Vol. XXII"] Wayne, Notes on South Carolina Birds. 7QQ 



iqos J ^ •* " 



age." The twelfth is the central tail-feather, being freshly 

 moulted, and of a dull red color, as in the adult male. 



Helmitheros vermivorus. Worm-eating Warbler. — A 

 generic character of the genus Helmitheros is the absence of white 

 margins or spots from the rectrices. I have a superb specimen of 

 this Warbler which has two of the outer rectrices on each side 

 very widely margined with pure white ; the next rectrix, on each 

 side, is also margined with white, but the area is less. This speci- 

 men, No. 4013, closely resembles, in the tail markings, certain 

 species in the genera Helminthophila and Dendroica, and was shot 

 by the writer on April 16, 1901, and is an adult male. 



Helminthophila bachmani. Bachman's Warbler. — I shot 

 on May 14, 1904, an adult male of this species, and saw the 

 female. It required nearly four hours of constant work in order 

 to secure this restless warbler. On May 13, 1905, I discovered 

 three pairs of these birds and succeeded in taking two young in 

 first plumage, which were being fed by their parent. The young 

 male was being fed by the adult male, and the young female was 

 fed by the adult female ! The old birds were not molested. A 

 description, by Mr. Brewster, of the young, which are the first ever 

 taken, will appear in ' The Auk ' [see antea, pp. 392-394]- Mr - 

 Brewster, visited South Carolina in May, 1883, and also in the 

 spring of 1884 and 1885, especially to search for Bachman's and 

 Swainson's Warblers, and, although we went almost daily, we were 

 unsuccessful in finding the former. For the rediscovery of Bach- 

 man's Warbler, by the writer, in South Carolina, see 'The Auk,' 

 Vol. XVIII, July, 1901, pp. 274-275. 



Seiurus aurocapillus. Oven-bird. — I secured a fine speci- 

 men, $ ad., of this bird on January 20, 1904, while out woodcock 

 shooting. This specimen was very fat, which is surprising con- 

 sidering the severe weather which prevailed during December and 

 January. I have frequently seen the Oven-bird in the early part 

 of December, and the capture of this bird in January proves that 

 it winters here sparingly. 



Seiurus noveboracensis. Water-Thrush. — On January 

 20, 1887, I shot a female of this bird. On examining the throat I 

 found in it two or three small minnows, which seem to be a very 

 curious diet for an insectivorous bird. This specimen is No. 



