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Vireosylvia is given by Mr. John Cassin of Philadelphia, from a 

 single specimen obtained by him in Brigham's Woods, near that 

 city. Its close resemblance to V. gilva, and the fact of its 

 having been for some time an unique specimen, has led to the 

 doubt whether it was a good species. Mr. Cassin described it 

 as differing from the gilva, which it most resembled, in being 

 smaller, in having a shorter and weaker bill, and a form gen- 

 erally shorter and stouter, with colors more vivid, and the super- 

 ciliary line more distinct. He named it Vireosylvia Philadel- 

 phica. 



Two yeai's since, my attention was called by Thure Kumlien, 

 Esq., a very accurate and careful ornithologist of Wisconsin, to 

 a specimen of Vireosylvia obtained by him near Lake Kos- 

 kouong, in the southwestern part of that State. He thought it 

 a distinct species from any he had seen any description of, and 

 quite distinct from the F. gilva. I gave the specimen to a friend, 

 upon whose judgment I relied more than I could upon my own, 

 who pronounced it a V. gilva. Mr. Kumlien was not satisfied 

 with this decision, and still insisted that its habits, even more 

 than its plumage and size, showed it to be a distinct species. 

 The following year he sent me several specimens which I gave 

 to Mr. Cassin, who had no doubt that they were of the species 

 he had described as F. Philadelphica, though others to whom I 

 showed them were still unconvinced. In answer to a letter in 

 which I informed Mr. Kumlien that his birds were supposed to 

 be the V. gilva in an unusually fresh plumage, he wrote me the 

 answer which I give below. It proves, to my mind, conclu- 

 sively his correctness, establishing the species to be a good one, 

 distinct from V. gilva and identical with that described by Mr. 

 Cassin as F. Philadelphica. I take the greatest pleasure in thus 

 giving Mr. Kumlien the credit of having worked it out, unaided by 

 any suggestion or help from any one, in view of the disadvantages 

 under which he labors in the want of access to any text-books. 

 His letter is interesting, as throwing the first light that has yet 

 been given to the public upon the habits and distribution of 

 this new and little known species. The following is the extract 

 referred to : — 



" In regard to the Vireo which I sent you last being the Vireo 

 gilvus ' in an unusually fresh plumage,' I beg your perusal of 



