Vol. XXII 



iq°5 



Brewster, Breeding of Bachman's Warbler. tQ^ 



The two young birds taken on the 13th represent both sexes. 

 The male which is now before me may be described as follows: — 

 Top and sides of head and fore part of back faded hair brown 

 with a trace of ashy on the middle of crown ; remainder of upper 

 parts dull olive green ; wings and tail (which are fully grown) as 

 in the first winter plumage excepting that the greater and middle 

 wing-coverts are rather more broadly tipped with light brown, 

 forming two well-marked wing-bars ; chin and throat brownish 

 white tinged with yellow ; sides of jugulum smoke gray, its center 

 yellowish ; sides of breast gamboge yellow shading into olive on 

 the flanks; middle of breast, with most of abdomen, yellowish 

 white ; under tail-coverts ashy white. All the feathers on the 

 under parts which are strongly yellow or olive, and those on the 

 upper parts which are decidedly ashy or greenish, appear to 

 belong to the autumnal plumage or, as it is now called, the first 

 winter plumage, but all the other feathers on the head and body 

 are evidently those of the first plumage. 



On comparing this interesting specimen with young in corre- 

 sponding plumage of H. chrysoptera, H. pinus and H. celata lute- 

 scens, I find that it is very unlike any of them ; in respect to the 

 general coloring of the upper parts, however, it bears some resem- 

 blance to the Nashville Warbler (H. rubricapilla) in first plumage. 



I have not seen the young female Bachman's Warbler above 

 referred to, but Mr. Wayne writes me that " it differs from the 

 male only in these respects : The yellow on the sides of the 

 breast is very much paler and more restricted and the back is not 

 greenish, but brownish. The white on the tail-feathers is merely 

 indicated on the margins of the inner webs of the tail-feathers." 



Both of the young Bachman's Warblers just described were 

 from the same brood and hence of the same age. The young 

 male was being fed by the male parent of the family and the 

 young female by the female parent. Mr. Wayne saw only 

 "these two young" but his "nephew, who was with" him at 

 the time, "is satisfied that he saw at least one or two more." 

 They could all "fly with the greatest ease and their movements 

 were extremely rapid." 



It will be remembered that Bachman's Warbler was originally 

 discovered by the ornithologist whose name it bears "a few miles 



