168 
TENTH REPORT. 
tender ends of the sweet flag which have been pulled up in this way are usually 
eaten. 
The Coots are quite shy, and prefer to remain in the middle of the stream 
when any one is near. When approached closely they patter over the water, 
using their feet as much as their wings, but seldom go far, generally settling 
down on the water again or wheeling around to some quieter spot in the 
swamp. 
Only three stomachs were examined and the food found consisted prin- 
cipally of insects, aquatic plants and small molluscs. The shallow pools 
and submerged portion of the bayou offer exceptional opportunities for 
feeding and one seldom visits this spot without seeing a pair of these birds 
floating on the stream, or chasing each other noisely about among the lily 
pads. 
' This habitat is well suited for these birds, as it furnishes an abundance of 
food, excellent nesting sites and good protection. 
Yellow Warbler. Dendroica aestiva (Gmel.) These birds arrive about 
the first of May, the earliest date being April 28 (1902) and the latest, May 2 
(1903). The birds are in full song on their arrival and soon commence nest 
building. The high willows along the river and the shrubby ones lying 
between these arid the bluffs, are the favorite haunts before nesting. They 
seldom descend to the ground or even the high weeds. Neither do they 
rise into the tops of the high willows, but prefer the bushes. A position 
exposed to sunlight is usually chosen, both for nesting and when singing. 
In very few cases are nests built where the bush is not exposed, as in a dense 
thicket. They are generally constructed of plant fiber, grass, and plant 
down, all gathered within a few feet of the nest. 
In ten stomachs which were examined, small flies, caterpillars, spiders, 
and a few small beetles were found. The young are fed the same insects as 
those eaten by the adult. Most of the food is obtained from the neighboring 
bushes, the flying insects being often taken on the wing after the manner 
of flycatchers. 
Unless considerable disturbance is made, these warblers show little fear 
of man; this is possibly the result of their being so seldom molested in this 
habitat, as those which nest in the more accessible habitats at the bayou 
are quite shy. 
Nests of the Yellow Warbler are seldom found which do not contain one 
or more eggs of the Cowbird. As a general rule the warblers either build 
a second story and thus bury the eggs completely, or else they weave a thick 
lining in the nest which partially covers the eggs and prevents their hatching. 
One nest, was found composed of three stories all containing Cowbird eggs, 
and in the upper two, the eggs of the warbler. In all it contained six Cow- 
bird and eight warbler eggs, five of the latter being in the upper story. This 
nest was just nine inches high and was built in the crotch formed by four 
slender branches springing from a central limb. While Cowbirds are quite 
common at the bayou, few of the nesting birds are as seriously troubled by 
them as are the Yellow Warblers. This is probably the result of the nest being 
placed in such an open exposed position where it is easily found by the female 
Cowbird. If the nest was hidden like the Song Sparrow’s, or was built in 
the denser thickets, t he Cowbird would be much less liable to find it. It. is 
evident then, that while this particular habitat is the home of the warbler 
because it furnishes abundance of food, good nesting sites, and protection 
from the common enemies, it does not furnish protection from the Cowbird, 
and principally because the nesting sites are usually chosen in the most 
