Open Nests in Woods, Thickets, Swampy Thickets 
Adult 2 —Plumage duller and without the black patch; the sides 
yellowish brown, shading into grayish white on the belly. 
Length—s. 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 may be 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, I 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. | have found the nests in raspberry vines, as shown in the 
accompanying illustration, but they are more oftenfound in damp, 
grassy tangles. The young leave the nest when about five days 
old. 
681b. 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 
7° 
