426 WOOD WARBLERS 



Distribution. — Breeds from British Columbia to Arizona, and from the 

 Mississippi Valley to the Sierra Nevada and Cascades ; migrates to Central 

 America. 



Nest. — On or near the g-romid. supported by weed or sedge stalks, 

 deeply cup shaped, usually with a thick foundation of grass or leaves, some- 

 times lined with hair. Egys : often 4, white, finely speckled on larger end 

 with dark brown and black, sometimes with a few larger spots or lines. 



The yellow -throats are found in damp brushy thickets, swampy 

 patches of rank vegetable growths, and tule marshes. As they 

 clamber over the stalks the little yellow birds stop to raise their odd 

 black-masked heads, and sing out a loud penetrating, ringing wreech- 

 ity, wreech-ity, loreech-ity, iDveech-ity, which varies greatly with the 

 individual. In addition to this ordinary song they have an impas- 

 sioned love-song which they give in air with something of the excited 

 posturing of the chat. 



The songs of the males are as conspicuous as their coats, and they 

 look out from their thickets upon passers-by with mild interest, but 

 their mates, with only the family cMck and plain dull yellowish coats 

 are timid little creatures, and if they accidentally come to the edge 

 of their bush when you are by, slip back out of sight in a trice. 



68 le. G. t. arizela Oherh. Pacific Yellow-throat. 



Similar to occidentalis, but smaller, and Avith smaller bill, shorter wing 

 and tail, duller coloration, and white band on head narrower ; yellow of 

 under parts less orange. Male: length (skins) 4.49-4.92, wing 2.07-2.28, 

 tail 1.94-2.24, bill 89-.48. Female: length (skins) 4.25-4.72, wing 2.00- 

 2.08, tail 1.89-1.97, bill .39. 



Distribution. — Pacific coast region from British Columbia to northern 

 Lower California, east to the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada ; south in 

 winter through Lower California and western Mexico. 



Subgenus Chamaethlypis. 



682.1. Geothlypis poliocephala ralphi Ridgw. Rio Grande 

 Yellow-throat. 



Adult male. — Lores black; top of head bluish gray; rest of upper 

 parts olive green, tinged with gray, especially on tail ; under parts yellow, 

 becoming buffy whitish on bellv and anal region. Male : length (skins) 

 5.I6-5.O0, wing 2.17-2.44, tair2.20-2.64, bill .39-47. Female: length 

 (skins) 5.00-5.31, wing 2.00-2.16, tail 2.17-2.36, bill .43-.47. 



Distribution. — Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Texas. 



GENUS ICTERIA. 



683a. Icteria virens longicauda (iawr.). Long-tailed Chat. 



Bill curved, stout, higher than broad at nostrils, without notch or bris- 

 tles ; wings much rounded ; tail long, feet 

 stout ; outside of tarsus almost without 

 scales ; tarsus decidedly longer than mid- 

 dle toe with claw, its scutella indistinct or 

 ^^^ ""''■ obsolete on outer side. Adults: throat and 



breast vivid yellow ; belly white ; upper parts olive gray ; superciliary, 



