164 CITIZEN BIRD 



''Yes, I see that you know him; 'that dark-backed 

 bird with a yellow spot on his tail' is not a bad descrip- 

 tion of the Myrtle Warbler," said the Doctor ; "at least, 

 as you generally see it, in autumn or winter, when 

 that particular spot is the only one of the four which 

 shows off well." 



" But why is he called 31i/rtle Warbler?" asked Nat. 

 " Does he build his nest in myrtle ? I thought myrtle 

 was that shiny-leaved plant down on the ground, that 

 doesn't have berries." 



" No, my boy, the bird is not named from that sort 

 of creeping flowering myrtle ; his name comes from a 

 Latin word for 'bayberry,' because the bird feeds upon 

 its fruit, as Rap told you." 



" And bayberry is that low sweet-smelling shrub that 

 we gather in the rocky pasture, to fill the great jar in 

 the fireplace," said Olive. " Some call it candle-berry, 

 and others wax-myrtle." 



"Yes," said Rap, "and these Warblers stay round 

 that pasture in winter as long as there is a berry left." 



The Yellow-rumped Warbler 

 (Or Myrtlebird) 



Length about five and a half inches. 



Upper parts dark gray, streaked with black ; two white bars on 

 each wing; large white spots on some of the tail-feathers. A yel- 

 low patch on the rump and crown. 



Under parts white, streaked with black on the breast and sides. 

 A yellow patch on each side of the breast. 



A Summer Citizen of the northern United States and northward. 

 INIuch less common in the West than the East. Travels south, 

 and spends the winter everywhere from southern New^ England to 

 Panama 



A great Seed Sower and a Tree Trapper. 



