Conspicuously Yellov7 and Orang^e 



assume silent indiflference. " Wheu\ whew ! " he begins, and then 

 immediately, with evident intent to amuse, he rattles off an inde- 

 scribable, eccentric medley until your ears are tired listening. 

 With bill uplifted, tail drooping, wings fluttering at his side, 

 he cuts an absurd figure enough, but not so comical as when he 

 rises into the air, trailing his legs behind him stork-fashion. This 

 surely is the clown among birds. But zany though he is, he is 

 as capable of devotion to his Columbine as Punchinello, and re- 

 mains faithfully mated year after year. However much of a tease 

 and a deceiver he may be to the passer-by along the roadside, in 

 the privacy of the domestic circle he shows truly lovable traits. 



He has the habit of singing in his unmusical way on moon- 

 light nights. Probably his ventriloquial powers are cultivated 

 not for popular entertainment, but to lure intruders away from 

 his nest. 



Maryland Yellowthroat 



(Geothlypis trichasj Wood Warbler family 



Called also: BLACK-MASKED GROUND WARBLER 



Length — 5.33 inches. Just an inch shorter than the typical Eng- 

 lish sparrow. 



Male — Olive-gray on head, shading to olive-green on all the other 

 upper parts. Forehead, cheeks, and sides of head black, 

 like a mask, and bordered behind by a grayish line. Throat 

 and breast bright yellow, growing steadily paler underneath. 



Female — Either totally lacks black mask or its place is indicated 

 by only a dusky tint. She is smaller and duller. 



Range — Eastern North America, west to the plains; most common 

 east of the Alleghanies. Nests from the Gulf States to Lab- 

 rador and Manitoba; winters south of Gulf States to Panama. 



Migrations — May. September. Common summer resident. 



"Given a piece of marshy ground with an abundance of 

 skunk cabbage and a fairly dense growth of saplings, and near 

 by a tangle of green brier and blackberry, and you will be pretty 

 sure to have it tenanted by a pair of yellowthroats," says Dr. Ab- 

 bott, who found several of their nests in skunk-cabbage plants, 

 which he says are favorite cradles. No animal cares to touch 

 this plant if it can be avoided; but have the birds themselves no 

 sense of smell ? 



207 



