YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 547 
crown sometimes washed with reddish brown, tail with greenish; 
under parts yellowish white. 
Young: Similar to adult male, but black mask less distinct. 
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast from British Columbia to Lower 
California; east to the Cascades and Sierra Nevada ; south in winter 
through Lower California and Mexico. 
California Breeding Range: In the San Diegan district, northwest to 
Santa Barbara, and possibly northward. 
Breeding Season: May and June. 
Nest : On or near the ground, among weed stalks ; cup-shaped ; of grass, 
Eygs : 4; white, finely speckled with brown. 
MINGLING with the song of the yellow-headed black- 
birds and the tinkling music of the marsh wrens, the 
clear “wichity, wichity, wichity,’ of the Yellow-throat 
rings from lowland marsh in the warm May sunshine, 
telling the world that spring and nesting time have 
come. If you follow the song to its source, you may 
catch a glimpse of a black-masked little head, flanked by 
bright yellow, peeking at you with bewitching curiosity, 
— curiosity mixed with fear, however; for, as soon as 
discovered, the head is quickly withdrawn, and only a 
moving of the leaves tells where the singer has hidden 
himself. But you have seen enough to make you curious 
in your turn, and to induce you to attempt to pursue the 
fascinating flash of yellow and green. Ina moment more 
you see him again, a small greenish bird scrambling for 
dear life through the tules or underbrush, turning his odd 
little face constantly to keep watch of you, or flying over 
a small open space to dive hurriedly into the shelter of 
the thicket. From clump to clump he flits until, when 
he has led you far enough from his nest, he dodges down 
to the thickest tangle of marsh grass and hunts for his 
dinner of insects while you hunt in vain for him. With 
