedy slope a hundred feet from the shore of 

 Casco Bay. The principal growth here was the bayberry or wax myrtle, 

 and the birds were observed feeding in these bushes. Jan. 24, 1904, I 

 took with me to the place J. F. Fanning, Esq., and J. W. Leathers, Esq., 

 of Portland, both members of the Maine Ornithological Society and both 

 experienced observers. The identity of the Myrtle Warblers was fully 

 confirmed by them. Three and perhaps four of the birds were seen at 

 this time. Jan. 31, 1904, I took with me Mr. Leathers and Mr. Arthur H. 

 Norton, of Westbrook, the latter the leading ornithologist of this locality, 

 whose contributions to 'The Auk' are familiar to all its readers. The 

 birds were again fully identified and it was made almost certain that 

 there were four in the flock. Feb. 7, 1904, I again visited the place and 

 found the birds still there, but could not count more than three. Feb. 

 14, 1904, in company with Mr. Fanning and Mr. Leathers, I saw one 

 Myrtle Warbler at Cumberland, fully ten miles from Pond Cove. This 

 one was near a large growth of wax myrtle bushes. I did not visit Pond 

 Cove again until Feb. 28, 1904. At this time it was raining and no 

 Myrtle Warblers were seen. March 6, 1904, I was again at Pond Cove 

 but saw no warblers. March 13, 1904, Mr. Fanning, Mr. Leathers and I 

 visited Pond Cove and found the Myrtle Warblers in the same place as 

 on previous visits. This time six of them were seen in the air at the 

 same time, as they flew up from the wax myrtle bushes at our approach, 

 and were again identified beyond a dovibt by all three of us. 



Two Robins wintered in this same locality, being seen on four or five 

 visits through January to March. A Song Sparrow was also seen here in 

 January and one on March 13. All these birds apparently found plenty 

 of food during the very cold weather and all thrived on the, fare they 

 secured from the sunny slope on which they spent the greater part of the 

 time. W, /^^^\-rr^^., M ' //• 



Myrtle Warbler at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in January, 1905. — In 'The 

 Auk' for July, 1904, I gave data of the Myrtle Warbler {Dendroica coro- 

 nata) wintering at Cape Elizabeth. During the past winter I watched the 

 place closely to see if the birds would winter there again. A flock of six, 

 at least, was seen there on Christmas day, 1904, but no more were ob- 

 served until January 15, 1905, when two were seen in the same locality, 

 about half a mile from where the birds lived in the winter of 1904-1905. 

 January 29, two Myrtle Warblers were seen in the same field. After that 

 the place was visited on several occasions, but not a warbler was seen 

 during February. A Northern Shrike, however, made a stopping place 

 there, and it may be that he had something to do with the absence of 

 the warblers. April 16, one Myrtle Warbler was seen, in full breeding 

 plumage, only two hundred yards from the locality, and I am inclined to 

 think it was one which had wintered there, as not a single individual of 

 the species had been seen in migration up to that date, and it was ten 

 davs or more before migrant Myrtle Warblers began to make their ap- 

 pearance.- W. H. B«>w^sg^^^^^.^.»<|,^^..^ _ , 



