6 



BIRDS SYLVICOLIDAE — DENDEOICA. 265 



broad and depressed at base, the latter compressed and attenuated. The attenuation of the bill 

 is much marked in Z>. tigrina. Here the culmen and commissure are gently decurved ; the 

 gonys even slightly concave, instead of convex as in all other species. Both mandibles are 

 exceedingly acute, as in the worm-eating warblers. The wings are long, the first quill longest. 



The Dendroica mperciliosa is quite remarkable for the size of its bill, which, measured from the 

 extreme base, is as long as the head. It is much compressed, or higher than broad, almost 

 from the very base. The legs are rather short, though longer than the middle toe. It is not 

 improbable that this may be the form of Aegithina, Vieillot. 



The Sylvia protonoiariiis of authors is a peculiarly formed species, characterized by its very 

 large bill, as long as the head. In many respects the bill resembles that of Helmitherus, but 

 is less acute, and has a distinct notch. The wings are very long, the first quill longest ; the 

 folded wing reaches within an inch of the tip of the tail, which is rounded. The lower coverts 

 are very long, reaching within .30 of an inch of the tip of the tail, as in Oporornis formosiis 

 &udi ag'dis, to which there is otherwise quite a resemblance. The tarsi are unusually long, 

 (.85 of an inch,) much longer than the middle toe. This I have placed under Mniotilteae. 



Synopsis of species. 



A. Chin, throat, and fore part of the breast black, bordered by lighter ; two white bands on 

 the wing. Back streaked. Outer tail feathers almost entirely white. 



Crown and back olive, forehead, superciliary, and maxillary stripes yellow D. virens. 



Top and sides of head yellow ; back ash, conspicuously streaked D. occidentalis. 



Crown blackish ; back olive ; superciliary and maxillary stripe yellow D. toivnsendii. 



Crown black ; back ash color ; superciliary and maxillary stripe white D. nigrescens. 



B. Sides and under parts of the head black. 



Above uniform blue, beneath white ; primaries with a white patch at the base. Outer 

 tail feathers with a white patch on the inner web D. canadensis. 



C. Crown with a central longitudinal yellow patch. (In this group only.) 



Throat white ; breast blackish ; the sides and rump with a yellow jjatch ; white spots of 

 the tail on the terminal half. Slate blue above. A white superciliary stripe and two 

 patches on the wing D. coronata. 



Similar to the last ; the throat yellow ; no superciliary stripe, and one large white patch 

 on the wing D. audubonii. 



Throat bright orange ; back black ; a patch on the wing and the outer tail feathers 

 (except at the tip) white D. hlackbicrniae. 



D. Throat and sides chestnut ; back streaked. 



Crown chestnut ; sides of head black ; belly white D. castanea. 



E. Throat and under parts white. Back streaked with black. Wings with white bands. 



Crown yellow, encircled with white ; sides of head black, enclosing a white patch behind ; 



sides of body chestnut D. pennsylvanica. 



Blue above and across the breast ; sides of crown and of body streaked with black. 



D. coerulea. 

 Crown black ; cheeks below the eye white ; maxillary stripe and streaks on the sides 



black D. striata. 



34 b 



