190 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 
also very common about the lagoon at Santiago, frequenting rushes, often where 
the water was three or four feet deep, in this respect differing from Oberholser’s 
Yellow-throat which inhabited thickets of bushes growing on comparatively 
dry ground. ‘The song resembles that of the Maryland Yellow-throat, but 
is so much heavier and fuller that it can be easily recognized.”’ The bird oc- 
casionally mounts into the air and sings on wing. Mr. Frazar noticed that 
the Belding’s Yellow-throats diminished sensibly in numbers at the approach 
of winter, and he is of the opinion that many migrate southward at that season, 
but this seems improbable, inasmuch as the species has never been detected 
outside of Lower California. 
It is not confined to the Cape Region, however, for Mr. Bryant has found it 
“on the west coast of lower Purisima cafion, and as far north as San Ignacio.” 
In March, 1888, and April, 1889, it was also met with on the eastern side of 
the Peninsula at Comondu. Here “ the birds kept mainly within the bul- 
rushes and bushes of the creek, but could be called out by imitating the cries 
of a bird in distress. I frequently heard them singing , Sometimes in the top 
of a low tree. Their notes are rather rae and quite lak an interval of a 
few seconds occurring between each song.” Mr Bryant describes the song as 
follows, the stars representing “a low, short buzz.” “ Sweet, sweet * * * ear 
* * * sweet, sweet ear * * * sweet, sweet ear,” or “ sweet, sweet ear * * * sweet, 
sweet ear,” or “sweet, sweet ear * * * sweet, sweet ear * * *,” all three forms 
being used by the same individual bird. 
A nest found at Comondu on March 25, 1889, by Mr. T. 8S. Brandegee w hile 
in company with Mr. Bryant, “was loosely woven in a clump of ‘ cat-tails,’ 
. and thinly lined with fine fiber and a few horsehairs. It measures ex- 
ternally (as nearly as can he determined from its rough shape) not less than 
150 mm. in height by about 115 mm. in diameter. The receptacle is about 
55 mm. in depth, with a diameter at the top of 50 mm. The general appear- 
ance is almost identical with some song sparrows’ nests.” 
The four eggs contained in this nest are larger than those of “any other 
North American yellow-throat, measuring 19 X 15; 19.5 X 15; 19.5 XK 14.5 ; 
19.5 X 14.5 millimetres. They are white, with shell spots and dots of lilac- 
gray and a few surface spots and pencillings of black.”” Four other nests and 
seven additional eggs taken by Mr. Bryant at this place are essentially similar 
to the specimens just described. All the nests, apparently, were in cat-tails. 
The female of one, when started off her eggs, “quietly retreated amongst the 
rushes and made no demonstration, further than a coarse ‘tchep’ note.” 
Icteria virens longicauda (Lawr.). 
LONG-TAILED CHAT. 
Icteria virens Barrp, Rev. Amer. Birds, pt. I. 1865, 229, part (descr. young birds 
from Cape St. Lucas). 
Icteria virens longicauda Betpvinc, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 537 (Cape 
Region). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II, 1889, 812 (Cape 
Region). 
