STATE GEOLOGIST. 
159 
.and a male of the year on Sept. 2, 1876, by the writer, about comprises its 
history in this locality. Dr. Hatch’s words, “ rare and unnoted,” convey a 
-correct idea of its occurrence here. 
“ Leaving Minneapolis we will pass due north about one hundred and 
twenty-five miles, into Carlton and St. Louis counties. Here is one vast 
extent of forest, largely of pines and other evergreens, but with hardwood 
ridges and tamarack swamps interspersed. In many sections extensive (ires 
have raged on the low grounds during dry seasons, completely, killing the 
timber, especially in white-bircli regions. The fallen, charred timber, piled 
promiscuously among the dense tangled undergrowth that springs up, forms 
as pathless and impenetrable a place as one can well imagine, and the dead 
.and blasted trees which remain standing on all sides, give to the country a 
most desolate appearance. Among several features rendering these barren 
wastes attractive to the ornithologist, is their being the summer home of 
the Mourning Warbler. During the second and third weeks of July, 1877, 
we found this warbler about the Northern Pacific Junction (Carlton Co.) and 
Duluth (St. Louis Co.) in such numbers as to fully warrant its being called 
common. It was at that time in song and breeding. The males were con¬ 
spicuous from their habit of sitting on the dead trees to sing ; but the 
females were seldom seen, as they kept down in the thick cover. The males 
would sit for a long time on the limb of a dead tree, motionless, but for 
the occasional utterance of their brief song. In quality their singing is 
much like that of the Maryland Yellow-throat; but the song, as I heard it, 
consists of five notes, the first three just alike, followed by two others, 
louder and fuller. The whole is loud, clear and ringing and forms an inter¬ 
esting song, but I suspect its attractiveness is due, in great measure, to the 
fact that it is the utterance of the Mourning Warbler. When the singei is 
disturbed he either flies to another tree, near by, to continue his perform¬ 
ance or dives into the thickets below, where he is safe until he may see fit to 
reappear. 
“ The nest we did not find, though we greatly excited several pairs by our 
close approach to it. When thus disturbed, both male and female would 
utter forcible sparrow-like chirps, move actively from bush to bush, fre¬ 
quently passing nervously over every limb and twitching their bodies much 
in the manner of the Yellow-throat ( G . trichas) under similar circumstances. 
A few, at least, had young upon our arrival (July 6), and we several times 
saw them (male as well as female) carrying large green caterpillars,, such as 
.one could scarcely imagine a young Mourning Warbler swallowing. On 
July 18th, at the N. P. Junction I came upon a brood of young out of the 
nest, but not able to fly above a few yards. They were in a dense place and 
kept close to the ground, only appearing for an instant now and then, -when 
beaten from some bush. They chirped loudly, very much like the old birds. 
As late as July 18, at the date of our departure, the males were still in song. 
“T. M. Trippe found this warbler abundant and breeding through the 
central part of this State in the summer of 1870, and to him is due the credit 
of ascertaining that the timber wilds of Minnesota are so eminently its home. 
“ It is a strange fact that the Morning Warbler should be so rare about 
Minneapolis during the migrations and yet so common all the season little 
more than a hundred miles farther to the north It would seem that they 
must certainly pass by here ; yet in what manner is something of a mystery. 
