236 MNIOTILTID^. 



Salv. p. Z. S. 1870, p. 182 ; Coues, Key H. Amer. B. p. 94, fig. 3 

 (1872); Scl. (.§• Sah. Nomencl. Av. Neotr. p. 8 (1873) ; Coues, B. 

 N.- West, p. 49 (1874) ; Baird, Breiver, Sf Ridyiv. Hist. N. Amer. 

 B. i. p. 192, pi. 11. fig. 2 (1874) ; Gundl. Orn. Cuba, p. 63 (1876) ; 

 Coues, B. Color. Vail. p. 216 (1878); Scl. ^- Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, 

 p. 494 ; Merrill, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. i. p. 123 (1878) ; Salv. i^ 

 Godm. Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, i. p. 114 (1880) ; iid. Ibis, 1880, 

 p. 117 ; Eidgio. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mm. no. 21, p. 16 (1881) ; Co^les, 

 Check-list, p. 35 (1882). 

 Helmintliopliila chiTsoptera, Ridgw. Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club,yn. p. 53 

 (1882) ; Coues, Key N. Amer. B. 2nd ed. p. 294 (1884). 



Adult male. General colour above pale ashy grey, -with here and 

 there a tinge of olive-yellow; lesser wing-coverts like the back; median 

 and greater coverts dusky blackish, tipped with golden yellow, the 

 latter series externally golden yellow, the whole forming a wing- 

 patch ; primary-coverts and bastard-wing dusky blackish, externally 

 ashy olive ; quills dusky, the secondaries externally yellowish olive, 

 the primaries edged with ashy grey, whiter on the margin of the 

 first primary ; upper tail-coverts and centre tail-feathers ashy grey ; 

 remainder of the tail-feathers dusky, externally ashy grey, the four 

 outer feathers white near the end of the outer web, occupying more 

 than half of the inner web on the outermost feather and gradually 

 decreasing towards the centre of the tail, so as to occupy only a 

 small spot on the fourth feather ; a large frontal patch of golden 

 yellow ; rest of the crown and neck ashy grey like the back, slightly 

 washed with yellowish olive ; lores, feathers round and below the 

 eye, and ear-coverts black, separated from the crown by a narrow 

 line of white, which broadens out a little above the ear-coverts ; 

 cheeks and malar line white, extending down the sides of the throat ; 

 throat and fore neck black ; centre of breast and abdomen white, 

 the sides of the breast and flanks light ashy grey ; thighs dusky ; 

 under tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, 

 the edge of the wing olive ; Cjuills dusky below, whitish along the 

 edge of the inner web : " bill and feet black ; iris brown " (Audubon). 

 Total length 4-6 inches, culmen 0-55, wing 2-45, tail 1-95, 

 tarsus 0*65. 



Obs. The wash of yellowish olive on the upper surface, which is 

 alluded to in the above description, is evidently the remains of 

 winter plumage, most specimens shot in the winter-quarters of the 

 species having the back grey washed with olive and also the yellow 

 forehead more or less obscured with dusky-ohve tips to the feathers. 

 The specimen described was shot in the spring in Illinois ; but in the 

 Salvin-and-Godman collection is a specimen, killed in Costa Eica in 

 December, which is much more advanced and has the entire back 

 pure bluish grey without any trace of olive in it. 



AduU female. Much duller in colour than the male, the grey back 

 entirely "obscured by a wash of olive-yellow ; the yellow frontal 

 patch also obscured by dusky-ohve tips to the feathers ; the wings 

 and tail as in the male, but the white marks on the outer feathers 

 less extended and the wing-patch less pronounced ; lores and ocular 

 reo-ion and ear-coverts dark slate-colour instead of black ; superciliary 



