236 



U. S. p. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY GENERAL REPORT. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill with the upper mandible considerably decurvcd, the lower straight. General color of the male black, the 

 feathers broadly edged with white ; the head all round black, with a median stripe in the crown and neck above, a superciliary 

 and a maxillary one of white. Middle of belly, two conspicuous bands on the wings, outer edges of tertials and inner of all 

 the wing and tail feathers, and a spot on tlie inner webs of tiie outer two tail feathers, white. Rump and upper tail coverts 

 black, edged externally with white Female similar ; the under parts white, obsoletely streaked with black on the sides and 

 under tail coverts. Length, 5 inches ; wing, 2.85 ; tail, 2.25. 



Hab. — Eastern North America to Missouri river ; south to Guatemala. 



The lores are rather dusky ; tlie ear coverts black. The black of the chin and throat is con- 

 tinuous, but is streaked on the breast with white. The greater quills and tail feathers are 

 edged externally with lead gray. 



The colors of this species are something like those of Dendroica nigrescens, although the latter 

 is much less streaked with black, and the crown is without the median white stripe. The same 

 character distinguishes it from D. striata, in which the superciliary stripe is wanting. 



Specimens vary somewhat as to the amount of black on the throat. The bill also varies 

 materially in length, curvature, and color. I have not been able in a large series of specimens 

 before me to detect any strong indications of a second species, although some have more or less of 

 the characters assigned to M. horealis by Mr. Nuttall. A skin, probably female, from Cape Florida, 

 ias the bill unusually long (.51) and the under mandibles white, except towards the tip. Another 

 from the same locality has the bill as long, but the under mandible is darker. The specimens 

 from the north and west seem to have the bill shorter, straighter, and blacker, and the claws, 

 perhaps, darker, corresponding with what Nuttall calls M. horealis. The only very long billed 

 specimens are from Florida and the vicinity of Washington. I cannot from the skins before 

 me give any other characters, although, if there be two species, it will probably be necessary to 

 consider the shorter billed one as the true M. varia. 



List of specimens. 



