Open Nests in Woods, Thickets, Swampy Thickets 



AduU $ — Plumage duller and without the black patch ; the sides 

 yellowish brown, shading into grayish white on the belly. 

 Length— 5.33. 



Breeding Range — Throughout the Eastern States, from Georgia 

 northward ; westward to the plains. 



The nests are usually placed on the ground; they are also 

 built in low bushes, in almost any kind of place ; they vary greatly 

 both in size, shape, and in the materials used in their construction; 

 they may be made of nothing but fine grass, very shallow, re- 

 sembling the nest of the field sparrow, or they may be very 

 bulky, being as much as six inches high, outside measurement, 

 and made of weeds, strips of bark, tendrils, grass, and leaves, 

 the leaves only on the outside, with the lining of fine grass and 

 hair. Some of the nests are made entirely of reeds and other 

 coarse grass. The eggs are white with fine specks or spots of 

 chocolate and purple, brown and lilac; the spots are not very 

 numerous, and are mostly at the larger end. Usually the num- 

 ber of eggs is 4, sometimes 5 and rarely 6. Size — .70 x .53. 

 See Fig. 16, Plate C. 



The Maryland Yellow-throat is perhaps the most common of 

 our warblers during the breeding season; he maybe found in 

 almost any thicket, but he undoubtedly prefers places that are 

 damp or even marshy. Wherever he is, he will be found very 

 much in evidence, being of an inquisitive nature and ever on the 

 move, hopping about among the grass or, more often, in a tangle 

 of low bushes. 



The nest is described as difficult to find. Why, 1 do not quite 

 understand; it seems much more easy to find than most of the 

 other ground nests, unless it happens to be arched over, but that 

 is rare. 1 have found the nests in raspberry vines, as shown in the 

 accompanying illustration, but they are more often found in damp, 

 grassy tangles. The young leave the nest when about five days 

 old. 



68 1 b. Florida Yellow-throat : G. t. ignota Chapm. 



This bird is very similar to the preceding. The bill, tail, 

 and wing are longer, upper parts much browner, the black 

 patch larger, and the yellow rather deeper in colour on the under 

 parts. It is resident in the southern parts of Georgia and in 



70 



