24- Bishop, H. leucobronchialis cuid II. laiurencei. I~^ uk 



T^ LJan. 



with H. pinus ; at any rate such a male, that I took near New 

 Haven May 10, 1904, has the wing-bars chiefly white, and was 

 quarrelling with a Blue-winged Warbler in the manner that males 

 of the same species do at this season. Two specimens similar to 

 this were taken by Mr. Verrill a few years ago. 



Between this form and H. pinus stands a bird taken in New 

 Jersey, and described by Mr. Brewster in ' The Auk ' for July, 

 1886. In this bird the solid black throat has become merely a 

 black spotting about one-quarter of an inch wide, while the auric- 

 ulars are still largely black. Bridging the last gap stands a 

 male collected by Mr. Verrill and myself May 23, 1902, which dif- 

 fers from the ordinary Blue-winged only by having a little black 

 on the auriculars and the black loral stripe extending slightly 

 below the eye, and a black spot on the outer vane of one or two 

 feathers on the throat. 



Midway between H. chrysoptera and H. lawrencei is a male col- 

 lected by me at New Haven, May 11, 1900, which has the white 

 postocular and malar stripe and white abdomen of the former, 

 and the back chiefly bluish gray, but resembles in the rest of its 

 plumage the yellow-chinned form of the latter. Nearer still to the 

 Golden-winged is a female which Mr. Verrill brought me in the 

 flesh May 21, 1902, with a male Blue-winged which he stated 

 was its mate, which differs from typical specimens only in having 

 much bright olive-green on the back, and yellow on the breast and 

 abdomen. Lastly stands the fact that the majority of Golden- 

 winged Warblers taken near New Haven have at least a trace of 

 yellow on the back or breast. 



From this evidence the conclusion seems to me to be irresistible 

 that Helminthophila leucobronchialis is merely a leucochroic phase 

 of H. pinus, which, from its appearing frequently only within 

 a very limited area, may in time become a species ; and that H~ 

 lawrencei is a hybrid between H. chrysoptera and H. pinus. 



