Species XIII. SYLVIA CITEINELLA. 



BLUE-EYED YELLOW WARBLER. 



[Plate XV. Fig. S.] 



Yellow-poll Warbler, Lath. Hyn. ii., p. 515, No. 148. — Aret. Zool. p. 402, No 

 292. — Le Figuier tacheti, Buff. Ois. v., p. 285. — Motacilla cestiva, Tukton's Syst 

 p. 615. — Parus luteus, Summer Yellow-bird, Bartram, p. 292.* 



This is a very common summer species, and appears almost always 

 actively employed among tlie leaves and blossoms of the willows, snow- 

 ball sbrub, and poplars, searching after small green caterpillars, which 

 are its principal food. It has a few shrill notes, uttered with emphasis, 

 but not deserving the name of song. It arrives in Pennsylvania about 

 the beginning of May ; and departs again for the south about the middle 

 of September. According to Latham it is numerous in Guiana, and 

 is also found in Canada. It is a very sprightly, unsuspicious and fami- 

 liar little bird; is often seen in and about gardens, among the blossoms 

 of fruit trees and shrubberies ; and, on account of its color, is very 

 noticeable. Its nest is built with great neatness, generally in the tri- 

 angular fork of a small shrub, near, or among, briar bushes. Out- 

 wardly it is composed of flax or tow, in thick circular layers, strongly 

 twisted round the twigs that rise through its sides, and lined within with 

 hair and the soft downy substance from the stalks of fern. The eggs 

 are four, or five, of a dull white, thickly sprinkled near the great end 

 with specks of pale brown. They raise two broods in the season. 

 This little bird, like many others, will feign lameness to draw you away 

 from its nest, stretching out his neck, spreading and bending down his 

 tail until it trails along the branch, and fluttering feebly along to draw 

 you after him ; sometimes looking back to see if you are following him, 

 and returning back to repeat the same manoeuvres in order to attract 

 your attention. The male is most remarkable for this practice. 



* Additional synonymes : — Motacilla cestiva, Gmel. Syst. i., p. 996. — Sylvia 

 cestiva, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii., p. 551. — Vieill. Ois. de I'Am. Sept. pi. 95. — Motacilla 

 albicolUs, Gmei,. Syst. i., p. 983, young. — Sylvia albicollis. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii., p. 

 535, young. — Ficedula Canadensis, Briss. hi., p. 492, 51, t. 26, fig. 3, male adult. — 

 Ficedtda dominicensis, Briss. hi., p. 494, 52, t. 26, f. 5. — Figuier de Canada, Buff. 

 PI. Enl. 58, f. 2, adult male. 



(183) 



