288 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



There are several peculiarities by which this bird can 

 be identified if yon can get near enough to see it well. Its 

 bill is lead-colored, while its head and under parts are yel- 

 low — not a dull but a really bright yellow. The back and 

 the rest of the upper parts are a dull yellowish green, 

 brightest on the rump. In some birds the back is more 

 olive than yellow. Sometimes there are streaks of dusky 

 reddish brown on the back, while the breast and the sides 

 of the body are always streaked with brownish red. The 

 tail feathers are dusky, except part of the web, which is 

 yellow. The wing feathers are dusky, edged with yellow- 

 ish green, while there are two narrow bands of yellow on 

 the wing. 



They mostly frequent the thickets and edges of woods, 

 but can be seen almost everywhere. While they have a 

 charming little song, they are by no means great song- 

 sters and perhaps would never be noticed for their song 

 alone. In fact, after the other birds have come North 

 and the woods are one grand chorus of music, a person 

 hardly notices the song of the yellow warbler. 



This bird must not be mistaken for the goldfinch, which 

 belongs to an entirely different family. The male gold- 

 finch is yellow excepting the top of the head, tail, and 

 wings, which are black, while the general appearance of 

 the yellow warbler is that of a truly yellow bird. He is 

 also much more slender than the goldfinch. 



What this bird lacks in song he makes up in mechanical 

 skill. Sometime between the first of April and the middle 

 of May he constructs one of the best-made nests of any of 

 our birds, without doubt the very best of any of our war- 

 blers. It is almost always placed in the forks of a bush, 

 the site being selected so that it can be fastened to several 



