damp woods, half-deciduous and half- 

 coniferous^ with dense undergrowth, are 

 especially frequented by this bird, but it 

 is also found in opener, drier woods. A 

 stream of water is peremptory, be it only 

 the weak product of a spring. In only 

 one place do I find motacilla inconsistent. 

 This is in a park-like valley in Pittsburg 

 called Fern Hollow (though spore-bear- 

 ing plants are the rarest of its flora) . A 

 slimy, open sewer — its dark waters exud- 

 ing cool vapors and sickening stenches — 

 runs through the valley. Here the Lou- 

 isiana Water-thrush abounds and sings as" 

 sweetly as in any wild woodland glen, 

 where man's detrimental hand has 

 wrought no havoc. 



The Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria 

 virens) is another retrograde from this 

 family, at least if musical ability be the 

 point in question. There is not a par- 

 ticle of exaggeration in Mr. Burroughs's 

 description of his notes : "Now he barks 

 like a puppy, then quacks like a duck, 

 then rattles like a kingfisher, then squalls 

 like a fox, then caws like a crow, then 

 mews like a cat." Surely Mr. Chapman 

 strikes the keynote of his character when 

 he says : "There is method in his mad- 

 ness." But the question suggests itself, 

 "How did he acquire these outlandish 

 notes?" Doubtless in a protracted avian 

 war, at some remote day, he so habitually 

 jeered and insulted the enemy that when 

 the war was concluded he was unable to 

 throw off the habit thus developed ! The 

 distinctive features of the Chat are its 

 bright yellow breast, white belly, olive- 

 green back, and white superciliary line. 

 It is a bird of rough berry-grown hill- 

 sides, with dense clusters of trees. Here 

 it stays in the tree-tops, whistling, call- 

 ing, mewing, apparently deriding him 

 who seeks to see him, as 



"Those who know him know." 



The Golden-winged Warbler (Helniin- 

 thophila chrysoptera) is easy of identifi- 

 cation. Its black throat, black patch 

 about the eye, yellow crown, bluish-gray 

 wings and tail, yellow wing patch, white 

 breast and belly, are all conspicuous and 

 well-defined. "This bird, although a reg- 

 ular migrant, both in spring and fall, is 

 one of the group which is regarded as 

 being particularly rare and desirable to 

 the collector," writes Mr. Warren in 



"Birds of Pennsylvania," and Dr. 

 Wheaton in "Birds of Ohio" classes it as 

 a "rare summer resident. The rarest 

 species of the genus breeding with us." 

 But here, in Allegheny County, I find it 

 not at all uncommon. Moreover, its 

 breeding range is not confined to any one 

 locality, but well scattered along the three 

 rivers. I know of no warbler-song that 

 varies so greatly as that of this species. 

 Perhaps the most common of the many 

 types is this ; "hi, zee-zee-zee-zee," the 

 first note scarcely audible and seemingly 

 drawn in the "zees" with the usual war- 

 bler laziness. 



The Maryland Yellow-throat (Geoth- 

 lypis trie has), that abundant warbler ven- 

 triloquist, scarcely needs description. 

 Who does not know the little yellow- 

 olive bird with the black patch through 

 its eye ? Its typical home is the meadow- 

 swamp, where a few silver maples stand 

 above the rank weed-growth. Here, 

 under the ample leaves of the skunk cab- 

 bage the male courts his patch-less wife, 

 assuring us of her fascination by a per- 

 sistent "witchery, witchery, witchery." 

 When gay spring colors have changed 

 to sombre midsummer greens, and the 

 hot sun sets the very air a-quivering, still 

 true to his mate^ he sends out the same 

 bold assertion. And how coyly this dap- 

 per little husband dodges behind bush 

 and tree if we venture into his domains ! 

 On the second of July, 1903, I had the 

 pleasure of witnessing a feature of the 

 Yellow-throat's behavior entirely new to 

 me — its flight-song. At half-past four 

 of that afternoon, I saw him, singing 

 brokenly, dash into the air a short dis- 

 tance, hesitatingly hover, and retire into 

 the dense bushes. Wherefore this per- 

 formance? One day in June I was 

 amused by the result local influences pro- 

 duce on bird-song. The train was just 

 pulling out of Dixmont, where the insane 

 asylum is located when a pert little Yel- 

 low-throat called from the riverside, 

 "You're crazy, you're crazy, you're 

 crazy." Perhaps this bird, used to man's 

 cruel ways, took up his residence in Dix- 

 mont, and perceiving the innocence of 

 the inmates, assigned their innocence to 

 ignorance, and in derision of their un- 

 sophisticatedness, called out this unpleas- 

 ant reminder. 



The Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), 



221 



