360 Vennor on the Wood-warUers 



Specific characters. — " Length, five inches ; extent, seven ; the 

 whole back, wings and tail, are of a deep greenish ohve ; the tips 

 of the wings, and the centre of the tail feathers excepted, which 

 are brownish ; the whole head is of a dull slate colour ; the breast 

 is ornamented with a sino;ular crescent of alternate transverse 

 lines of pure glossy white, and very deep black ; all the rest of 

 the lower parts are of a brilliant yellow ; the tail is rounded at 

 the end ; legs and feet, a pale flesh colour ; bill, deep brownish 

 black olive, lighter below; eye, hazel." Wilson. The other 

 species is the Maryland ground-warbler, (^Sylvicola Trichas, 

 Lath.) — It is to be found in the same situations as the former 

 species. Its simple note may be heard among the tangled 

 shrubbery of low watery situations. The nest is formed in the 

 ground among the roots of the bushes ; this it arches over, leaving 

 a small hole for an entrance ; the eggs are five, white, with 

 touches of reddish brown. It seems to be pretty common 

 through all the United States. Around the swampy thickets of 

 Maryland it is exceedingly abundant. The only place in the 

 vicinity of our city in which I have seen this bird, is a small 

 bushy swamp on the Lachine railway, beside the aqueduct road. 

 In this place they breed, returning south as early as the middle 

 of August. They only raise one brood here. Insects and larvae 

 are their general food. The song or rather the notes of this bird 

 are confined to a simple but not disagreeable twitter. 



Specific characters. — '' Length, four and three quarter inches; 

 extent, six and a quarter inches ; back, wings and tail, green 

 olive, which also covers the upper part of the neck, but approaches 

 to cinereous on the crown ; the eyes are inserted in a band of 

 black, which passes from the front on both sides, reaching half 

 way down the neck ; this is bound above by another band of 

 white, deepening into light blue; throat, breast and vent, brilliant 

 yellow; belly, a fainter tinge of the same colour; inside coverts 

 of the wings also yellow ; tips and inner vanes of the wings, 

 dusky brown ; tail, cuneform, dusky, edged with olive green ; 

 bill, black, straight, slender, of the true motacilla form, though 

 the bird itself was considered as a species of thrush by Linnseus, 

 but removed to the genus motacilla by Melin ; legs, flesh-colour- 

 ed ; iris of the eye, dark hazel. The female wants the black band 

 through the eye, has. the bill brown, and the throat of a paler 

 yellow." Wilson. 



The fourth genus Helinaia or Swamp-warblers, is represented 



