LAND BIRDS. 641 



by Mr. Wood as May 10, and the earliest arrival as April 24, 1904. The 

 migratory movement continues all through May, and specimens were 

 killed on Ft. Aux Barques Light, Lake Huron, May 11, 1893, on Spectacle 

 Reef Light May 19, 1893, May 22, 1890, May 23, 1897 and June 2, 1889. 

 The southward migration occurs mostly in September, but there is doubtless 

 considerable movement in August, while a few linger into October. A 

 specimen was killed on Spectacle Reef Light October 3, 1893. 



This is one of our most inquisitive w^arblers and so soon as its haunts 

 are invaded it begins to utter its querulous or scolding note, which consists 

 of a nasal or wiry chip, and it continues to call in this manner, coming 

 closer and closer to the intruder, but often keeping entirely hidden, until 

 very near, when it is likely to climb to the top of a low bush, or at least 

 far enough up to get a view of its enemy, when it suddenly dives^again 

 into the grass and bushes. 



The nest is a decidedly bulky structure, as a rule, and is most often 

 placed in a tussock of grass or a tangle of vines and low shrubs, seldom 

 more than a few inches above the ground, not infrequently directly upon 

 it. Some writers state that the nest is occasionally roofed over, being 

 globular, with the entrance through a hole in the side, but we have never 

 seen such a nest in Michigan or elsewhere. It is built usually of grasses 

 and various fibrous materials and lined with finer grasses and hairs. In 

 central Michigan it is built the last of May or first of June; probably June 

 5 to 10 would cover the period when fresh eggs are most commonly found. 

 Second sets are occasionally found in July, but we have been unable to 

 prove that this species normally rears a second brood, the evidence seeming 

 to show that it does not. The eggs are three to five, white, finely speckled 

 with dark brown and black, occasionally marked with fine pen-scratches, 

 and average .70 by .52 inches. 



The song of the Yellow-throat is perfectly characteristic, yet no two 

 writers describe it in the same wa3^ Seton Thompson, in his Birds of 

 Manitoba, speaks of it as like " rap-pi ttit3^ rap-pittity, rap-pittity, rap," 

 and says that to the bramble-scratchecl follower it often seems to be 

 calling loudly and plainly "what a pity, what a pity, what a pity, pit," 

 or again "what's the matter, wdiat's the matter, what's the matter, mat." 

 Chapman writes it: "I beseech you, I beseech j^ou, I beseech you, I be- 

 seech you" and others have used the words "wichity-wichity-wichity- 

 wichity." Hoffmann says: "Three common forms are (a) wee-see-see, 

 wee-see-see, wee-see-see, (b) wee-see-ser, wee-se^-ser, wee-see-ser, (c) 

 wee-see-see-see, wee-see-see-see, wee-see-see-see, wee-see-see-see " (Guide, 

 1904, 104). Many observers testify to the fact that the Yellow-throat 

 often rises to some little height in the air and sings a short warbling song 

 unlike any of the notes already described. This song is sometimes uttered 

 at a height of forty or fifty feet, but more often the bird only rises twelve 

 or fifteen feet and hovers while singing, somewhat in the manner of the 

 Chat. We have also heard this song repeatedly at night. 



The Yellow-throat is entirely innocent of any harm to the agriculturist, 

 and its insect-eating must confer a direct benefit, although from the 

 character of the places frequented this cannot be considered very important. 

 Prof. Forbes examined stomachs of two Yellow-throats killed in an Illinois 

 orchard, where canker-worms were strip])ing the trees, and found that 

 caterpillars made up four-fifths of their food, about half of them being 

 canker-worms, while there was eight percent of beetles, five percent of 

 small hemiptera and four percent of gnats. 

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