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T H E P R O T H O N O T A R Y W A R B L E R.
SYLVIA PROTONOTARIUS, LATH.
P L A T E III. MALE AND FEMALE.
I never saw this pretty bird in any of our eastern districts, and rarely
farther up the Ohio than Louisville, in the neighbourhood of which place
it rears its young. Louisiana seems in fact better suited to its habits
than any other state, on account of its numerous lakes, creeks and lagoons,
overshadowed by large trees, and which are favourite places of resort for
this species. It is fond of flying over the water of these creeks and lagoons,
and is seldom seen in the woods. Its flight is rapid, and more
steady than is usual in birds of its genus; and as it moves along, the
brightness of its colours attracts the eye. On alighting, it moves rapidly
along the twigs, partly sidewise, frequently turning about and extending
its neck to look under the leaves, from which it picks various kinds of
insects. It often perches upon the rank grasses and water plants, in
quest of minute molluscous animals which creep upon them, and which,
together with small land snails, I have found in its stomach. It does not
perform sorties, or sally forth after flying insects, as many other Warblers
are in the habit of doing. It has a few notes for its song, which possess
no interest. The males, when chasing each other, keep up a creaking
noise, until the little battle is over, when they perch and balance their
body with much grace and liveliness.
I have observed their arrival in Louisiana to take place, according to
the state of the weather, from the middle of March to the first of April.
At Henderson, in Kentucky, they do not arrive until a month later.
They remain until October, but, I am inclined to believe, rear only a single
brood in a season. The nest is fixed in the fork of a small twig bending
over the water, and is constructed of slender grasses, soft mosses, and
fine fibrous roots. The number of eggs is from four to six. I could
never ascertain whether the male assists in incubation, as the difference
of plumage in the sexes is not perceptible when the bird is at large, and
indeed can hardly be traced when one has procured the male and the female
for comparison. It cannot be called a plentiful species. To search
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER. 23
for them on the high lands, or at any considerable distance from the
places mentioned, would prove quite useless.
The plant on which you see these birds, grows in swampy places, b u t
is extremely rare, and I have not been able to procure any scientific appellation
for it. In Louisiana, it is called the Cane Vine. It bears a
small white flower in clusters. The berries are bitter and nauseous. The
stem, which runs up and over trees, resembles that of other climbing
plants, is extremely elastic, and as tough as a cord. The leaves, of which
you see the form and colour, are also tough and thick.
SYLVIA PROTONOTARIUS, Lath. IM. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 542.—Ch. Bonaparte, Synops.
of Birds of the United States, p. 86.
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, SYLVIA PROTONOTARIUS, Wilson, Araeric. Ornith.
vol. iii. p. 72. P I . xxiv. fig. 3 .
Adult Male. Plate I I I . Fig. 1.
Bill nearly as long as the head, slender, tapering, nearly straight, as
deep as broad at the base. Nostrils basal, lateral, elliptical, half closed
by a membrane. Head rather small. Neck short. Body rather slender.
Feet of ordinary length, slender; tarsus longer than the middle toe,
covered anteriorly with a few scutella, the uppermost long; toes scutellate
above, the inner free, the hind toe of moderate size ; claws slender,
compressed, acute, arched.
Plumage soft, blended, tufty. Wings of ordinary length, acute, the
first and second quills longest. Tail nearly even, of twelve straight,
rather narrow feathers. Bill brownish-black. Iris hazel. Feet and
claws greyish-blue. Head all round, neck and under parts generally, of
a bright rich pure yellow, paler on the abdomen, and passing into white
on the under tail-coverts. Fore part of the back and lesser wing-coverts
yellowish-green. Lower back and wings light greyish-blue. Inner webs
of the quills blackish. Inner webs of the tail-feathers bluish-grey at the
base, then white to near the tip, winch is black, as well as the outer webs.
The two middle feathers blackish, tinged with greyish-blue.
Length 5£ inches, extent of wings 8 J ; beak along the ridge 7
, along
T
? the gap f ; tarsus f j .
Adult Female. Plate I I I . Fig. 2.
The differences which the female exhibits are so slight as scarcely to
be describable, the tints being merely a little duller.