The Maryland Yellow-throat 27 



is not forgotten, and, with a simplicity agreeable and charac- 

 teristic, he twitters forth at short intervals his 'whititeiee, 

 'whitiietee, 'whiiiteiee, but his more common song is 'whittitshee, 

 \vhittitshee, or 'wetitshee, ' wetitsheewee ; sometimes I have heard 

 his notes like 'wetitshee wetit shee, 'witeyu we. On this last 

 syllable a plaintive sinking of the voice renders the lively, 

 earnest ditty of the active minstrel peculiarly agreeable. The 

 whole is likewise often varied and lowered into a slender 

 whisper or tender, reverie of vocal instinct. 



He appears by no means shy or suspicious as long as his 

 nest is unapproached, but for the safety of that precious 

 treasure he scolds, laments and entreats with great anxiety. 

 These birds generally nest in secluded thickets of the forest, 

 or the low bushy meadow, but sometimes they take up their 

 abode in the garden, or the field contiguous to the house, and 

 if undisturbed they show a predilection for the place which has 

 shown them security for themselves and their young. They 

 commence their labor of building about the middle of May, 

 fixing the nest on or near the ground among dry leaves, 

 withered grass or brush, and often choose for security the 

 most intricate thicket of briars, so that the nest is often 

 sheltered and concealed by projecting weeds and grass. 

 Sometimes a mere tussock of grass or accidental pile of brush 

 is chosen. It is made of dry sedge grass and a few leaves 

 loosely wound together and supported by the weeds or twigs 

 where it rests; the lining consists entirely of fine bent grass. 



The eggs, about five in number, are white, inclined to flesh 

 color with touches of specks and small spreading blotches, and 

 sometimes with a few lines of two or three shades of reddish 

 brown, chiefly disposed toward the greater end. The young 

 leave the nest about the middle of June, and a second 

 brood is sometimes raised in the course of the season. The 



