KiRKWOOD, Cerulean Warbler in Maryland. 



woods clear of underbrush, and if this is so it would account for 

 the scarceness of the species. Between our orchard and the pike, 

 extending a considerable distance, is a strip of original growth 

 timber, about 150 feet wide, from which the underbrush has been 

 cleared, while across the pike is a large tract of woods. On the 

 other side of the orchard, about one eighth of a mile distant from 

 the strip mentioned, is another piece of woods from which the 

 hogs have cleared the underbrush. This also has considerable 

 woods in its original state, on one side. It is in these two pieces 

 of woods that the birds have summered. The trees are principally 

 chestnuts, with oaks, hickoiys, tulip trees, etc. 



The following items are taken verbatim from my pocket note- 

 book and were made with the aid of a strong field-glass. Had the 

 birds been round previously I assuredly would have known it, but 

 my first note is as follows : 



June 4, 1899. In gate woods, hear a strange warbler song but fail 

 to see bird. 



June II. In company with Mr. F. A. Saunders, who is visiting 

 me, the strange song of the 4th is identified as that of the 

 Cerulean. We heard it in the woods west of the pike and in 

 response to our ' squeaking ' the bird came within twenty-five 

 feet of us, perching on a bare branch. We then kept quiet 

 and it leisurely hunted the lower branches of the tree for about 

 ten minutes, occasionally singing. Subsequently we heard 

 the song of this species in three or four different parts of 

 the woods, but whether the same individual or not we could 

 not say. 



June 18. One singing in gate woods. It seemed to prefer the 

 bare or dead twigs of the lower branches of the trees some 

 twenty-five to forty feet up. During the forenoon it sang 

 incessantly with its feathers fluffed out. From 4.20 p. m. 

 to dusk heard it off and on. Once while it was singing some 

 short distance off I was watching another sitting silent on a 

 dead twig with its feathers fluffed out. 

 During the forenoon in the gate woods a female Redstart was 

 observed pulling material out of a nest saddled on a chestnut 

 branch. Investigation showed a warbler's nest of some kind 

 ready for eggs, but it was not a Redstart's, and no other bird was 



Vol.XVIiq KiRKWOOD, Cerulean Warbler in Maryland. 1 39 



1901 J 



seen near it though it was watched for a long time. It was 

 placed on lowest branch but one, five feet out from tree and 

 thirty-five feet, eight inches up from ground. It was completely 

 gone on 2Sth. 



June 25. See one singing in different trees in gate woods. 

 Once it dressed its feathers, sitting on a dead twig and smg 

 ing all the time, otherwise it was hunting slowly like a Worm- 

 eating Warbler. It would sing for about twenty minutes and 

 then fly off, and we could not locate it until it started to sing 

 again. On one occasion while watching it singing, heard 

 another about one hundred yards off. 

 July 2. Singing as I enter gate woods ; it stopped at 10.18 a. m., 

 flew to another tree, sang a few times and stopped. Com- 

 menced again at 11.04 and sang eight minutes, when it came 

 down from branches to a nearly rotten stump not two 

 feet high and hunted round it for several minutes, then flying 

 off. Sings again from 11. 31 for ten minutes (12.15 to 

 12.45 in house for dinner) . Do not hear it again until 5.45 

 P. M., it then sings right along to 6.15, when I go to supper. 

 July 3. At 9.15 A. M. sings several times ; 9.25, sings four or five 

 times, 9.31 started and sings nineteen minutes. It then flies 

 from top of one high chestnut to another and chased a Gold- 

 finch out of sight. A few minutes later it was singing again 

 and kept on incessantly, first in one tree then in another 

 until I get a stiff neck and leave at 11 a. m. 

 July 4. Sang from 9.21 a. m. for eighteen minutes, and from 9-59 

 for seven minutes. Do not hear it again until 7.27 p. m., 

 when it sang for twelve minutes; later it sang off and on 

 until 7.32, when I heard last song for the day. 

 July 9. See one, with only slight indications of a collar on either 



side. Singing off and on all day in gate woods. 

 July 16. 9.46 A. M., sang for about twenty minutes ; rather more 



sluggish than usual. 

 July 27. Singing in pig woods. ■ 



July 30. One sings eight to ten times in woods west of pike near 



point where it was first seen on June 11. 

 Aug. 10. One singing in pig woods. 

 Aug. 13. One singing in pig woods. 



