ti-tu f*. 
DENDROICA DISCOLOR. 
Prairie Warbler. 
This dainty little warbler was heard for tire 
first time in ’86 on April 12th, for be it known 
the curious “breezy” note of this bird may be 
heard for days before the vocalist is seen, unless 
especial attention is given to the game of hide 
and seek. It loves the scrub and second growth, 
and I never found them as plenty as in the small 
growth which followed a burnt tract of woodland 
in Blount County. Every clump of bushes con- 
tained one of these birds, and their curious song 
—if it can be called such— was heard on every 
hand. I hope I may be pardoned when I affirm 
that these warblers remind me of some insects. 
They are heard at best on sunny days and in sun- 
ny spots, while their notes resemble the buzzing 
of some large locust. None of these birds are 
found in the swamps or the evergreen growth 
of the mountains. Sunshine and heat seem to be 
necessarv to their vitality. As may be assumed, 
from the' habits of the bird its nest is one of the 
“finds” of red letter days of collectors. 
During the third week in May 1 observed a 
pair of these warblers frequenting a patch of 
wild rose and thorn bushes, and when a little 
later I heard the male singing from a red maple 
which grew in the center of the thicket, I felt 
sure his mate was engaged in incubation, so ac- 
cordingly I proceeded to search for the nest. My 
first skirmish with a refractory thorn bush be- 
trayed my hostile design, and the male hushed 
his vocal efforts and darted to cover. My pro- 
cedure was slow if not sure, but the nest was 
found snugly placed at the intersection of several 
| branches of a wild rose bush. It was exceedingly 
j pretty and substantial, and the four eggs which 
I it contained were to my eye very beautiful, be 
ing spotted with two distinct shades of brown 
and purple. They were oval in shape, being 
pointed at one end, save one which was equally 
blunt at both. As I reached the outer edge of 
the thicket on my return, the male flew to his 
former perch and resumed his song. Save for 
the appearance of my clothing, nothing would 
indicate the tragedy 1 had just enacted. 
XA Mr*, /m./. /« 
Prairie Warbler, ( Dendroeca discolor,) 
May 13, while pushing through a lot of 
scrubby, young oaks, discovered a small 
neatly made nest, containing four eggs, in 
an oak sprout, about three feet from the 
ground. Stepping back two or three 
yards, I waited a few minutes when a 
small bird, which I recognized as the 
Prairie Warbler, flew to the nest and set- 
tled down until nothing but its bill and 
the tip of its tail were to be seen. On 
my approaching it flew a short distance, 
uttering the single note teep, at short in- 
tervals, It flew about among the bushes 
picking at insects, until I moved off, when 
it returned to the nest. Very much 
pleased with my find, I left the nest until 
the following day, when, as it still con- 
tained but four eggs, I secured it and 
found the eggs to be quite fresh. During 
the next week, I discovered eight more 
nests, from each of which I obtained a set, 
and noticed several birds who acted as 
though they had nests in the vicinity, but 
I was unable to find them. The nests 
were beautifully woven structures, com- 
posed of fine plant libers and cottony sub- 
stances outside, and lined with downy ' 
feathers and horse-hair : they were placed 
from two to seven feet from the ground in 
a variety of positions — three being in 
young pines, one in a maple sprout, an- 
other in a huckleberry bush, the sixth in a 
blackberry bush, etc., and as many were 
found in elevated situations, as in the low- 
lands, but scrubby, lightly timbered sites 
were always chosen. The eggs were about 
the size of those of the Blue Yellow-back, 
( Panda americana,) but were more oval 
in form, and marked with darker spots. 
One set contained three eggs : three had 
five eggs each : and the other five were 
each composed of four eggs. 
JJllCr jjMnvr , Vhs. 
Q.&O, IX. Dee. 1884 .p./yv-/^ 6 T 
