LAND BIRDS. 591 



Mr. Covert informed Dr. R. H. Wolcott that he found it nesting at South 

 Lyons, Washtenaw county, in 1895, and Mr. Covert states in his manuscript 

 list of 1894-95 that D. C. Worcester found a nest in a tamarack swamp 

 near Ann Arbor, May 17, 1893. Mr. L. J. Cole tells us that he suspects 

 that the bird breeds in the low places among the sand dunes near Grand 

 Haven, Ottawa county, and the writer has found it during the nesting 

 season near Petoskey, Emmet county, although no nests were actually 

 found. 



The subspecies was named usnece by Mr. Brewster from the fact that 

 so far as observed it nests invariably in masses (usually pensile) of the 

 so-called "Beard-moss," belonging to the genus Usnea which so frequently 

 festoons the trees in swampy places and overflowed woodlands. The 

 bird selects a swinging mass of this moss and in its interior builds a neat 

 nest, mainly of pieces of the moss itself, but sometimes with a few rootlets 

 and hairs interwoven, the nest being usually arched over or completely 

 closed at the top, with the entrance through a hole in the side. Not in- 

 frequently the nest is within two or three feet of the water, and instances 

 are recorded where many of these nests have been destroyed by the rising 

 of the water in heavy freshets. Ordinarily, however, they are placed 

 from five to twenty feet above the water (or ground) and are so skilfully 

 concealed as to be found only by patient watching of the birds. The 

 eggs are three to five, white, speckled with I'eddish lirown, and aveiage 

 .64 by .46 inches. 



According to Bicknell it has two different songs. In one the notes 

 coalesce into a fine insect-like trill; in the other four similar notes are 

 followed by four others, weaker and more cpiickly given. 



TIOCHNIOAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male: Upper j)arts, from forehead to tail, bright grayish blue, witli a patch 

 of greenish yellow in the middle of the back; sides of head and neck blue like the back, 

 this color extending along the sides of the breast and belly; lores black; a white spot 

 on the lower eyelid; two conspicuous white wing-bars; chin and middle of breast clear 

 bright yellow; throat and upper breast mixed black, brown and yellow; belly and imder 

 tail-coverts white; most of the tail feathers with white spots which are large and squarish 

 on the outer two pairs. Female similar, but less brown and black on throat and breast, 

 these parts often being entirely yellow; upper parts duller blue, and white wing-bars 

 narrower. 



Lengtli 4.10 to 4.90 inches; wing 2.20 to 2.40; tail 1.00 to 1.85. 



