252 NORTH AMEEICAN BIRDS. 



Hab. Eastern Province of North America to Hudson's Bay ; Guatemala, south to Isth- 

 mus of Darien. Not recorded from Mexico or West Indies. 



The female and immature males of this species differ much from the 

 spring males, and are often confounded with other species, especially with D. 

 striata. A careful comparison of an extensive series of immature specimens 

 of the two species shows that in castanea the under parts are seldom washed 

 uniformly on the throat and breast with yellowish-green, but while this 

 may be seen on the sides of the neck and breast, or even across the latter, 

 the chin and throat are nearly white, the sides tinged with dirty brown, 

 even if the (generally present) trace of chestnut be wanting on the sides. 

 There is a buff tinge to the under tail-coverts ; the quills are abruptly mar- 

 gined with white, and there are no traces (however obsolete) of streaks on 

 the breast. In D. striata the under parts are quite uniformly washed with 

 greenish-yellow nearly as far back as tlie vent, the sides of the breast and 

 sometimes of the belly with obsolete streaks ; no trace of the uniform dirty 

 reddish-brown on the sides ; the under tail-coverts are pure white. The 

 quills are only gradually paler towards the inner edge, instead of being 

 rather abruptly white. 



Habits. The Bay-breasted Warbler is one of the many species belong- 

 ing to this genus whose history is yet very imperfectly known. Every\\'here 

 quite rare, it is yet distributed from the Atlantic to the Great Plains, and 

 from the Gulf of Mexico far into the Hudson Bay Territory. In the winter 

 it is known to extend its migrations as far to the south as the northern por- 

 tions of South America. It has not been traced to Mexico nor to the West 

 India Islands, but has been procured by Mr. Salvin in Guatemala. Nearly 

 all the specimens obtained in the United States have either been taken 

 before the 12th of May or in the autumn, indicative of a more northern 

 breeding-place. In Eastern Massachusetts it is exceedingly rare, passing 

 through after the middle of May and returning in September. Mr. May- 

 nard has obtained a specimen as late as June 19, which, though not neces- 

 sarily proving that any breed there, indicates that the line of their area of 

 reproduction cannot be distant. In the western part of the same State, Mr. 

 Allen has found it from May 20 to the 25th, and has obtained one specimen 

 in July. In Western Maine, Mr. Verrill has noted its occurrence from the 

 middle of May to June, but it is very rare ; and Mr. Boardman reports the 

 same for Eastern Maine, where it is a summer resident. He writes that he 

 has several times shot specimens in the early summer, but that he could 

 never find the nest. It is also given by Lieutenant Bland as one of the birds 

 found in the vicinity of Halifax. It was not observed by any of the gov- 

 ernmental exploring expeditions, nor found in Arizona by Dr. Coues. Mr. 

 Lawrence has received specimens from Panama, obtained in winter, Mr. 

 Cassin from Darien, and Mr. Sclater from Guatemala. 



This species so far eluded the notice of Mr. Audubon as to prevent him 

 from giving any account of its habits. He only mentions its occasional 



