76 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



tarsus is of moderate length ; decidedly surpassing the middle toe and claw. 

 The toes are all rather short. The tip of the outer claw just reaches the base 

 of the middle. The inner toe is remarkably abbreviated, the tip of its claw 

 falling much short of the base of the middle one. 



Above, the bird is of a dull ashy or leaden gray, like plumbeus, but rather 

 duller ; which color on the back, and, to a less extent on the wing coverts, 

 acquires an appreciable tinge of olivaceous, most marked on the rump. 

 There is a narrow white ring entirely surrounding the eye, formed by the 

 edges of the eyelids alone. The lores are not dusky, but somewhat lighter 

 colored than the surrounding parts ; and the sides of the head have no 

 definite streaks of color. The gray of these parts fades so insensibly into 

 the white of the chin and throat that it is impossible to appreciate a divid- 

 ing line ; and the same is the case with the sides of the neck and breast. 

 Under the wings, the wash of olivaceous on the sides of the body is appre- 

 ciable, but it is very faint and pale. The greater coverts are narrowly tipped, 

 and the outer margins of some of the primaries slightly edged with whitish. 

 There is nothing of the definite white seen in plumbeus, though the whitish 

 area on the inner aspect of the wing is much the same. The outer edge of 

 the exterior tail feather is narrowly white, but the others are plain dusky. 

 The iris is brown; the mouth livid white; the fauces pinkish ; the feet and 

 bill dark bluish horn. 



This is a most peculiar Vireo, totally diverse from all others of North 

 America. The shape of the wing, character of spurious primary, length of 

 tail and abbreviation of the inner lateral toe, give it an unusual shape. It will 

 be noticed that the colors of the species are almost exactly those of 

 plumbeus; but that in form the two birds are widely diverse. It is a smaller 

 species than plumbeus, but its greatly elongated tail make the total lengths 

 of the two nearly the same. The following antithetical diagnoses will 

 readily separate them : 



V. plumbeus. Wing (average) 300; tail 2-50. Spurious primary -75; a 

 third the length of the second primary ; the latter intermediate between 

 fifth and sixth. Tail about even ; rectrices with obliquely truncated tips. 

 Tarsus as long as middle toe and claw ("65). Tip of inner claw almost 

 reaching to base of middle one. Wing coverts, quills and tail feathers 

 broadly edged with pure white. Sides of head parti-colored, with distinctly 

 defined stripes. Lores dusky, interrupting the broad white circumocular 

 ring at anterior canthus. 



V. vicinior. Wing 2-50 ; tail fully as long. Spurious primary -75 ; half 

 the length of the second ptimary, which latter is intermediate between eighth 

 and ninth. Tail decidedly graduated, the feathers with broadly rounded 

 apices. Tarsus longer than middle toe and claw, (as -70 to *52). Tip of 

 inner claw falling much short of base of middle one. Wing coverts, quills 

 and tail feathers very narrowly, if at all, edged with dull white. Sides of 

 head unicolor, unstreaked; the lores plain grayish white, not interrupting 

 the continuity of the very narrow circumocular ring. 



It is unnecessary to compare vicinior with any other species, it is so very 

 dissimilar from them all. With but a single specimen, I cannot now give its 

 variations, though these are doubtless parallel with those of plumbeus. The 

 species must, I think, be exceedingly rare, or I should have met with others. 



(118.) Vireo pusillus Coues, nov. sp. 



Sp. Ch. Amoug the smallest of the genus, in form and general aspect re- 

 sembling V. Belli. Above grayish ash, becoming more or less ashy olivace- 

 ous on tbe back ; not more so on the rump than elsewhere. Below pure 

 white, including under wing coverts; on the breast sometimes a faint suffusion 

 of the lightest possible shade of brownish gray; sides under the wings mod- 

 erately tinged with sulphur yellow. A narrow short superciliary streak ; edges 

 of eyelids, two bands on wings and narrow margins of outer border of wings 



[March, 



