ORNITHOLOGIST 
—AND — 
OOLOGIST. 
$1.00 per 
Annum. 
PUBLISHED BY FRANK B. WEBSTER. 
Established, March, 1875. 
Single Copy 
10 cents. 
Vol. XIV. 
BOSTON, MASS., APRIL, 1889. 
No. 4. 
Nesting of the Connecticut Warbler. 
This handsome and active species (Oparornix 
agilix ), though not abundant anywhere, is yet 
pretty widely distributed over the Province of 
Ontario during the summer months. At 
least I have noticed it in the different sections 
where I have resided, especially where it finds 
the particular places that it loves to make its 
summer home and nesting site. 
This is generally on the margins of damp, 
woody lands, or second growth timbered 
tracts, where there is low, thick underwood, 
raspberry vines, tangled brush, and fallen 
trees. It also appears to have a partiality for 
ravines, sides of small hills, and the margins 
of creeks, where there is deep concealment. 
Amidst the thick foliage of such places one 
kind of the long notes of the male bird may 
often he heard, while the little performer 
itself is invisible. Atotliertimesliewill rise to 
a considerable elevation, and after a pleasing- 
musical serenade, in which lie appears to take 
much pleasure and pride, he descends rapidly 
into the leafy underwood near which it is 
probable his partner has her nesting place. 
Another peculiar haunt of this species is 
partly cleared fields between woods, and 
where roads are made through patches of 
forest, hut it does not often appear in the open 
field or near human habitations, nor is it found 
deep in the woods either of hard or soft wood 
lands, though as the forest is fast disappear- 
ing, it will doubtless also change its abiding 
places. 
In the early settlement of Canada, the little 
clearing in the backwoods surrounding the 
pioneer’s shanty, where tall weeds, sprouts 
and vines grew luxuriantly around the stumps, 
and along the fences, this warbler found 
many a congenial home and nesting place near 
the cabin of the settler, or wigwam of the 
Indian, but with the better cultivation of the 
farm, and the more extensive destruction of 
the original forest, all has become changed, 
and with these changes the life-histories of 
many of our wild birds, including the species 
under review. And in this connection I would 
remark that it and the Mourning Warbler 
( Geotldypix Philadelphia) frequent much the 
same localities, although in their nesting they 
differ much. 
In its general habits the Connecticut Warbler 
is shy and retired, and but few of the species 
are ever seen in company, and but seldom do 
they leave the shelter of the woods for the 
deep foliage of their haunts, although occas- 
ionally the farmer, who has an eye and ear to 
appreciate the sights and sounds of nature, 
may, at any time of the day, see or hear an 
individual on the margin of the woods, or 
along the vine-clad fences, near where it makes 
its summer home. Should the nesting place 
be invaded the female gives vent to her dis- 
pleasure in a series of sharply uttered notes, 
which usually brings her mate upon the scene 
to offer his sympathy and assistance, and the 
scolding is kept up until the intruder leaves 
the vicinity. Sometimes, however, the male 
seems too distant, or otherwise engaged, to 
pay any attention to the alarm notes of the 
female, and she is left alone to battle as best 
she can with the cause of her discomfort. 
When, however, the young are in the nest, Gl- 
are unable to seek their own safety by flight, 
should one of them utter a note of distress, 
the male as well as the mother are soon upon 
tbo scene, mingling his notes witli hers, and 
equally exercising his arts to drive or draw 
away the disturber, and no creature can show 
more affection to its young, or solicitude for 
their safety than this species of the Warblers. 
The scolding note of this bird more resem- 
bles the word “vitcli” than the “chip ’’-like 
note of the other species of warblers, and by 
this means it may more readily be distin- 
guished, though its person may be out of 
view amid the deep foliage; while the song 
Copyright, 1889, by Frank B. Webster. 
50 ORNITHOLOGIST [Yol. 14-No. 4 
notes of the male, uttered in a clear and pleas- 
ing tone as he perches on some elevated branch, 
seems to resemble the words “rush, l-usli, 
rusli-o-worry,” and by this lie is easily distin- 
guished from the Mourning Warbler, although 
at even a short distance their plumage much 
resembles each other. There is also this dis- 
tinction between these warblers, that while 
tiie male Connecticut often rises high to warble 
his ditty, the Mourning coniines the display of 
liis musical talents to positions nearer the 
ground; and the peculiar long note that the 
former emits, as he sometimes rises on flutter- 
ing wings, bears some resemblance to the 
charming song of the Winter Wren. 
Since the early years of our pioneer life in 
the backwoods of Peel, I have been more or 
less familiar with the habits of this interesting 
species, for it was almost the only member of 
its family that seemed to make its summer home 
among the fallen and tangled brushwood and 
partially cleared patches along the banks of 
the creek that intersected the homestead, 
where I passed my boyhood days, and for 
many years it was known to me as the Linnet, 
because some of the older members of our 
family stated that it resembled the bird known 
by that name in our native land, and I must 
more often have seen its nest and eggs than I 
now can call to remembrance. 
The first nest of this species that I now rec- 
ollect to have seen was on the margin of a 
wood, separated from the clearing by a brush 
fence into which the bird darted, when an 
elder brother and I flushed her from her nest- 
This was placed in a small cavity in the side 
of a little bank, much like where a Slate- 
colored Junco (Junto hy emails) would choose 
for her nesting place, and was composed of 
similar materials to those which that species 
uses. This contained six eggs. A year or 
two after this a friend of ours who then owned 
the neighboring farm, and who knew that I 
was interested in birds, informed me that 
when clearing some new land he had found 
the nest of a very strange bird. Anxious to 
see it, I went with him to the hush, and on 
approaching the place, to my disappointment, 
out flew the warbler. This nest contained but 
three eggs, and was placed in a space among 
the roots of a clump of swamp maples that 
were growing by the side of an old moss- 
■ covered log. 
Years passed away, and coming to this sec- 
tion of the country, and devoting more time 
and attention to the life habits of our wild 
birds, I noticed that this species was a com- 
o.&o. 
moil summer resident on the margins of most 
of the low wooded lands in this vicinity, and 
one day in the early part of June, about nine 
years ago, when rambling in a piece of low 
woods, I found the first nest of this species 
that I had seen for many years. This was 
sunk in the earth, near a turned-up root, but 
without any particular shelter. It was com- 
posed mostly of fine, dry grass, and contained 
six eggs which I took, but ignorant of tlieir 
value I gave them to other parties. 
Another nest of this species that I found in 
the same wood was taken on the eleventh of 
June, 1886. I had, in company witli one of 
my boys, flushed the bird, and her notes and 
manner told me that her nest was near, but at 
the time I failed to find it. Returning that 
way some hours afterwards, I cautiously ap- 
proached the place where I thought the nest 
was concealed, and in passing the side of a 
low cedar root, I again flushed the warbler. 
A momentary search revealed the nest in a 
crevice of the root. This was composed of 
dry leaves, stalk of weeds, line grass, and 
some line hair. Owing to its position, it was 
more bulky, but rather loosely composed, than 
the other nests of this species that I had ob- 
served, and seemed to indicate that when this 
warbler made her nest anywhere else than in 
a hole in the ground, she does not make so 
neat a job of it. 
This nest contained five eggs about half 
incubated. One was broken in preparing 
them, but the other four are in my collection, 
and in every particular they are almost identi- 
cal with those of the Mourning Warbler (Geoth- 
lypix Philadelphia). They have the same clear 
whiteness of hue as those of the nuthatches 
and chickadees, but the reddish-brown dotting 
is more confined to a circle near the large end, 
although there are more or less of these spots 
scattered over the surface. Compared witli 
those of the more familiar Black and White 
Warbler (Midotilta varia), they are more glob- 
ular, but not so oblong as those of the Can- 
adian Warbler (Myiodioctes canadensis). 
On May 21, 1888, 1 heard for the first time 
tiie song notes of this bird, and soon after saw 
the little musician perched towards the top of 
a swamp elm, about fifty feet from the ground, 
repeating with great animation his “rush, 
rush-a- worry.” Next morning I was surprised 
hut pleased to hear the notes of this species in 
our garden, and upon a nearer approach found 
it engaged in a tussle among some bushes 
with a Bed-eyed Vii-eo (Vire.osybHa olmaeea). 
From this contest it appeared to come off 
second best, but rapidly repeated its song notes 
as it took a, hasty departure. On May 24tli, 
being out on a ramble I noticed tiie songs of : 
these birds in various places, on the borders . 
of low wood lands, and during the rest of the 
season they appeared to be tolerably common, 
but I failed to find any nests. 
V. Apr. 1889 p, 49-51 William L. Kells. 
Listowel, Ontario. 
3S 
