466 WOOD WARBLERS 



" Washington, very rare T. V., May 6-30; Aug. 17-Oct. 1. Ossining, rare 

 T. V., May 28-29; Aug. 18-Oct. 1. Cambridge, rare T. V., May 22- June 

 5; Sept. 12-25. N. Ohio, tolerably common T. V., May 5-28. Glen Ellyn, 

 rather rare T. V., May 18-June 8; Aug. 17- . SE. Minn., uncommon 

 T. V., May 13- ; Aug. 1-Sept. 10. 



Nest, of strips of bark and other fibrous materials, lined with hair, on 

 or near the ground. Eggs, 4, white, sprinkled with reddish dots near the 

 larger end, '71 x '54. Date, Orleans Co., N. Y., May 31; Listowel, Ont., 

 June 3; Kalkuska Co., Mich., June 7. 



The Mourning Warbler inhabits the undergrowth, choosing situ- 

 ations not unlike those selected by the Maryland Yellow-throat. 



"Its common song consists of a simple, clear, warbling whistle, 

 resembling the syllables 'true, 'true, 'true, 'tru, 'too, the voice rising on 

 the first three syllables and falling on the last two. 



"Sometimes, when otherwise occupied, the first, or first two, syl- 

 lables are omitted. All through the breeding season, and till late in 

 July, they have a very characteristic habit of perching, at frequent inter- 

 vals during the day, on some branch, generally a dead one, and com- 

 monly ten or fifteen feet from the ground, and singing for half an hour 

 at a time." (Merriam, "Birds of Connecticut," 24.) 



681. Geothlypis trichas trichas (Linn.). MARYLAND YELLOW- 

 THROAT. (Fig. 127.) Ad. tf. A broad band across the forehead, and on 

 the cheeks and ear-coverts black, bordered behind by grayish; rest of the 

 upperparts, wings, and tail olive-green, sometimes tinged with brownish; 

 no wing-bars or tail-patches; throat and breast bright yellow, changing to 

 whitish on the belly; sides washed with brownish; under tail-coverts yellow. 

 Ad. cf 1 in fall. Similar, but browner above; black mask tipped with grayish; 

 belly more yellow; sides browner. 7m. cf. Similar, but the black mask 

 more concealed, sometimes merely indicated by a dusky area. Ad. 9. 

 No black mask; upperparts, wings and tail olive-green, the forehead some- 

 times tinged with rufous; throat and breast yellowish, changing to whitish 

 on the belly; under tail-coverts yellow; sides brownish. L., 5*33; W., 2*20; 

 T., 2-04; B., '42. 



Range. E. N. Am. Breeds in Canadian, Transition, and Upper Austral 

 zones from N. D., n. Minn., n. Ont., and s. Lab. s. to cen. Tex., n. parts of 

 the Gulf States, and Va.; winters from N. C. and La. to Fla., the Bahamas, 

 Cuba, Jamaica, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. 



Washington, abundant S. R., Apl 13-Oct. 21. Ossining, common S. R., 

 Apl. 28-Oct. 23. Cambridge, abundant S. R., May 5-Oct. 20; occasional 

 in winter. N. Ohio, abundant S. R., Apl. 25-Sept. 25. Glen Ellyn, common 

 S. R., May 2-Oct. 2. SE. Minn., common S. R. 



Nest, bulky, of strips of bark, coarse grasses, and dead leaves, lined with 

 fine grasses, tendrils, and rootlets, on or near the ground. Eggs^ 3-5, white, 

 rather thinly speckled and spotted with rufous to umber, chiefly some- 

 times entirely at the larger end, "70 x "53. Date, Chester Co., Pa., May 19; 

 Cambridge, May 25; Lancaster, N. H., June 2; Melbourne, Iowa, May 24. 



Doubtless one of the first acquaintances you will make, among the 

 Warblers, will be this black-masked inhabitant of thickets and bushes. 

 Indeed, you have only to pause near his home, when he will meet you 

 halfway. He announces his coming by an impatient, quickly repeated 

 chack, varying to chit, pit, quit, as, hopping from twig to twig, he finally 

 appears for a moment and then darts back into the cover of his haunts. 



His song is characteristic of his active, nervous nature, and is deliv- 



