286 HISTORY OF DENDRCECA BLACKBURNI^ 



the characters of D. blackburnice, as to lead us to suppose that an entirely different bird 

 may have been in view ; and at any rate the names in question may be passed over. The 

 PL Enlum., however, though not well colored, can hardly be anything else than the Black- 

 burnian Warbler, and it may become necessary to call the species Dendroeca aurantia, 

 after Boddaert, who distinctly bases the name on this plate, while Miiller's earlier account 

 simplj' refers to Buffon without specially indicating what bird of Buffon's is meant. 



The next candidate for recognition in this connection is the "Grey-poll "Warbler" of 

 Pennant and of Latham, which became Motacilla incana Gm. Latham's description is: — 

 " Head, sides of the neck, and upper tail coverts, of a fine grey : wing coverts crossed with 

 two white bars: primaries and tail dusky, edged with grey: throat orange: chin and 

 breast of a fine yellow: belly of a whitish ash-colour. Inhabits New York." This is much 

 nearer the mark, and in fact agrees pretty well with some imperfect plumage of the pres- 

 ent species ; but as it is scarcely diagnostic (some points seem to indicate Dendroeca ■inacu- 

 ?o«a),it may also be passed over, in favor of the " Blackbumian Warbler" of the same 

 authors, which became Motacilla blackburnice Gm. This bird was likewise sent from 

 " New York ", and was named after Mrs. Blackburn. 



The fifth name to be noticed is the " Hemlock Warbler ", Sylvia partis of Wilson, Nut- 

 tall, Audubon, and others, from "Pennsylvania". This species endured for many years — 

 in fact, until Baird in 1858 showed that it was a Blackbumian Warbler. One may be satis- 

 fied of the accuracy of this determination, by referring to Wilson's original description, 

 which perfectly accords with the incomplete dress of D. blackburnice. The reference by 

 Audubon of the Autumnal Warbler, Sylvia autumnalis, to this species, is clearly an error. 



In 1817, Vieillot gave a sixth name to the species, Sylvia melanorhoa, described from 

 "Martinique" in the Nouv. Diet. ; and in the Ency. Meth. the species reappears, along 

 with the four previous designations, chrysocephala, incana, blackburnice, anA paras. The 

 bird is here attributed to "L'Am6rique m6ridionale ", which removes the chief objec- 

 tion to the name, for the species is not known from the West Indian locality first ascribed ; 

 the description is tolerably pertinent, fitting about as well as that of Pennant and Latham's 

 "Grey-poll Warbler" for example, and may be held, in absence of evidence to the con- 

 trary, to indicate some incomplete dress of the Blackbumian Warbler. 



Stephens is said to have called this species Sylvia lateralis, in the x. vol. of his Cent, of 

 Shaw's Gen. Zool., 1817, 659; but on turning to this place, I find that the "Sylvia lateralis" 

 is there described after Latham, from "Now South Wales", and does not agree in any 

 particular with the characters of the present species. 



The reference of the species to various genera, whereby additional synonyms are 

 created, is a matter of course, requiring no comment. 



Hab. — Chiefly the Eastern Province. West, however, to Utah {Allen) 

 ancl New Mexico (F. Stephens). South in winter through Eastern Mexico and 

 Central and South America to Ecuador. Bahamas (Bryant). Breeds in the 

 northern portions of its United States range and northward in the British 

 Provinces; doubtless, also, in elevated tracts of the Middle States. Winters 

 extralimital. A Sylvicola ^'parus" is attributed to Greenland by Reinhardt, 

 7. c. (Frederikshaab, Oct. 16, 1845, Holboll). 



Ch. sp. — S Nigra, albido varia; vertice medio, strigd superci- 

 liari, lateribus colli, guld et pectore flammeis ; reliquis partibus 

 inferioribus ex fiavo albidis, lateribus nigro striatis ; alis caudd- 

 que dorso concoloribus, illis specula magno albo, rectricibus late- 

 ralibiis magnd ex parte albis. 9 Supra brunneo-olivaeea, albido 

 nigroqiie varia, guld aurantiacd, alis albo bifasciatis. 



$, adult, in spring: Entire upper parts, including the wings and tail, 

 black, the back varied with whitish, the wings with a large white specu- 

 lum on the coverts and much white edging of the coverts, the lateral tail- 

 feathers largely white, only a shaft-line, with clubbed extremity, being left 



