120 
AUTUMN FOOD OF THE MYRTLE WARBLER 
and Game Birds, second edition, as having wintered at Scar- 
boro, Maine. They have been observed at Durham on the 
first of December and the fifteenth of March, but not in mid- 
winter so far as is known. 
Their spring migration is usually at its height in this local- 
ity about the first of May, but it is so hurried that they are not 
so impressive numerically as in the fall, when, recruited by 
the young of the year, they journey southward with less haste. 
Their breeding range extends from the mountains of Massa- 
chusetts and the northern New England states through the 
provinces at least as far as Labrador. 
Owing to the fact that this species undergoes two moults a 
year, the spring and fall colorations differ considerably. In 
spring the prevailing color is bluish slate, heavily streaked 
with black ; the sides of the head are black, and there are 
conspicuous spots of yellow on the crown, rump, and sides of 
the breast. In autumn there is scarcely a trace of blue any- 
where ; the black has wholly disappeared from the sides of 
the head, and the yellow spots and black streaks are much 
obscured by a suffusion of dull brown, though the yellow spot 
on the rump is always plainly visible, and serves as an un- 
erring guide to the bird’s identity. In this sober autumnal 
garb, Myrtle Warblers appear scatteringly in the interior of the 
state early in September, coming down from the mountains 
where they have passed the summer, to seek a livelihood on 
cultivated ground. Toward the end of that month an increase 
is to be noted, and the first cold snap in October brings them 
in perfect hordes from the northland to overrun this entire 
region. They usually go in flocks varying from a few to 
scores, passing from tree to tree, scrutinizing nooks and crev- 
ices everywhere, making side trips to stone walls and brush 
heaps, and even descending to the ground occasionally. They 
are not only diligent seekers for hidden tidbits, but are dash- 
ing pursuers as well, showing no little address in their manner 
of capturing flying insects which have taken wing at then- 
approach. 
In consulting the works of the earlier ornithological writers 
to see what they have to say concerning the food habits of this 
warbler, we find that Wilson states that these birds feed in 
