Warblers SONG—BIRDS.

Blue-winged Warbler: Helminthophila pinus.

Length: 4.75 inches.

Male: Above olive-green. Wings 3. slatish blue with white bars ; tail plain slate. Forehead and under parts clear yellow, dark stripe through eye. Bill bluish black.

Female : Paler throughout, with a. general olive cast.

Sang: Sharp and metallic, drawling and continuous.

Season x May to September. A common summer resident.

Breeds: Throughout. range.

Nest: On or near the ground ; sometimes in the centre of a plant tuft. Made of grass, etc., and rather deep and bulky.

Eggs: 4—5, White, with reddish dots.

Range : Eastern United States, from southern New York and south- ern New England southward ; in winter Mexico and Guate- male.

The name of this bird is misleading to the novice, as the blue of the Wing is dull and inconspicuous, and not blue at all in the sense in which this colour distinction is applied to the Bluebird and Jay. It is well to remember the fact that only two or three of our New England birds are “true blue,” and that the term, when applied to the Warblers especially, simply means either a bluish gray, or slate, which seems barely difierent from plain gray at a short distance.

These Warblers are not a bird of gardens and open places, preferring well-brushed woods, but come frequently into the orchard in the blossoming time, and search the trees care- fully for insects, as they feed almost wholly upon spiders, larvae, and beetles, such as are found in bark, bud, or flower. They are very beautiful birds, with brilliant plumage, and dainty little tricks and manners, and are usually seen con- sorting in pairs.

Golden-winged Warbler: Helminthophila. chrysoptera.

Length: About 5 inches.

Male: Yellow crown and wing bars. Above bluish gray. Chin, throat, and eye stripe black. Throat divided from sides of head by white line. Below ashy white, tinged with yellowish. Bill and feet blackish.

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