SYLVICOLID.E — THE WARBLERS. 223 



wanting on the back, and much restricted on the under parts. Tail with more brown. 

 Length of male, 5.25 ; wing, 2.66 ; tail, 2.25. (No. 940.) Young. Dull brownish-olive 

 above ; pale ochraceous-yellow beneath, Avith the throat more whitish ; the yellow of tail 

 restricted to inner half of inner webs. The latter feature will serve to distinguish it from 

 any other North American species. 



Hab. Entire North America, and in winter into South America as far as Ecuador, 

 Cayenne, and Trinidad. Not recorded from West Indies, where replaced by allied species. 



In the great abundance of this species and its wide range of distribution, 

 there are many variations in size and color, though none that are not readily 

 understood. In young birds the yellow of the tail-feathers is more restricted, 

 sometimes confined to the edge of the inner webs. In adults there is occa- 

 sionally a tinge of orange in the forehead. 



Sjilvia ratliljoma of Audubon is described with even tail, and the tail-feath- 

 ers brown, edged externally with yellow ; the reverse of cestiva. It is gene- 

 rally, however, considered a synonyme. 



Birds of this type (" Golden Warblers ") of six or eight additional species 

 are known to occur in the West Indies, the Galapagos, and in Middle America; 

 one of them, D. hriianti, possibly to be met with in Southern Arizona. (See 

 Baird, Review Am. Birds, 193.) 



After comparing a series of about one hundred and twenty North and 

 Central American specimens (the latter being winter visitors to the region 

 where obtained), nothing really characteristic of any particular region can 

 be detected. Specimens from the Pacific coast of the United States are per- 

 fectly identical in colors with those from the Atlantic States ; and they agree 

 in size and proportions, except of the bill, which is aj^preciably longer and 

 broader in the Eastern than in the W^estern birds. The most highly col- 

 ored examples are from the interior regions, along the Mississippi VaUey from 

 Louisiana to Nortliern Illinois, and over the plains north to Fort Simpson. 

 The majority of tlie specimens from this region are just apprecial)ly different 

 from others, in having the yellow more intense and prevalent, almost sub- 

 duing tlie olive shades above ; the crown more tinoed with orange. Some- 

 times (as in Xo. 4,3U1, Calcasieu Pass, La.) the rump and upper tail-coverts 

 are absolutely pure yellow, only a medial stripe on the feathers being oliva- 

 ceous like the back. Tiie orange-rufous tinge on the crown is deepest in 

 Nos. 4,665, Fort Lookout, and 4,300, Calcasieu Pass. 



Three adult sunnner males from Alaska (Nos. 54,429, Kodiak ; 54,425, 

 Yukon Piiver; and 27,267, Fort Yukon), as well as one from Maine (52,378, 

 Calais), differ from others in liaving the olive pervading the whole surface 

 above, even to the bill, the forehead being only tinged witli yellow, and the 

 edges of wing-coverts merely inclining to this color. The lower parts are 

 much as in Southern specimens, though tlie yellow is less intense. 



Females from Arizona (as 49,712, Camp Grant, May ; 40,664, Fort Whip- 

 ple, May ; and 34,340, Los Pinos, New Mexico, June) differ from others in 

 very bleached plumage, the lower parts being almost white, and the upper 



