120 Cincinnati Society of JSFatnral Historii. 



The species is described from a single specimen, taken by the writer 

 at Madisonville, Hamilton County, Ohio, on May 1, 1880. It has been 

 submitted to Dr. Elliott Coues for examination, and by him in com- 

 pany with Messrs. Ridgway and Henshaw, pronounced to be undoubt- 

 edly new. Its relations, according to Dr. Coues, are mainly with 

 Helminthophaga pinus^ although in the concealed black of vertex 

 and auriculars it slightly resembles certain plumages of Oporornis 

 formosa. From H. pinus, its nearest ally, it differs in its decidedlj^ 

 larger size, the presence of rictal bristles, the concealed black of ver- 

 tex and the black ariculars; negativel}', in the total absence of white 

 wing bars, white tail blotches, and ash}' blue on wings and tail. With 

 0. formosa it seems hardly necessary to compare it; its smaller size, 

 dissimilar proportions, short tarsi, yellow forehead, and white margin 

 to outer tail feathers, sufficiently distinguish it from that species. A 

 suspicion of hybridism between the two genera is, in the present state 

 of our knowledge, inadmissible. 



Of its habits nothing is known except that it was shot while search- 

 ing for insects at the end of a maple limb about fifty feet from the 

 ground. 



It is a little remarkable that this should be the third new species of 

 this genus announced from the eastern United States during the past 

 six 3'ears;* such, however, is the fact, and in all three instances the 

 discovery has been made in an alread}^ thoroughl}' explored section. 

 Whether this has any significance as indicating a special tendency of 

 the genus to differentiation on account of changes in its environment, 

 or is merely a coincidence, is of course problematical; the question of 

 an extension of range from some heretofore unexplored habitat would 

 also come in here for consideration. 



-The other two are as follows: ffelminthophagala^rencei, Herrick.— Proc. Acad. Nat. 

 Sci. of Phila., 1874, page 220, pi. xv. Locality New Jersey; two specimens now known. 

 Helminthophaga leucohronchialis , Brewster.— Bulleti a Nuttall Ornithological Club, 1876, 

 Vol. I, No. 1, p. 1, pl. 1 Locality, Newtonville, Mass. Four others now known, one from 

 Penn., two from Conn., and one from an unknown locality. 



