YELLOW WARBLER. 
221 
early blooming thickets and leafy woods of the Altamaha ; but 
the birds do not arrive in Pennsylvania and this part of New 
England before the ist of May. About the close of .August in 
the Northern, and by the middle of September in the Central 
States of the Union, or as soon as their second brood are capa- 
ble of joining the migrating host, they disappear, probably in 
the twilight, and wing their way by easy stages to their trop- 
ical destination, passing through Louisiana in October and 
appearing at length about Vera Cruz, whence they spread their 
numerous host through tropical America to Guiana, Cayenne, 
St. Domingo, and other of the larger contiguous islands of the 
West Indies. 
This is a very lively, unsuspicious, and almost familiar little 
bird, and its bright golden color renders it very conspicuous, 
as in pursuit of flitting insects it pries and darts among the 
blooming shrubs and orchards. It is particularly attached to 
willow-trees and other kinds in moist and shady situations, that 
afford this and other species a variety of small larvae and cater- 
pillars, on which they delight to feed. While incessantly and 
busily employed it occasionally mounts the twig, and with a 
loud, shrill, and almost piercing voice it earnestly utters, at short 
and irregular intervals, — 'ish' ’tsh’ 'tsh' 'fsh' 'tshdta, or tshe tshe 
tsh tshayia ishe tshe ; tliis last phrase rather ])laintive and inter- 
rogatory, as if e.xpecting the recognition of its mate. Some- 
times, but particularly after the commencement of incubation, 
a more extended and pleasingly modulated song is heard, as se 
te ie fshitshoo, or tsh' ish' tsh' tshectshoo, 'tshe 'tshe 'tshe 'tshoo 
'peetshee, and 'tshe 'tshe 'tshe 'tshe 'tshdia 'tship o way ; the ter- 
mination tender, plaintive, and solicitous. I have heard this 
note also sometimes varied to 'soit 'soit 'soit 'soit 'tship a wee. 
The female sometimes sings nearly as well as the male, partic- 
ularly about the time she is engaged in fabricating her nest. 
Although the song of these birds may be heard, less vigorously, 
to the month of August, yet they do not here appear to raise 
more than a single brood. 
The nest, in Massachusetts, is commonly fixed in the forks 
of a barberry bush, close shrub, or sapling, a few feet from the 
