THE MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT 



THOMAS NUTTALL 



THIS common and familiar species extends its summer 

 migrations from Florida to Nova Scotia, arriving in 

 Pennsylvania toward the middle of April and in Massachusetts 

 about the first week in May. They return to the south in 

 September; a few stragglers of the young, however, may be 

 seen to the first week of October. Though some remain and 

 winter in the southern States, many of them retire at this 

 season into the interior of tropical America, as they were seen 

 late in autumn around Vera Cruz by the naturalist and trav- 

 eler, Mr. Bullock. Early in the month of March, however, 

 I heard this species singing in the forests of west Florida. 



The Maryland Yellow-throat, with cheerful devotedness to 

 the great object of his summer migration, the attachments 

 and care of his species, passes his time near some shady rill 

 of water, amidst briars, brambles, alders and such other 

 shrubbery as grows in low and watery situations. Unambitious 

 to be seen, he seldom ascends to the top of the underwood 

 where he dwells busily employed in collecting the insects on 

 which he feeds. After these, like the Wren, he darts into the 

 deepest thicket and threads his devious way through every 

 opening; he searches around the stems, examines beneath the 

 leaves, and, raising himself on his peculiarly pale and slender 

 legs, peeps into each crevice in order to seize by surprise his 

 tiny lurking prey. 



While thus engaged his affection to his neighboring mate 



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