BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER 153 



of various species, scrub oak, and sometimes, particularly in the humid 

 coast districts, among evergreens. It is fond of the neighborhood of 

 clearings where it works constantly and carefully among low growth. 

 Although it does not force itself upon one's attention it is a very 

 active bird and during the day must cover considerable territory." 

 {Fisher, MS.) 



Bowles*, writing from Oregon, says that in habits the Black- 

 throated Gray suggests both the Black-throated Green and Prairie 

 Warblers. Like the former, it likes tall trees with a preference for 

 scattered conifers having a bushy undergrowth. Like the Prairie it 

 prefers high and dry places, though it does not object to a swamp if 

 the ground beneath the nest is dry. 



Two pairs this writer watched while building "had the same way 

 of going about it. The male followed the female very closely, scold- 

 ing almost continuously, or perhaps making suggestions, as she did 

 not seem to mind it and gathered materials and acted very much as if 

 he was not there. This continuous scolding generally seems to indicate 

 nest-building and is apparently the only direct method of finding the 

 nest." 



Near Pyramid Lake, in western Nevada, I found the Black- 

 throated Gray in stunted junipers. 



Song. — "Its song is a simple Warbler lay, zee-ee-zee-ee, se, ze, ze, 

 with the quiet woodsy quality of virens and earulescens, so soothing 

 to the ear.'' {Bailey.) 



Nesting Site. — In Arizona Howard' found many nests of this 

 species in dense thickets of scrub oak in the f<5rk of the larger limbs 

 quite often within reach of the ground, while other nests were placed 

 high up in the pines. In the Sierras of California, Barlow^, recording 

 Carriger's observations, states .that several nests "were found in the 

 deer brush at from five to nine feet up and two were placed in pines, 

 one twelve feet up on a small limb, and another fifty-two feet up on a 

 horizontal limb." 



In Oregon, PrilP writes that "the nest is {Placed in some small fir, 

 generally not over five or six feet high; while Bowles* finds the nest 

 of this species "from three feet and three inches to twenty-five feet 

 from the ground, oaks seeming the favorite in southern Oregon and 

 fir near Tacoma." 



Nest. — Howard' describes the nests as "very compact, of a deep 

 cup shape, much like those of the Yellow Warbler. The nesting ma- 

 terial varies according to locality." 



Prill^ writes that the nest is "made of fine grass, profusely lined 



