MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 
145 
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 obscu- 
rity 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, arched 
over, and a small hole left for entrance ; the eggs are 
five, white, with touches 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 e)^es 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 ; throat, breast, 
and vent, brilliant yellow ; belly, a fainter tinge of the 
same colour; inside coverts of the wings, also yellow; 
tips and inner vanes of the wings, dusky brown ; tail, 
cuneiform, dusky, edged with olive green ; bill, black, 
Straight, slender, of the true motacilla form, though 
the bird itself was considered as a species of thrush by 
Linnams ; but very properly removed to the genus 
motacilla by Gmelin ; legs, flesh coloured ; iris of the 
eye, dark hazel. The female wants the black band 
through the eye, has the bill .brown, and the throat of 
a much paler yellow. 
VOL. II. 
K 
