MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 
89 
denominated Humility , its business or ambition seldom leading 
it higher than the tops of the underwood. Insects and their 
larvae are its usual food. It dives into the deepest of the 
thicket, rambles among the roots, searches round the stems, 
examines both sides of the leaf, raising itself on its legs, so as 
to peep into every crevice; amusing itself at times with a 
very simple, and not disagreeable, song or twitter, whitititee , 
whitititee , whitititee ; pausing for half a minute or so, and 
then repeating its notes as before. It inhabits the whole 
United States from Maine to Florida, and also Louisiana; 
and is particularly numerous in the low, swampy thickets of 
Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It is by no 
means shy ; but seems deliberate and unsuspicious, as if the 
places it frequented, or its own diminutiveness, were its 
sufficient security. It often visits the fields of growing rye, 
wheat, barley, &c. and no doubt performs the part of a friend 
to the farmer, in ridding the stalks of vermin, that might 
otherwise lay waste his fields. It seldom approaches the 
farm-house, or city ; but lives in obscurity and peace, amidst 
its favourite thickets. It arrives in Pennsylvania about the 
middle, or last week, of April, and begins to build its nest 
about the middle of May : this is fixed on the ground, among 
the dried leaves, in the very depth of a thicket of briers, 
sometimes arched over, and a small hole left for entrance ; the 
materials are dry leaves and fine grass, lined with coarse hair ; 
the eggs are five, white, or semi-transparent, marked with 
specks of reddish brown. The young leave the nest about 
the 22d of June; and a second brood is often raised in the 
same season. Early in September they leave us, returning 
to the south. 
This pretty little species is four inches and three quarters 
long, and six inches and a quarter in extent; back, wings, 
and tail, green olive, which also covers the upper part of the 
neck, but approaches to cinereous on the crown ; the eyes are 
inserted in a band of black, which passes from the front, on 
both sides, reaching half way down the neck ; this is bounded 
above by another band of white, deepening into light blue ; 
