104 LAND-BIRDS. 



X. DENDROICA. 



A. iESTiVA. (^Summer) Yellowhird.^'' (^Blue^eyecT) Yellow 

 Warbler. Golden Warhler. In southern New England a very- 

 common summer resident.* 



a. About five inches long. Yellow with modifications. 

 Breast, and even the back, streaked (often indistinctly) with 

 orange brown. Tail-feathers not blotched with white as in 

 all other Dendroicce. 



b. I shall describe the nest at length, as it is essentially 

 like those of several other species. It is composed outwardly 

 of very fine grasses, interwoven with woolly or cottony mate- 

 rials, which form a substantial wall. This is often covered 

 with caterpillar's silk, and is lined with wool, down from 

 plants (particularly a dun-colored kind), horsehairs, and rarely 

 feathers. Nuttall aptly calls this structure "neat and dur- 

 able." It is to be found on cultivated grounds and in gar- 

 dens, as well as in pastures and swamps, though even a dif- 

 ferent situation is sometimes chosen ; it is generally placed in a 

 low bush, such as the barberry or currant bush, but occasion- 

 ally in the branches of a shade tree at a considerable height 

 above the ground. 



The eggs average .67 X .50 of an inch, and are usually 

 either grayish white, green-tinted, with spots and blotches of 

 lilac (which is often obscure) and various browns, chiefly 

 about the larger end, or (more rarely) white, vrith lilac (ob- 

 scured) and sandy or yellowish brown markings grouped prin- 

 cipally about the crown. The above colorations are the ex- 

 tremes, between which there are various intermediate forms. 

 It is remarkable that the eggs, though so variable, are very 

 generally characteristic of the birds, and unlike those of other 



and contains no assurance that the birds setts it is less numerous and more local, 



were properly identified. — W. B. The chief reason for this, apparently, is 



*^ The Goldfinch {Spinus tristis^ that the bird dislikes heavy forests, es- 



§ 15, IV, A) is also called the Yellow- pecially such as abound in coniferous 



bird. trees, for, where the country is to its 



* An abundant summer resident of liking', it penetrates very far northward, 

 the greater part of southern New Eng- even, it is said, to the shores of the Arc- 

 land. To the northward of Massachu- tie Ocean. — W. B. 



