426 
WOOD WARBLERS 
Distribution. — Breeds from British Columbia to Arizona, and from the 
Mississippi Valley to the Sierra Nevada and Cascades ; migrates to Central 
America. 
Nest. — On or near the ground, supported by weed or sedge stalks, 
deeply cup shaped, usually with a thick foundation of grass or leaves, some¬ 
times lined with hair. Eggs : often 4, white, finely speckled on larger end 
with dark brown and black, sometimes with a few larger spots or lines. 
The yellow-throats are found in damp brushy thickets, swampy 
patches of rank vegetable growths, and tule marshes. As they 
clamber over the stalks the little yellow birds stop to raise their odd 
black-masked heads, and sing out a loud penetrating, ringing wreech- 
ity, wreech-ity, wreech-ity , wreech-ity, which varies greatly with the 
individual. In addition to this ordinary song they have an impas¬ 
sioned love-song which they give in air with something of the excited 
posturing of the chat. • 
The songs of the males are as conspicuous as their coats, and they 
look out from their thickets upon passers-by with mild interest, but 
their mates, with only the family chack and plain dull yellowish coats 
are timid little creatures, and if they accidentally come to the edge 
of their bush when you are by, slip back out of sight in a trice. 
681c. G. t. arizela Oberh. Pacific Yellow-throat. 
Similar to occidentalism but smaller, and with smaller bill, shorter wing 
and tail, duller coloration, and white band on head narrower; yellow of 
under parts less orange. Male: length (skins) 4.49-4.92, wing 2.07-2.28, 
tail 1.94-2.24, bill .39-.43. Female: length (skins) 4.25-4.72, wing 2.00- 
2.08, tail 1.89-1.97, bill .39. 
Distribution. — Pacific coast region from British Columbia to northern 
Lower California, east to the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada; south in 
winter through Lower California and western Mexico. 
Subgenus Chamsethlypis. 
682.1. Geothlypis poliocephala ralphi Ridgw. Rio Grande 
Yellow-throat. 
Adult male .—Lores black; top of head bluish gray; rest of upper 
parts olive green, tinged with gray, especially on tail; under parts yellow, 
becoming buffy whitish on belly and anal region. Male: length (skins) 
5.16-5.63, wing 2.17-2.44, tail 2.20-2.64, bill .39-.47. Female: length 
(skins) 5.00-5.31, wing 2.00-2.16, tail 2.17-2.36, bill .43-47. 
Distribution. — Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Texas. 
GENUS ICTERIA. 
683a. Icteria virens longicauda {Laivr.). Long-tailed Chat. 
Bill curved, stout, higher than broad at nostrils, without notch or bris¬ 
tles ; wings much rounded; tail long, feet 
stout; outside of tarsus almost without 
scales ; tarsus decidedly longer than mid¬ 
dle toe with claw, its scutella indistinct or 
obsolete on outer side. Adults: throat and 
breast vivid yellow ; belly white; upper parts olive gray ; superciliary, 
Fig. 537. 
