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The Red-poll War-bler 
A LL through the Mis-sis-sip-pi Valley 
you will see him, and hear his faint 
L “Chip! Chip!” as he feeds. He 
goes north early in the spring, trying to 
avoid the real warm weather. He is called 
“red-poll,” which means “red-headed,” be¬ 
cause both the male and the female have a 
crown of chestnut-colored feathers. He is 
a little less than six inches long. He is 
brownish olive on top, with grayish brown on the lower back. Underneath 
he is yellow with some white. There is a yellow line over his eye. 
The Hawk 
H OW sleek and pretty he looks,—almost 
like a large songbird! Do not be deceived 
by his appearance, but notice his strong 
curved bill and his sharp claws, which are almost 
like an eagle’s talons. He is one of the smaller 
birds of prey, and can swoop down upon a 
chicken, a hare, or a pigeon and carry it off, to de¬ 
vour at his leisure. Yet he does some good things. 
He kills reptiles and animals and birds that would 
injure the farmer’s crops. His wings are short 
and his tail long, so he can change his course 
quickly when flying. His sight is keen, and he sees 
his prey while still high up above it. 
The Golden-headed War-bler 
N OT all of the light markings that you see in the picture of this war¬ 
bler are golden, but just the crown of the head and the bar on the 
wings. He is bluish gray above, with a little touch of green. He 
is white underneath, tinged with yellow. 
The markings on his tail feathers are white. 
Through the eye and throat there is a stripe 
of black, while the line over the eye, the 
sides of the head, and the chin are white. 
They are small and shy, and dart quickly 
into the thick underbrush where they live. 
Yet you can hear their “Zee! Zee! Zee!” 
and know them by that note. 
