^°Js,^^^] DwiGHT, The Pkiladelfkia Vireo. 269 



hidden himself from the world for so many years. He is to 

 be expected and should be looked for as a regular summer 

 resident in many of the wilder regions of Canada. 



Plumage and Moult. 



There yet remains something to be said regarding the plumage 

 and moult of the birds. On the accompanying plate is figured an 

 adult male Vireo philadelphicus in breeding dress, contrasted with 

 Vireo gilvus^ the species it most resembles in plumage. It may be 

 seen at a glance how much ytWower philade/p/iiciis is, a difference 

 that holds in all plumages and at all seasons of the year. A 

 more distinctive character, however, than color is found in the 

 short first primary of gihnis, which is abortive and practically 

 absent in philadelphicus^ the former, therefore, having by actual 

 count ten primaries, the latter apparently only nine. V. phila- 

 delphicus in the spring is distinctly washed below with pale lemon 

 yellow, which is deeper in the fall dress. When seen in the trees 

 the birds may easily be mistaken for the small females of Vireo 

 olivaceus, and they also bear a certain resemblance to Vireo belli, 

 which western observers would do well to remember. 



My series of twenty-six specimens is an instructive one, con- 

 taining as it does spring, summer and autumn birds, old as well 

 as young. From among the latter I select the following as typical 

 of the first or nestling plumage here described for the first time. 



Young i>i first plumage {$ juv., No. 3670. Collection of J. Dwight, Jr., 

 Tadousac, Qiiebec, July 13, 1893): — Above, olive-brown, paler on the 

 head, nape and rump. Below, pale primrose-yellow deeper on the flanks. 

 Side of head, including the auriculars and superciliary stripe, butf-yellow; 

 orbital ring faintly yellow; trace of dusky loral and post-ocular streak. 

 Remiges (including coverts) and rectrices clove-brown narrowly edged 

 externally with olive-green, brightest on the secondaries, becoming olive- 

 gray at the apices of the primaries and secondaries and strongly tinged 

 with brown on all the wing-coverts. Iris, deep hazel brown. Feet, pink- 

 ish buff, drying to a dusky wood-brown. Bill, pale bistre, the lower 

 mandible flesh tinged, drying to a yellowish raw umber-brown. 



The specimen is very young, the wing quills and their coverts 

 only about one half grown, and the tail is barely sprouting. The 

 yellow below serves to at once distinguish it from either gilviis or 



