144 
SYLVIA TRICHAS. 
and a half broad ; the front and upper part of the head, 
is a fine verditer blue ; the hind head and back, of the 
same colour, but not quite so brilliant ; a few lateral 
streaks of black mark the upper part of the back ; 
wings and tail, black, edged with sky blue ; the three 
secondaries next the body, edged with white, and the 
first and second row of coverts also tipt with white ; 
tail-coverts, large, black, and broadly tipt with blue ; 
lesser wing-coverts, black, also broadly tipt with blue, 
so as to appear nearly wholly of that tint ; sides of the 
breast, spotted or streaked with blue; belly, chin, and 
throat, pure white ; the tail is forked, the five lateral 
feathers on each side with each a spot of white ; the 
two middle more slightly marked with the same ; from 
the eye backwards extends a line of dusky blue ; before 
and behind the eye, a line of white ; bill, dusky above, 
light blue below ; legs and feet, light blue. 
113 . &TLVIA TRICHAS , LATH. SYLVIA MARYLAXDICA , WILSON. 
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 
WILSON, PLATE TL FIG. I. — MALE. 
This is one of the humble inhabitants of briers, 
brambles, alder-bushes, and such shrubbery as grow 
most luxuriantly in low, watery situations ; and might 
with propriety be 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 nume- 
rous in the low, swampy thickets of Maryland, Penn- 
sylvania and New Jersey. It is by no means shy ; but 
