BIRDS OF THE CAMBRIDGE REGION. 355 



migration it occurs almost everywhere — by no means infrequently in our city 

 gardens. 



Most of the birds that breed in our neighborhood depart for the south 

 before the end of August. In September their places are taken by migrants 

 from further north. Stragglers often remain nearly through October and on 

 two occasions, — January 31, 1890, and December 24, 1891, — Mr. Walter 

 Faxon has found solitary individuals apparently settled for the winter in the 

 dense beds of cattail ilags at Pout Pond. A few Northern Yellow-throats have 

 since been seen during these months in the same locality. The wintering birds 

 appear to be invariably young, which, no doubt, linger thoughtlessly until their 

 comrades have departed and afterwards are too indifferent or too inexperienced 

 to attempt to follow them. 



221. Icteria virens (Linn.). 

 Yellow-breasted Chat. 



Summer resident of irregular and rather rare occurrence. 



seasonal occurrence. 



May 14, 1892, one seen, Fresh Pond Swamps, W. Faxon. 



Early in September, 187 1, one seen. Pine Swamp, H. W. Henshaw. 



NESTING DATE. 



June 9, 1884, nest' and three eggs,' Cambridge, C. R. Lamb. 



The Chat has been found breeding regularly and really commonly in the 

 neighborhood of Lynn,^ and more sparingly in Maiden and Melrose, but it 

 appears to be an infrequent and somewhat irregular visitor to the Cambridge 

 Region, perhaps because so few of our thickets are overrun with the greenbrier 

 vines among which it loves to skulk and to conceal its nest. I can give but five 

 instances of its occurrence prior to 1890. Of these the first relates to a bird 

 which was seen by Mr. H . W. Henshaw in the Pine Swamp early in September, 

 1 871; the second, to a male which I found in a brushy pasture near Arlington 

 Heights, in full song and apparently breeding, on June 13, 1874; the third, to a 



1 No. 676, collection of William Brewster. 



^ Mr. W. A. Jeffries tells me that the Chats have nearly, if not quite, deserted this locality within 

 the past few years. 



