360 WOOD WARBLERS.

most slender and wiry in all our forest . and as distinguishable as the hum of the cicada or the shrilling of the katydid. “ Tree-Iree-lree-ll'ee- trec-lrec-trw-lree, rapidly uttered, the monotonous notes of equal length, beginning \‘ery softly. gradually increasing to the middle of the strain, and then as gradually diminishing, thus forming a fine musical swell, may convey a fair idea of the song. There is a peculiar soft and tinkling sweetness in this melody, suggestive of the quiet mysteries of the forest, and sedative as an anodyne to the nerves.”

682. Dendroica. blackburniw ((lmel.) BLACKBFRXIAN VVAR- mack. Ad. 5 .—'(,'cntcr ot' the black crown, a line over the eye, patch behind the black ear-corerts, throat, and breast beautiful rte/L orange; back black, streaked with whitish: winescoyerts white, forming a large white patch on the wing; inner vane of most of the tail-teathers almost elit/I‘e/y white, ex— cept at the tip; the outer nine of the outer feather white at the base: belly tinged with orange, sides streaked with black. All. 9.#Resembles the a, but the orange markings are duller, the upper parts are ashy olive—green str lkt'd with black and whitish; the white on the wings and tail is less ex— tensi\ e. ]m. a .—Rescmbles the 9 , but has the orange markings dull yellow, the crownspateh nearly absent. lm. 9 .—».\‘imi1ar to the im. a. but the yel- low markings much paler. nearly butiy, the back browner. L., 5'25; \\'., 271: T., 11m: B. from .\'., '31.

lt’wuuriw.~-Iti connection with other markings the large amount of white in the t1lil,1111pettl'lllt_§ on even the outw- \'ane ot' the enter feather, is eharae-

teristie of this species.

lfll/Iflt’.’I‘Lflslt‘l'll North America: breeds from northern Minnesota and southern Maine northward to Labrador and southward along the .A\llc,t_rhani(-,s to South Carolina: \\ inters in the tropies. y

Washington, common T. V., May 5 to “:0; Aug. 20 to ()et. :1 Sing Sing, common T. V.. May it) to ‘29; Aug. 15 to Oct. 15. ('ainlnidge, uncommon T. \'., May 12 to 2'1; Sept. 15 to 30.

Alsl, ot'fine twigs and grasses. lined with grasses and tendrils. in eonif‘er— ous trees, ten to forty feet up. [ff/y», four, grayish white or bluish white. diss tinetly and ohscurcly spotted, speckled, and blotched with cinnamon—brown 01‘till\'t'-l)l‘0\\'ll.'li\' x ‘30.

The, Blackburnian is uncommon enough to make us appreciate his unusual beauty. Coming in May, before the woods are fully elad, he seems like some ln'ight—plmnaged tropical bird who has lost his way and wandered to northern elimes. The summer is passed among the higher branches in coniferous forests. and in the early fall the bird returns to surroundings which seem more in keeping with its attire.

Mr. Minot deserihes its summer song as resembling the syllables "we-sné—tren-seé-wew-seé (ww-NM-ir/r), while in the spring its notes may be likened to uv‘e-St’e-tree-see, th‘B-INPP, lsee. (see, tsee-Isee, {sea Isee, the latter syllables being on ascending scale, the very last shrill and fine.