BIRDS OF NEW YORK 4OI 



Haunts and habits. The Yellow warbler or Summer yellow bird is 

 the most familiar member of the family, inhabiting our gardens, shrubbery 

 and shade trees, making its nest even among the parks and trees of 

 the city streets. It seems to be one of the merriest and mildest in dis- 

 position of the whole warbler family and is commonly regarded as a bit 

 of the sunshine which it resembles. Its cheery song of " wee-chee, wee- 

 chee, wee-chee," or " weechee, chee, chee, chur-wee," or " sweet, sweet, sweet, 

 swede " being well known to bird lovers throughout the State. According 

 to Bicknell the song period lasts from late in April through the month of 

 July, sometimes nearly until the middle of August, but in my experience 

 its song is rarely heard after the I2th of July; but after the song has ceased 

 there is no period of revival before the warbler's departure in the fall. 

 The common call note of the Yellow warbler heard in the spring is " dzt," 

 so common to many members of the family, and a mild chip similar to 

 that of the Parula warbler. 



The nest is usually placed in a shrub or low tree within a few feet of 

 the ground, but sometimes is found in the branches 30 or even 40 

 feet above the ground. It is a neatly woven, symmetrical, cup-shaped 

 structure of fine vegetable fibers, especially the bark of the milkweed, 

 fine grasses and down from willows, poplars, ferns and various other plants, 

 lined with fine grasses, plant down, hairs, and feathers. The eggs are 4 

 or 5 in number, of a grayish white or pale greenish ground color, rather 

 thickly sprinkled with spots, blotches and irregular markings of umber, 

 black, lilac and purplish, usually tending to form a wreath near the larger 

 end. They average .69 by .50 inches in size. The first sets in southern 

 New York are completed from May 17 to 30, and about a week later in 

 the northern counties. Sets are frequently found also from the 2Oth to 

 the 3Oth of June, or even the loth of July, indicating that a second brood 

 is probably reared in many instances. This species is one of those most 

 frequently selected by the Cowbird as a foster mother for its offspring, 

 but the warbler often outwits the Cowbird by building a second 

 lining over the intruder's egg and laying her own on the new lining, thus 



