a tangle of cedars, before which are the kennels where the dogs are chained at night. Early one morning they set up a chorus of grieved and disappointed howls, and, on going to find the cause, I found them tugging at their chains and casting longing glances toward the cedars. I listened a moment, and there came a succession of whistles, like their master's call, and I found that a Chat was working off his spirits in this way. A few days later, in going up the lane road with a very slow horse, I heard the same whistle from the bushes, and it was not imagination alone that gave these syllables to the chattering: "Whew! whew! whew! Hit get a whip. Chue-a-chuck, chuck. Whew! Hi!" Then the Chat flashed into the open, just to show that it was really he himself, and was gone.
Hooded Warbler: Sylvania mitrata.
- Length:
- 5-5.25 inches.
- Male:
- Black hood, chin, and upper breast. Yellow face, lower breast, and under parts. Above rich olive; white spots on outer tail feathers. Bill black, feet light.
- Female
- Similar, but with the cowl restricted or lacking.
- Song:
- "Che-we-eo-tsip, tsip, che-we-eo!"
- Season:
- May to September. A rare summer resident here, according to Mr. Averill.
- Breeds:
- Through its United States range.
- Nest:
- In bushes in damp woods, of bark strips, skeleton leaves, catkins, and grasses, woven with spider webs.
- Eggs:
- 4, white, with reddish brown speckles.
- Range:
- Eastern United States, west to the Plains, north and east to Michigan, southern New York, and southern New England; in winter, West Indies, eastern Mexico, and Central America.
In general appearance like the Yellow-throat, save that the black on the head forms a complete hood (except for the yellow face) meeting under the chin like a cape. This jaunty little bird looks as if he had assumed his black cowl for masquerading purposes only, and might be expected to throw it off at any moment. Quite plentiful in some parts of this state; it has been known to nest near Bridgeport,
113
