LXXIX 



YELLOW WABBLER; SUMMER YELLOWBIRD; YELLOW POLL; 

 GOLDEN WARBLER ; WILD CANARY 

 652. Dendroica aestiva (Gmel.) 



The term, "Wild Canary" must not be confused with 

 the same name as applied to the American Goldfinch, as 

 the latter looks much more like a Canary than does the 

 former, and its song is similar to that of our well-known 

 domestic caged bird. 



The Yellow Warbler is of a rich yellow color, with 

 chestnut or brown streaks over the under parts and 

 a yellow-olive back. The bird is about five inches long 

 and ranges over the entire United States and Canada, 

 even within the Arctic Circle, breeding over all that ter- 

 ritory. It is therefore one of the commonest of Warblers. 

 It is a bird of orchards, briar and brushy overgrown 

 fence rows, of elm shade trees and park shrubbery. Al- 

 though common enough in most localities, the nest is 

 tucked away so snugly in the fork of some small tree 

 and is so completely hidden by the foliage, that it is an 

 accident when one is discovered. I had looked for three 

 seasons before I found one. (Fig. 123.) 



The Yellow Warbler is the most easily recognized of 

 our Warblers; its nest is a compact, heavy, well-built 

 structure of vegetable fibre and cottony material, se- 

 curely anchored in the small fork of an elm or fruit tree. 

 The eggs number from four to five and are of a greenish- 

 white dotted with lilac-shaded spots. 



The song of the Warbler is pleasing, gentle and soft, 

 and is a zealous performance. This bird is especially 

 fond of willow covered lowland bordering large streams. 



One day in early June, on the beautiful Cliff Drive, 

 in the heart of Kansas City, I saw a glint of yellow flash 

 through the branches of an elm. After watching for 

 an hour I saw the bird go to the nest, which was located 

 about twenty-five feet above the park driveway in the 

 triple fork of a small elm. Both birds were at the nest 

 when I discovered it. The young were of such size that 



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