302 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS.— PASSEEES— OSCINES. 



bles auduboni, excepting in the following points : — Throat white. Breast black, mixed with 

 white. Sides of the head definitely pure black ; edges of eyelids, and long narrow superciliary 

 line, white. Wings crossed with two broad white bars, which do not fuse into one white 

 patch, owing to narrowness or deficiency of white edging along the outer webs of the great 

 coverts.) One of the larger species. Length 5.30-5.75 ; extent 8.80-9.40; wing 2.75-3.00; 

 tail about 2.50. North America, but chieily eastern ; Alaska; Washington Territory; Cali- 

 fornia; Arizona; U. S. rarely in summer, but during the migrations the most abundant of all 

 the warblers; winters as far north as New England; seen everywhere, but is particularly 

 numerous in shrubbery, along liedge-rows, in flocks, with troops of sparrows, titmice, etc. 

 Breeds from northern New England northward ; nest generally low in evergreens ; eggs 4, 

 about 0.75 X 0.55, with the usual markings. Moult double, there being a vernal as well as 

 an autuunial change, the former usually efi"ected during the spring migrations. 



120. D. aud'uboni. (To J. J. Audubon.) Attdubon's Warbler. Western Yellow-rump. 

 ^ , adult, in summer : Upper parts clear bluish-ash, streaked with black. A central longitudi- 

 nal spot on the crown, the rump, throat, and a patch on each side of the breast, rich yellow. 

 Sides of the head little darker than the upper parts ; eyelids narrowly white, but no decided 

 superciliary white stripe. The ash of the upper parts extending far around the sides of the 

 neck. Jugulum and breast in high plumage pure black, though usually mixed with some 

 grayish sldrting of the feathers, or invaded by white from behind, or even touched wdth yellow 

 here and there. Belly and under tail-c<jverts white, the sides streaked with black. Wings 

 blackish, with gray or white edging, especially on the inner quills ; the median wing-coverts 

 tipped, tlie greater ones edged and tipped, with white, forming a great white blotch. Tail like 

 the wings, the outer webs narrowly edged with gray or white, the inner webs of all the lateral 

 feathers with large white blotches. Bill and feet black. One of the largest species. Length, 

 5.50-5.75; extent, 8.75-9.33 ; wing, 2.75-3.00 ; tail, 2.25. 9 )i^ summer: Generally similar 

 to the $. Upper parts duller and browmer slate-color, with less heavy dorsal streaks; crown - 

 spot and other yellow parts paler ; breast not continuously black, but variegated with black, 

 white, and the color of the back. Sides only obsoletely streaked. Eyelids scarcely w^iite, and 

 cheeks hardly different from the back. White of wing-coverts mostly restricted to two bars ; 

 white tail-spots smaller. Both sexes in autumn and winter, and young : Upper parts quite 

 broMTi, with obscure black marking. Yellow crown-spot concealed or wanting; yellow of 

 throat, rump, and sides of breast paler and restricted. Under parts whitish, shaded on the 

 sides, and usually across the breast, with a dilute tint of the color of the back, the breast and 

 sides obsoletely streaked with darker. White of wing-coverts obscured with brownish. Noith 

 America, from easternmost woodland of the Rocky Mts. to the Pacific ; north probably to 

 Alaska ; accidental in New England ; migratory, breeding northward and in Alpine regions ; 

 extremely abundant ; nesting in no wise peculiar. 



121. D. black'burnae. (To Mrs. Blackburn, an English lady.) Blackburn's Warbler. 

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

 the back varied with whitish, the wnngs with a large white speculum 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 blackish on the outer two or three pairs. Spot on fore part of 

 crown, eyelids, line over eye spreading into a large spot behind the auriculars, with chin, 

 throat, and fore breast, intense orange or flame-color. There is nothing to compare with the 

 exquisite hue of this Promethean torch. Sides of head black in an irregular patch, usually 

 confluent witli the black streaks on the side of the breast, isolating the orange of the sides of 

 the head from that of the throat, and circumscribing the orange patch below the eye. Under 

 parts from the breast white, more or less tinged with orange or yellow, and whole sides streaked 

 with black. Bill and feet dark. Length about 5.50 ; extent 8.50 ; wing 2.75 ; taU 2.00. 9 , 

 ftdult, in spring: Similar to the male in the pattern and distribution of the colors; upper 



