ONTARIO. 



274. GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS (LINN.). 681. 

 Maryland Yellow-throat. 



Male, in spring, olive-green, rather grayer anteriorly ; forehead and a 

 broad band through the eye to the neck pure black, bordered above with 

 hoary-ash; chin, throat, breast, under tail-coverts and edge of wing rich yel- 

 low, fading into whitish on the belly; wings and tail unmarked, glossed with 

 olive; bill black ; feet flesh colored. Female, in spring, without the definite 

 black and ash of the head ; the crown generally brownish, the yellow pale and 

 restricted. The young in general resemble the female, at any rate lacking the 

 head markings of the male ; but are sometimes buffy-brownish below, some- 

 times almost clear yellow. Length, 4f-5 ; wing and tail, i$-2^. 



HAB. Eastern United States, mainly east of the Alleghanies, north to 

 Ontario and Nova Scotia, breeding from Georgia northward. In winter, 

 South Atlantic and Gulf States, and the West Indies. 



Nest, on the ground ; composed of leaves and grass, and lined with fine 

 withered grass. 



Eggs, 4 to 6; white, thickly sprinkled with reddish-brown. 



The Maryland Yellow-throat is widely but somewhat 

 irregularly distributed. I have heard its familiar notes on the 

 banks of the St. Lawrence, near Quebec ; by the marshy ponds 

 between Gait and Paris I have found it breeding abundantly ; 

 but near Hamilton, where there are places equally suitable for 

 its summer residence, so far as we can judge, it is only observed 

 as a casual migrant in spring and fall. It is a very lively little 

 bird, and makes its summer haunts ring with its loud, clear 

 "whit-ti-tee" often repeated, which once heard is not soon for- 

 gotten by any one who has an ear for bird music. It arrives 

 during the first week in May, and disappears about the end of 

 August. 



GENUS ICTERIA VIEILLOT. 



275. ICTERIA VIRENS (LINN.). 683. 



Yellow-breasted Chat. 



Bright olive-green ; below golden-yellow, belly abruptly white ; lore black, 

 isolating the white under eyelid from a white superciliary line above and a 

 short maxillary line below; wings and tail unmarked, glossed with olive; bill and 

 feet blue-black, female and young similar, colors less bright. Length, 7-7$; 

 wing, about 3; tail, about 3^. 



275 



