I'llE WESTERN VELLU\V-T1I»UAT. 



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Alixrations. Sfriiiij: Alitanuin (Yakima Co.) March 2ij. i<^x). 

 Authorities. Dawson, Auk, .\1\ . April, it<97, 179. |)^ Ss'. Ss'. J. 

 Specimens. — l'. of W. I'. I'ruv. 



L'< >Ai\SI'' grass, stunted biislifs, water, ami sunsliine seem tu i>e tlie cliief 

 rei|iiirements u( tiiis very in(li\ iilual bird. To obtain the first-named, especial- 

 ly if represented I)y his favorite rye-grass, lie will forsake water within reas<jn- 

 able limits; but his preference is for a grassy swam]) dotted with bushes, and 

 he does not overlook any considerable area of cat-tails and tules. Yellow- 

 throat is a restless, active little ixtdy, and he is among the lirst to come for- 

 wanl wiieii you enter the swamp. His method is hide-and-seek and the game 

 wouKl all be his, if he did not reveal his presence from time to time by a harsh 

 accusing note, a sort of Polish, consonantal explosion, wzschthiib, — a sound 

 not unlike tiiat made by a guitar string when struck above the stop. If ycju at- 

 tempt to follow the l)ird. the game ends in di.sapp(»iiitnient. Hut if the ob- 

 server pauses, curiosity gets the better of the bird, ami he is soon seen peering 

 out from a neighboring iiush, roguery only half hidden by his higlnv.iyman's 

 mask. 



The female. ha\ing no mask, keeps to the background, but she is not less 

 interested than her mate in the 

 progress of events. When tlie 

 scout returns to re|K)rt, there is 

 often a curious outbreak of dis- 

 cussion, in which the husband, as 

 like as not, finds it necessary to 

 defend his ojjinion with ,1 perfei ■ 

 torrent of Tccsclilhiibs. 



N'ellow-thioat's song is one of 

 the few explicit things in the 

 swamp. Mounting a weed-stalk, 

 he rubs out, U'ilchity. 7vitcliity 

 Tvilchity. or "/ beseech you. I br- 

 scecli ymi. I beseech." Rhythm 

 is the chief characteristic of tlii^ 

 song, and altlio a given binl ap 

 pears to Ix* confined to a single 

 ty|)e, the variety of "feet" ofTcred 

 by a swamp is most entcrtainin!: 

 Reesi'vilte. reeshcitte. ril'. w;i- 

 the cadence of a Douglas County 

 bird : while chitooreet'. chilonreet'. 

 chiliinreel'. chii. heard at Chelan, 

 reminded me of the Kentucky 



Poutlai C ouKly. 



Photo by llir .iulliorj. 



.\ WESTICRN VEI.LOW TIIRO.M'S NEST. 



