PARTICOLORED WARBLER, OR FINCH CREEPER. 397 



PARTICOLORED WARBLER, or FINCH 

 CREEPER. 



(Sylvia americana, Lath. Audubon, pi. 13. Orn. Biog. i. p. 78. 

 S. pusilla, Wilson, iv. p. 17. pi. 28. fig. 3. Phil. Museum, No. 

 6910.) 



Sp. Charact. — Dusky blue; interscapular region brownish yel- 

 low olive; throat and lower mandible yellow; belly white; 

 wings with 2 white bars ; lateral tail-feathers marked interiorly 

 with white. — Male with a black crescent, and with the breast 

 tinged with orange. — Female without the crescent and orange 

 color on the breast. — Young, brownish-grey ; beneath muddy 

 white. 



This remarkable species visits the Middle and North- 

 ern States about the 1st to the loth of May, and is seen 

 again early in October on its way to the West Indies 

 (St. Domingo and Porto Rico), whither it retires at the 

 approach of winter. A few, according to Catesby, pass 

 the whole year in South Carolina. It is very abundant 

 in the summer in the woods of Kentucky ; is active and 

 restless on its first arrival, and frequents the summits of 

 the highest trees, being particularly fond of the small cat- 

 erpillars and flies of various kinds, which are, in the early 

 part of spring, attracted to the opening blossoms and 

 tender shoots. It also possesses in some degree the 

 creeping and prying habits of the Titmouse, to which 

 genus it was referred by Linnaeus and Pennant ; it is, 

 however, a true Sylvia. Entering the southern extremi- 

 ty of the Union by the first approach of spring, it is now 

 seen searching for its insect food on shrubs and plants in 

 moist places, by the borders of lakes and streams. In 

 this vicinity it is not common ; but as it was singing as 

 late as the 22d of May, in the woody solitudes of the 

 Blue Hills of Milton, it must undoubtedly breed there. 

 The nest, according to Audubon, is placed in the fork of 

 34 



