BLACK-TliriUA'lED GRKEN WAKBLER. 



591 



margin and at this point a white ^pot begins on tiie next feather, which m turn sl'jpes to the be'nnnin" of a 

 spot on the third feathfer, but the spot on the fourth bej^ins lower than the marginal termination of the spot 

 on the third, and is V shaped. This spot does not touch the vein but 

 all of the others do, yet some of them follow it quite to the termination 

 Sides of head, yellow, with line through eye, greenish. Beneath, white, 

 with patch on the throat and upper breast, and streaks on the sides, 

 black. Iris, bill and feet, brown. Adult female, generally similar, but 

 with the black markings less distinct, and the white on the tail is less 

 extended, and the young male is similar. Nestlings, have two indis- 

 tinct wing bars. Sides of head, dark slate. Above, dark slaty brown, 

 each feather of back being edged with dark greenish. Beneath, soiled 

 ■white, each feather on sides and breast with a terminal spot of black. 

 Otherwise as in the young. 



Fig. !U. Head and outer 

 tail feather of A dul male Black- 

 throated Green Warbler, spring 

 plumage. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Known from all of our Warblers by the contiimous golden color 

 above, combined with the black throat. Occurs dui-ing summer fr mi 

 middle United States, northward into Canada. Winters in Mexico and 

 €entral America ; not common in the West Indies. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Length, from 4.70 to 5.31 ; stretch, 7.o5 to 8.00 ; wing, 2.3.5 to 2.01 : tail, I.Sj to 2.03 ; bill, .40 to .45 ; 

 tarsus, .60 to .70. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 

 Nests, placed in trees or bushes : composed of twigs, grasses and fibrous stems of plants, lined with 

 •downy substances. E(3GS, four in number, oval in form, white in color, blotched over the entire surface with 

 l)rown and purplish of varying shades. Dimensions, .50 by .70 to .52 by .75. 



HABITS. 



Wherever the stately white pines are found growing thickly enough together to form 

 -a grove of much extent, the singularly pleasing song of the Black-throated Green War- 

 bler may be heard, at nearly any time during daylight, from the middle of May until the 

 last of July. Excepting when actually migrating these warblers usually keep well up in 

 the tops of high pines, and were it not for the pleasant song, whie'i is given with an into- 

 nation that is almost in perfect accord with the w'.iispering of the sununer breezes through 

 the pines, we should often be unawnre of their jiresence. I have seen many interpreta- 

 tions of this melody, but to my ears t'le bird says quite di.-^tinctly "Good Saint Theresa" 

 -iind reiterates this invocation at ratiier wide intervals, with a ri.sing intlection, and with 

 .ji decided accent upon the last syllable of the last word. 



The Black-throated Greens usually build high up on a limb of their favorite pines, 

 but I once found a nest built in a l);irberry bash that stood on a sloping hillside near some 

 ^vhite pines. On May 22nd, 1895. as 1 was endeavoring to point out a male of this 

 ■species, which was singing in some high pines in Waltham, to a class of piijiils, a Icmale 

 suddenly appeared near and began to gather the webs from the nest of a tent cater|)illar, 

 mithin a few yards of where we all stood. She pursued her labors calmly in spite of the 



