190 PINE-CREEPING WARBLER. 



belly, chin and throat pure white ; the tail is forked, the five lateral 

 feathers on each side with each a spot of white, the two middle more 

 slightly marked with the same ; from the eye backwards extends a line 

 of dusky blue ; before and behind the eye a line of white ; bill dusky 

 above, light blue below ; legs and feet light blue. 



Species XVIII. SYLVIA PINUS. 



PINE-CREEPING WARBLER. 



[Plate XIX. Fig. 4.] 

 Pine-Creeper, Catesb. i., 61. 



This species inhabits the pine woods of the Southern States, where 

 it is resident, and where I first observed it, running along the bark of 

 the pines ; sometimes alighting and feeding on the ground, and almost 

 always when disturbed flying up and clinging to the trunks of the trees. 

 As I advanced towards the south it became more numerous. Its note 

 is a simple reiterated chirrup, continued for four or five seconds. 



Catesby first figured and described this bird ; but so imperfectly as 

 to produce among succeeding writers great confusion, and many mistakes 

 as to what particular bird was intended. Edwards has supposed it to 

 be the Blue-winged Yellow Warbler ; Latham has supposed another 

 species to be meant ; and the worthy Mr. Pennant has been led into the 

 same mistakes ; describing the male of one species, and the female of 

 another, as the male and female Pine-Creeper. Having shot and ex- 

 amined great numbers of these birds I am enabled to clear up these 

 difficulties by the following descriptions, which will be found to be 

 correct. 



The Pine-creeping Warbler is five and a half inches long, and nine 

 inches in extent ; the whole upper parts are of a rich green olive, with 

 a considerable tinge of yellow ; throat, sides and breast yellow ; wings 

 and tail brown with a slight cast of bluish, the former marked with two 

 bars of white, slightly tinged with yellow ; tail forked, and edged with 

 ash ; the three exterior feathers marked near the tip with a broad spot 

 of white ; middle of the belly and vent feathers white. The female is 

 brown, tinged with olive green on the back ; breast dirty white, or 

 slightly yellowish. The bill in both is truly that of a Warbler ; and 

 the tongue slender as in the Motacilla genus, notwithstanding the habits 

 of the bird. 



The food of these birds is the seeds of the pitch pine, and various 



