170 



CERULEAN WARBLER 



U, S. N. M., I, 1878, 405. (2) Wm. Brewster, Discovery of the Nest and 

 Eggs of the Western Warbler (in Blue Canon, Cal.), Auk, IV, 1887, 166. 

 (3) R. H. Beck, Nesting of the Hermit Warbler (in Eldorado County, Cal.), 

 Nidologist, IV, 1897, 79. (4) C. Barlow, Another Chapter on the Nesting of 

 Dendroica occidentalis, and other Sierra Notes, Bull. Cooper Orn. Club 

 (=Condor), I, 1899, 59. (5) C. Barlow, Nesting of the Hermit Warbler in 

 the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, Auk, XVI, 1899, 156; Condor, III, 

 1901, 179. (6) J. H. Bowles, The Hermit Warbler in Washington, Condor, 

 VIII, 1906, 40. 



Cerulean Warbler 



DENDROICA CERULEA (Wils.) Plate IX 



Distinguishing Characters. — The adult c^ may be known by its bright blue 

 upperparts and white underparts with a breast band ; the $ and young are 

 usually tinged with blue above, the tail always showing traces of blue ; they 

 have two wing-bars, a whitish or yellowish line over the eye, and the under- 

 parts whitish or pale lemon white. In this plumage they are to be confused 

 only with the young of Compsothlypis, which has the breast and back much 

 deeper yellow, and no line above the eye. Length (skin), 4.30; wing, 2.70; tail, 

 1.70; bill, .40. 



Adult <^, Spring. — Above grayish cerulean, brighter on the crown, crown 

 and back streaked with black; upper tail-coverts black broadly tipped with 

 blue; cheeks grayish blue with sometimes a rather poorly defined stripe behind 

 the eye which rarely reaches forward to the bill ; tail black edged with grayish 

 blue, all but the middle feathers with white patches on the inner web near the 

 tip, the middle feathers there margined with white ; wings black edged with 

 grayish blue, median and greater coverts widely tipped with white forming two 

 conspicuous bars ; below white, a bluish black breast band, sides streaked 

 with bluish black 



Adult 1$, Fall. — Similar to adult c? in Spring but breast-band incomplete, 

 showing only at sides of breast. (Only one specimen examined.) 



Young c?, Fall. — Above dull bluish gray heavily washed with bright olive- 

 green ; upper tail-coverts black, as in adult c^ ; tail as in adult c? but with less 

 white ; wings edged with greenish and with two white bars ; underparts whitish 

 tinged with yellow and with a suggestion of streaks on the sides. 



Adult $, Spring. — Above grayish blue brighter on the head, the back 

 strongly tinged with green ; a more or less distinct whitish or yellowish line 

 over the eye ; upper tail-coverts grayish tipped with bluish ; the wing-coverts 

 broadly tipped with white ; underparts whitish or pale yellowish with some- 

 times a suggestion of streaks on the sides. Resembles young c? in Fall but is 

 bluer above and has the upper tail-coverts gray instead of black. 



Adult 9, Fall. — Similar to adult ? in Spring but greener above and yellow 

 below (?). I have not seen a Fall female of which the age had been deter- 

 mined and cannot, therefore, certainly distinguish between specimens of young 

 ? and adult $ taken at this season. 



Young 5, Fall. — See above. 



Nestling. — "Above uniform brownish gray (deep drab-gray), the pileum 

 divided longitudinally by a broad median stripe of grayish white; sides of head 



