SYLVICOLID^ — THE WAKBLERS. 209 



.Viituiiinal males are browner on the chin, yellower on the throat and 

 juguluiu. Head tinged with gi-eenish ; secondaries edged with greenish-yel- 

 low. Autumnal females are liglit green- _ ._ ^ 

 ish-oUve above, dirty-white beneath. ' "^"^^^^PJP^ 

 In very brightly colored spring males, "n;;^ ' .^^^S^/-~ 

 there is frequently (as in 58,335, Phila- _ ^ j^l^^^im) '^^ 

 delphia) a well-defined, broad blackish -— ^ ^'I'^j^ l^^^^^ ■ ^'^^^'" ' 

 band across the jugulum, anterior to an S^^<^^^^^^a^^» ' ^'^ '' 

 equally distinct and rather broader one -(-2 '^S^^^'^ ^ ,, \^^b ''' ~^^^ 

 across the breast, of a brown tint, spotted ^^^^: - ; -""Tgng j T^l *^* 

 with black, while the sides are much " "-^^^^^^^!it^^=^. , 

 spotted with chestnut-brown ; the blue " ° '^'n<^cana. 

 above is very pure, and the green patch on the back very sharj^ly de- 

 fined. 



Habits. The Blue Yellow-Back is one of our most interesting and attrac- 

 tive Warblers. Nowhere very abundant, it has a well-marked and restricted 

 area within which it is sparingly distributed. It is found from the Missis- 

 sippi Valley to the Atlantic, and from Canada southward. In its winter 

 migrations it visits the West Indies, the Bahamas, and Central and South 

 America. Halifax on the east, and Platte River on the west, appear to be 

 the northern limit of its distribution. Dr. Woodhouse met with it in the 

 Indian Territory during tlie breeding-season. Mr. Alfred Newton found this 

 species, apparently only a winter visitant, in the island of St. Croix. Most 

 of the birds left about the middle of March, though a few remained until 

 early in May. 



A single specimen of this species was taken at South Greenland in 

 1857. 



This Warbler has been fouml breeding as far to the south as Tuckertown, 

 X. J., by .Mr. \\. S. Wood ; and at Cape May, in the same State, by JMr. 

 John Krider. At Washington, iJr. Coues found it only a spring and autumn 

 visitant, exceedingly abundant from April 25 to ]May 15. Possibly a 

 few remained to breed, as lie met with them in the first week of August. 

 In tlie fall they were again abundant from August 25 to the second week in 

 October. He found them inhabiting exclusively high open woods, and 

 usually seen in tlie tops of the trees, or at the extremities of the branches, 

 in the tufts of leaves and blossoms. 



Even where most common it is not an abundant species, and is to be found 

 only in certain localities, somewhat open and swampy thickets, usually not 

 of gi-eat extent, and prefei's those well covered with the long gray lichens 

 known as Spanish moss. In such localities only, so far as I know, do they 

 breed. 



This Warbler has also been ascertained to breed in Southern Illinois, where 

 Mr. Piidgway found it in July, engaged in feeding fully fledged young birds. 

 It is there most common in spring and fall. 



