BIRDS OF KANSAS. 571 



bright yellow, brightest anteriorly. A well defined narrow stripe from the 

 commissure of the mouth through the eye. and another from the same pomt 

 curving gently below it, also a series of streaks on each side of the body, exteud- 

 iug from the throat to the flanks, black. Quills and tail feathers brown, edged 

 with white; the terminal half Of the inner web of the first and second tall feath- 

 ers white; two yellowish bands on the wings. Female: Similar, but duller; 

 the dorsal streaks indistinct. Autumnal specimeiis have the plumage more 

 blended, but the markings not changed. A young male in autumnal dress is 

 wholly brownish olive green above, the whole wing uniform; the forehead ashy, 

 the markings about the head rather obsolete; the chestnut spots on the back 

 and the black ones on the sides nearly concealed." 



stretch of ^ T,;j 



Length. i^nng. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Mak> 4.80 7.00 2.20 2.00 .70 .43 



FemaL. .. 4.70 6.80 2.15 1.90 .70 .40 



Iris brown; bill, legs, feet and claws dark olive brown; bot- 

 toms of feet dull greenish yellow. 



These small Warblers inhabit the shrubby oak growths upon 

 the prairies, waste fields, orchards, and bushy, weedy growths 

 bordering the woodlands, seldom entering the thick woods or 

 visiting the shrubbery about our dwellings. I have never found 

 them abundant anywhere, or in flocks beyond family groups; 

 usually alone or in pairs. A rather silent bird, uttering now 

 and then a "Chip" or '^ Chirr" note. They are very active, 

 ever on the move, making short, wavy flights, and hopping about 

 among the branches or bushes and weeds in search of food, 

 occasionally darting a short distance to capture a passing insect. 

 I have never seen one searching for food on the ground, as 

 some writers say they do, and I had a very good opportunity, 

 in the winter of' 1885, to observe the birds along the southwest 

 coast of Florida, where they seemed to be the most common in 

 the thick, moist growths, in marked contrast with their habits 

 in their northern summer homes. 



Their song is a peculiar musical trill. It commences low, 

 ascends rapidly, and ends with a rising inflection. 



Their nests are placed in upright forks of slender branches of 

 bushes and low trees, from two to eight feet from the ground; 

 a rather compact structure, composed of soft fibrous strippings 

 from plants, grasses, leaves, a few feathers, etc., and lined with 

 downy vegetable matter, fine grasses, rootlets and hairs. Eggs 



