85 



KENTUCKY WARBLER. 

 SYLVIA FOBMOSA. 

 [Plate XXV.— Fig. 3.] 



Pe.ale's Museum, No. 7786. 



THIS new and beautiful species inhabits the country whose 

 name it bears. It is also found generally in all the intermediate 

 tracts between Nashville and New Orleans, and below that as far 

 as the Balize, or mouths of the Mississippi; where I heard it seve- 

 ral times, twittering among the high rank grass and low bushes of 

 those solitary and desolate looking morasses. In Kentucky and 

 Tennesee it is particularly numerous, frequenting low damp woods, 

 and builds its nest in the middle of a thick tuft of rank grass, some- 

 times in the fork of a low bush, and sometimes on the ground ; in 

 all of which situations I have found it. The materials are loose 

 dry grass, mixed with the light pith of weeds, and lined with hair. 

 The female lays four, and sometimes six eggs, pure white, sprink- 

 led with specks of reddish. I observed her sitting early in May. 

 This species is seldom seen among the high branches ; but loves 

 to frequent low bushes and cane swamps, and is an active spright- 

 ly bird. Its notes are loud, and in threes, resembling, ttveedle^ 

 tweedle, tiveedle. It appears in Kentucky from the south about the 

 middle of April; and leaves the territory of New Orleans on the 

 approach of cold weather; at least I was assured that it does not 

 i-emain there during the winter. It appeared to me to be a restless, 

 fighting species ; almost always engaged in pursuing some of its 

 fellows ; tho this might have been occasioned by its numbers, and 

 the particular season of spring, when love and jealousy rage with 

 violence in the breasts of the feathered tenants of the grove; who 



VOL. III. Y 



