132 LAND-BIRDS AND GAME-BIRDS 



wee, or a soft wee-see-wee-see-wee, much like the song of the 

 Yellow Bird (D. cestivd), and again a series or repetition of a 

 few gentle notes, which form an indefinite song. 



The Redstarts have also a soft chip, which is often repeated 

 in the manner of the Snow-bird, a loud chip, a chick, and a few 

 minor notes of no importance. 



This species is the last of our numerous warblers (unless the 

 chats), and I regret having already finished the biographies of 

 these useful and charming birds. 



XIII. ICTERIA 



(A) VIRENS. Yellow-breasted Chat. Chat. 



(In New England of rare occurrence, and in the three south- 

 ern States only.) 



(a). Seven inches long. Above, bright olive-green. Throat 

 and breast, rich yellow. Belly, and superciliary line, white. 

 Lore, black. 



(6). The nest is composed of leaves, grasses, strips of bark, 

 etc., and is placed in a thicket, bush, or briar. The eggs aver- 

 age about 1* X *80 of an inch, and are white, sometimes with 

 reddish-brown and obscure lilac spots sprinkled over the sur- 

 face (often more thickly about the crown), and sometimes with 

 rather faint lilac blotches only (which are occasionally confined 

 almost entirely to the smaller end) , these being the two ex- 

 tremes of coloration. 



(c). Of the remarkable Yellow-breasted Chats I shall here 

 make but brief mention, since they have never fallen under my 

 personal observation, and because of their very rare occur- 

 rence in New England. I have never seen them near Boston, 

 and I know but two instances of their capture here. They 

 reach Pennsylvania " about the first week in May," and inhabit 

 " close thickets of hazel, brambles, vines and thick under- 

 wood." During the mating-season they perform the most ex- 

 traordinary antics in the air, and often at night. 



(d). While so doing, and at other times, they utter a great 

 variety of extraordinary sounds, some of which are musical 

 whistles, and others " like the barking of young puppies," " the 



