6 7 o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The nest is composed of rather coarse material, and is very shallow 

 and loosely constructed, somewhat resembling that of the swamp- 

 sparrow, but larger, and not so elaborately built. It being such a 

 simple nest, either the male or female must be on guard to prevent the 

 eggs from rolling out. During the period of incubation, Nature has 

 told the husband to relieve his wife occasionally of the household ser- 

 vice, but has evidently forgotten to bestow one apparently essential 

 quality that is, silence. He is hilarious, eveu while engaged in his 

 responsibilities, and thus, by his incessant singing, is apt to betray his 

 presence to passing marauders. 



The female is dressed in a much plainer suit of bi'own. Two white 

 stripes, one above and one below the eye, are all she can boast of as 

 head ornamentation, with some sprinkling of saffron about the wings. 

 She is a wise-appearing bird, and does not wear her heart upon her 

 sleeve, like her unwary husband. 



It would be interesting to know the circumstances under which 

 Linnaeus classified our rose-breasted grossbeak, and gave him the name 

 by which he should be known thereafter to all the nations of the 

 world. The generic Zamelodia signifies singing melody, which is very 

 appropriate ; and the specific " Lndoviciana" Louisiana, or relating to 

 Ludovicus. It is likely that Louis XIV was meant, as that King of 

 France took much interest in scientific matters, and invited many of 

 the leading men of science of his day to visit his country. Among 

 them was probably the great Swedish naturalist, who named the bird 

 partly after Louisiana which was at that time a more extended prov- 

 ince than the present State, and where these beautiful songsters are 

 plentiful partly out of respect for the French monarch, with whom 

 he must have had pleasant associations. 



This low ground, where the swamp-roses and tall meadow rue blos- 

 som in profusion, is the favorite building-place of the Maryland yel- 

 low-throat. Here is one at this moment, the female, moving among 

 the bushes apparently in an anxious state of mind, now darting in and 

 out of sight, now alighting on a twig not ten feet away, her wings 

 quivering with fright or anger, and uttering that peculiar scolding 

 " chip ! " which expresses so much distress and solicitude, and which 

 has the power and eloquence behind it to arrest your steps for a time, 

 however good your intentions may be in searching for the nest. Surely 

 it can not be far away. The male has arrived with a spanner in his 

 beak, which does not prevent him from chattering his discomfort at 

 my near approach. A small bird he is, with upper parts much the 

 color of the bark of the shrubs ; the breast greenish-yellow, with a 

 broad band of black covering the cheeks, and a narrower light one 

 above it. This ornament the female does not have, and she is some- 

 what smaller. 



The application and meaning of the technical term Geothylpis 

 trichas, by which the yellow-throat is designated in scientific books, 



