The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-05-05

WonueiLul tropical DlruS winch naq tr-
rived there the day before, evidently
| having been driven before the southerly
gales from their homes among the palm
groves 70 perish miserably when met by
the icy blast from the inhospitabe
north. Not one In a thousand of those
who saw the tiny rainbow-tinted crea-
| lures knew that they were merely a
part of the vast army of migrants that
regularly pass over the city and coun-
| try from their winter homes in Mexico
| Central America, northern South Amer
lea, the Bahamas and the Greater An
titles, 20 their nesting places far to the
northward, and that whoever looks for
them during their brief stay can see
them by scores and hundreds every
spring.
Interest in birds and popular knowl
edge of them have increased wonderful
ly during the last ten years, but to the
Greatnlajority of people, even yet, the
migrants are wholly unknown. Even
to those who are acquainted with many
of our summer residents and an occa
sional transient visitor, the harlequin
| plumage of the magnolia warbler, or
the grotcsque black mask of the Mary
| land yellow throat or the fire and flash
Of the American redstart, would be alb
| solute novelties. Yet no birds are more
interesting. or more beautiful than the
warbiers, and so far as the commoner
ones are concerned, few are more read
| lily identified. They will pass through
here i'll countless numbers from now
until the first of June, most of the spe-
cies being seen but a few days. They
are among the most interesting of all
our feathered friends. All of them
smaller than the sparrows, they are
characterized by brilliant and striking
combinations of color. Very likely you
have never seen any of them, but very
certainly you may see twenty or thirty
different species if you will. Do not
take it for granted that all the small
birds you see are English sparroWs, or
house spalrows, as we should call them.
Remember Mr.. Bradford Torrey's re-
mark: Truly, the human eye is moth
ing more than window, of no use I'M
less the man looks out of It, and look
carefully at all the birds in tree or
copse this spring. The chances are all
in favor of your seeing many things
hitherto undreamed of.
You may expect to see at any time
now very bizarre creature, somewhat
smaller than the house sparrow, cos
tuned in black, white yellow and gray.
! The upper parts are grayish with black
streaks, and with two white wing bars.
The outer tail feathers are tipped with
/ white, The yellow Is in a broad patch
on either side of the breast another on
| the crown, and another on the rump
These patches identify it al once as the
myrtle warbler
When in the parks, or in groves or
woodlands anywhere observe the tree
trunks, and you Will often see hurrying
over them bird conspicuously and
/ SLOWLY streaked with black and white
and no other color about it, keeping al
ways close to the bole or larger limbs,
running either up or down, and using
its wings only in going from tree to
| tree. Its color and habits tell you that
1T is undoubtedly the black and white
warbler, or black and white creeper.
A large proportion of the visiting
warblers are silent, or nearly So while
they are with us. Indeed, few of them
can lay much claim to excellence as
singers at any time, but the black
throated green is quite musical, and he,
more than any other member of his
family, possesses the true lyrical gift
You may hear his song about here from
now until the last Of May, as clear and
sweet as when 1t comes ripping down
to you from the tops of our northern
! pines and spruces where he builds his
nest. Some have heard in his melody
! the words, trees, trees, murmuring
trees" with an upward infection on the
last syllable, and though brief, 1t is one
of the most delightful of melodies, and
is a characteristic warbler song The
Interpretation of bird songs Is. however,
largely a matter Of temperament Mr..
Torrey has said. Some, listening to
the black throated green warbler, have
brought back a report of cheese,
cheese, little more cheese Prosaic
and hungry souls! This voice out of
the pine trees was not for them. They
have caught the rhythm, but missed the
poetry" The black-throated green
warbler is very elegant little creature.
The upper parts, exclusive of wings and
tail are of light olive green, growing
yellowish towards the head. The fore
head and sides of the head and neck
are rich yellow, the throat and breast
jet black, and the rest of the under
parts white The wings and tail are
dark brown or dusky, with two white
wing bars, and the outer tail feathers
are chiefly white 1t Is a gorgeous Gre
alton, and in its spring dress cannot be
mistaken. The pure yellow, or yellow
ish. of the entire head, and the black
throat and breast will alone serve to
identify it.
The ack-throated blue is also readi-
ly recognized. Its upper parts are
grayish blue, it's throat and the sides of
it's head black, it's breast white, and
there is a white spot on the wing. The
black throated blue reserves his song
for his summer home in the mountains,
but his hoarse, upward-sliding kree,
kree. kree, has none of the black
throated green's lyrism.
The chestnut-sided warbler Is known
at once by its bright yellow crown, and
under parts of pure white, with we'll
marked chestnut stripe on the sides.
The wings are dark brown, more or less
streaked with gray, and with yellowish-
white wing bars. The golden-w winged
warbler also has a bright yellow crown,
but the throat and upper breast are