130 SYI.VJCOl.lDyK : AMKKICAN WARBLERS. 



and of an alleged Massachusetts occurrence given by 

 F. W. Putnam. The latter, it seems, proves to have 

 been erroneous. But in satisfying himself, by a care- 

 ful inquiry, that Mr. Putnam meant D. coerjilcsrcns, 

 not Z). ccertilca, Dr. Brewer overlooked or ignored the 

 earlier record, and said he could "find no evidence 

 that this bird has ever crossed our borders" (Pr, 

 Bost. Soc, xvii, 1875, P- 45^)- Very soon, however, 

 he was obliged to reconsider the matter, new evi- 

 dence of unquestionable character having been forced 

 upon his attention ; for Mr. Purdie meanwhile brought 

 to light the fact that a male had been procured by Mr. 

 E. I. Shores at Suffield, Conn., June 12, 1875 (Bull. 

 Nutt. Club, ii, Jan., 1877, p. 21). Yielding very re- 

 luctantly. Dr. Brewer then admitted the species in the 

 following terms, which seem intended to cast suspicion 

 upon Mr. Purdie's veracity : "This western species is 

 said to have been taken at Suffield, Conn. (Nutt. Bull, 

 ii, p. 21 ; Merriam's Birds of Conn., p. 16). I there- 

 fore venture to add this bird to my list, though not 

 without much hesitation" (Pr. Bost. Soc, xix, 1878, 

 P' 303) • Such grudging concession betrays ill-humor 

 in the failing attempt to break down the general reli- 

 ability of my list of 1868, and in the impossibility of 

 holding up the trustworthiness of his catalogue of 

 1875 — to do which Dr. Brewer seems to have often 

 challenged the statements of other writers beyond any 

 requirement of proper scrutiny. The Coerulean War- 

 bler has since this contretemps been found in Rhode 

 Island, as recorded by Mr. Ruthven Deane (Bull. Nutt. 

 Club, iv, 1879, P- 1S5)' '^v^'^o s^y^ ^^'^^^ ^ specimen was 

 taken near Cumberland Hill, in that State, by Mr. C. M. 

 Carpenter, May 22, 1878. This was a male shot in 



