3^© Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



The Song Sparrow is, I believe, the commonest and most widely 

 distributed bird in the Park. While it belongs primarily to the 

 stream valleys, it is likely to be found everywhere except in the 

 forest itself. The bushes along streams are its favorite habitat, 

 but open meadows, wet grassy marshes, thickets, and the edges of 

 orchards or forests are all likely to have Song Sparrows inhabit- 

 ing them. 



This bird is well named. While not the best singer in the Park, 

 its song is decidedly pleasing, more variable perhaps than that of 

 any other bird, and has a wide range in pitch. It sings more 

 persistently and continuously than any other species. The song is 

 more musical than that of the Savannah, Grasshopper or Chipping 

 Sparrows, more varied in pitch than that of the Field Sparrow, and 

 begins with shorter, quicker notes than that of the Vesper Sparrow, 

 Perhaps the commonest form of song begins with three short notes 

 on the same pitch, followed by a trill on a different one, but there 

 are many other forms of beginning. 



The nest is most commonly found on the ground in a tussock of 

 grass or beneath a bush. It is sometimes in a bush a few feet from 

 the ground. 



Maryland Yellow-throat. Geothlypis trichas trichas (Linn.) 



This little bird, considerably smaller than the English Sparrow, 

 may be known by the dark olive back, bright yellow throat, and 

 black mask-like patch about its eyes. The upper side of this black 

 patch is bordered by light gray and the under parts shade to dull 

 white. The females and young are liable to be a bit puzzling, in 

 plain olive and yellow and without the distinguishing black mark. 

 The female should not be confused with the Nashville Warbler, a 

 bird I have not found in the Park, although it may occur there. 



The Maryland Yellow-throat is abundant in the Park, inhabiting 

 the dense growth of willows and other shrubs found along the 

 stream borders, and also common in thickets, particularly those of 

 somewhat moist soil. They are particularly fond of tangles of 

 thorny bushes, such as blackberry, raspberry and wild rose. 



The song of this bird is distinctive. It is composed of three or 

 four repetitions of a phrase of from three to five notes. This 

 phrase varies up or down in pitch, and one note of it is usually 

 strongly emphasized. The common interpretation " witchery, 

 witchery, witchery " represents a song of three-note phrases, the 

 first accented. This song sounds to me more like " zvitatee zvi-t- 

 atee •cwVatee." Another song of four phrases, the second accented, 

 may be represented by " tera'zYatee " repeated, and another ac- 

 cented on the last note " titawittee." Many other variations will be 

 noted by observers, but they all bear a strong resemblance to one 

 another. Once the song is well known, it cannot easily be mistaken 

 for that of any other bird. There is a slight resemblance to the 

 less regular song of the Canada Warbler, but not sufficient to con- 

 fuse the birds if one's ear for bird songs is good. 



The nest of the Yellow-throat is placed on or very near the 



