COMMON birds: second series. 
*7 
Maryland Yellow-throat. 9. 
[geothlypis trichas.] 
It is strange that so common and brightly marked a bird as 
the Maryland Yellow-throat should be so little known. It is true 
that it frequents wet or swampy land, and spends most of its time 
hidden in the bushes. When the male sings, however, he mounts 
to some exposed perch, and, with head thrown back, utters his bright 
and characteristic song. This varies according to the region; in 
some places it resembles the syllables witchery, witchery, witchery; 
in others he seems to say wee-sec'-sir, wee-sec’-sir, wee-sec'-sir; and 
aeain the song varies to wee-see-see'-see, thrice repeated. r I he Yel- 
low-throats, like many other secretive birds, are very inquisitive, and 
may always be lured from their retreat by any squeaking noise. First 
they betray their presence by a wren-like chuck, then mounting 
with quick, nervous jerks show their bright throats or black masks 
for a moment, and again retreat into the tangled bushes. When 
excited, they utter a scolding chatter, and the male often, in mo¬ 
ments of excitement or exhilaration, mounts to a height of twenty 
or thirty feet, and utters a mixture of song notes as he descends. 
The female and young lack the black and ashy mask of the male. 
The nest is bulky, is placed on or near the ground, and contains 
usually four white eggs, marked, generally at the larger end, with a 
few reddish-brown blotches. The Yellow-throat’s food consists of 
the insects which abound in the bird’s haunts. The Yellow-throats 
arrive in New England in the first week of May, and many linger 
well into the autumn, even as late as October. They winter from 
Florida southward. 
Redstart. 14. 
[SETOPHAGA RUTICILLA.] 
The Redstart is one of the commonest and most attractive of 
the Warblers, and, unlike many of the family, it frequents the shrub- 
