Evening star., 1944-10-16
This and That
BY Charles E. TraceueH.
.TAKoMA pARR Nm

"IAhC0A PARK, MD.
Dear Sir:
Can you identify this bird for me?
He was about 4 inches long. His head
and neck were greenish-yellow, his
throat was very black, and the areas
around his eyes were very yellow. His
wings were black, or maybe blue, and
white. He was beautiful little fellow.
1 thought he might be a black -throated
green warbler on his way South.
Among our interesting visitors is a
family of cardinals with two sets of
young ones. I am quite sure it is the
same family because the mother Is very
shabby and has been for a couple of
months. Another was young flicker,
an ungainly but none the less interest,"
ing bird.
Yours very truly, M. M"
The black-throated green. as the
ornithologists call this warbler. easily
takes rank among the daintiest and
prettiest of this entire group.
1t is fairly common hereabouts in mi
grafton, being seen in spring from April
IL to June 10, or thereabouts, and from
August % to october 81 in the fall.
Because of its sheer perfection. this
bird is probably better known to most
observers than any other of the rarer
warblers.
1t has characteristic song, and at
times grows so tame that it has been
known to perch on watchers hat.
There are. black-throated gray, blue
and green warblers. The black -throated
blue warbler has no yellow on him.
The song, heard in spring, consists of
about four gliding notes, often put into
syllables as Zee. zee, zu ze," the third
note slurred upward and then down.
ward.
This easy going song, once heard, is
never forgotten, and can scarcely be
mistaken for that of any other species.
Pine, spruce and hemlock trees ap-
peal to it for nesting The nest is usual
ly placed from Is to 40 feet high, but
occasionally is found not more than 2
feet from the ground
The nest is neat affair put on a
large limb far out from the trunk. The
materials used are rootletS, grasses,
strips OF bark, wool and feathers, with
hair and vegetable down used as lining.
Usually four eggs are laid, creamy
white, spotted with light gray, chestnut
and brown dots.
Herbert K. Job, the great naturalist,
tells a pretty story of watching the
nesting from short distance, and be-
coming so familiar with a couple that
the male stood on his finger and fed one
OF the young while he held it in his
hand
"One day quite a party came with
n inl, I.
young lady was induced to hold one
OF, the little birds.
Suddenly the brilliant male alighted
on her thumb. to feed the chick, and
SO startled her that she nearly lost her
balance.
Then he hoped on her hat as though
to see whether he would make becoming
trimming for millinery.
But no; these feathered gems were
made only for natures foliage, to add
the final touch OF charm and grace to
an already wonderful creation"
This black-throated green warbler is
usually between and inches long.
Finding the nests of warblers, Mr..
Job says, is a specialized form of the
sport of bird study.
1T might be called the chess OF wood
craft" he asserts, "a test OF agility Of
mind and eye. combined with the very
limit OF patience. None but real bird
lover can practice it with any marked
success"
About 40 different warblers come to
the Washington region, and among
them all there Is none prettier than
the lack-throated green.