192 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



104. Dendroica Vieilloti, nobis. 



Sylvia ruficapila, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. xi. p. 228, (but not of same vol. p. 

 179, and not Sylvia ruficapilla, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 540, which is 

 Motacilla petechia, Linnaeus, a distinct species). 

 "Chloris erithrachorides, Feuille," Baird, Rept. Pac. R. R. Surv. ix. p. 

 283, hence Dendroica erilhachorides, Baird, same vol. p. 283, (but not 

 Chloris erithrachorides, Feuille, Jour. Obs. Phys. iii. p. 413, (1725), 

 which is Motacilla petechia, Linnaeus). 

 Entire head and neck in front light reddish chestnut. Plumage of all other 

 parts much resembling that of D. cesliva, of the United States, but darker on 

 the back wings and tail, size rather larger, and with the bill slightly longer 

 and more gradually pointed. Total length, 4J to 4| inches. 



Hab. South America, Central America. (Panama, Mr. J. G. Bell). 

 From Carthagena. 



I have been quite unsuccessful in attempting to find a name really applicable 

 to this well marked and not uncommon species. It is usually, I believe, regard- 

 ed as Sylvia ruficapilla of authors, and is unmistakeably described by Vieillot, 

 as above cited, but erroneously so far as relates to the name, which is applied 

 by all other authors to Motacilla petechia, Linnaeus, a species not uncommon 

 from the West Indies, and accurately figured by Vieillot, Ois d'Am. Sept. pi. 

 91. Under these circumstances I propose the name above given.* 



*There are at least five species of Dendroica, resembling each other, and all having 

 the general appearance of D. cestiva of the United Slates. The first four of these have 

 been much confused and mistaken for each other : 



1. Dendroica estiva, (Gmelin.) 



Motacilla ajstiva, Gm. Syst. Nat. ii. p. 996, (1788). 

 Hab. United States, Mexico, Central America, New Grenada, West Indies ? 



2. Dendroica albicollis, (Gmelin). 



Motacilla albicollis, Gm. Syst. Nat. ii. p. 983, (1788), 



Hab. Cuba, (Gundlach), St. Domingo, (Brisson). 



This is the bird usually regarded as D. cesliva, by the Cuban ornithologists, but is a dis- 

 tinct species as I suspected long before examining authentic specimens. The habits of 

 this bird, as given by those very accurate naturalists, are different from those of the com- 

 mon bird of the United States. Brisson (Orn. iii. p. 494) carefully describes the present 

 species, though his specimens do not appear to have been mature. The young bird only 

 has the throat and neck in front nearly pure white. 

 2. Dendroica petechia, (Linnaeus). 



Motacilla petechia, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 334, (1776). 

 Motacilla ruficapilla, Gm. Syst. JNat. ii. p. 971, (1768). 



Hab. West Indies, Central America ? Jamaica ? Martinique (Brisson). 



I have frequently seen specimens precisely in the plumage as figured by Vieillot, as 

 above cited, and by Edwards, Birds v. pi. 256, fig. 2, but I am not confident of the exact 

 locality. This is very probably the Sylvicola cesliva, of Gosse, B. of Jamaica, p. 157, 

 and probably of Messrs. Newton, B. of St. Croix, in Sclater's Ibis, 1859, p. 153. This 

 bird is also very carefully described by Brisson, (Orn. iii. p. 490), in mature plumage, with 

 the top of head, clear, well defined rufous. 

 4 Dendroica Vieilloti, Cassin, ut supra. 



Sylvia ruficapilla, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. xi. p. 228. 



Hab. South America and Central America, JNew Grenada, (W. S. Wood, Jr.) Panama, 

 (J. G. Bell). 

 5. Dendroica aureola, (Gould). 



Sylvicola aureola, Gould, Voy. Beagle, Birds, p. 86, (1841). 



Hab. Galapagos Islands, (Gould). 



Very similar to D. petechia, as above. This species, or at least specimens from the 

 Galapagos Islands, I have not seen. Of all ihe others several specimens of each are now 

 before me, and 1 have not the smallest doubt of their specific distinctness, which I hope 

 to fully demonstrate in a subsequent paper. Having called the attention of my friend 

 Mr. Lawrence, of New York, >o ihe distinctness of the Cuban species, his views will 

 probably appear in his notes on Birds of Cnba, about to be published in the Annals of the 

 Lyceum, New York. 



[May, 



