iSgo.] Scott on Birds at the Dry Tortugas. l^S 



That the birds of the Florida peninsula that have become 

 specialized so as to present tangible characteristics of appearance, 

 etc., are not migratory in a large sense, but are restricted to com- 

 paratively limited areas. Examples maybe cited, such as Vireo 

 noveboraccnsis maynardi and GcotJilypis trichas ignola, which 

 are represented on these keys during thetimes of migration by 

 their closely allied representatives, which I take it are migratory 

 species in a broad sense. There are many species of Woodpeckers 

 on the peninsula, but none are to be considered as migratory save 

 Sphyrapicus varius, which occurs, as has been shown, quite 

 commonly on these keys and was the only species of Woodpecker 

 observed. No Wrens were observed, yet as near as the Cape 

 Sable region Thryothorus ludovicianus miamcnsis is common. 

 On the adjacent mainland of the Florida peninsula Cardina- 

 lis cardinalis, Pipllo crythrophthalmns allcni and Cyanocitta 

 cristata Jiorlncola are more or less abundant and arc all of 

 them common species that are not migratory and are not rep- 

 resented in the fauna that has been considered. All of the 

 species of land birds observed at the Tortugas are migratory 

 in the fullest sense, and the only specialized form noticed that is a 

 breeding bird on the mainland, Chordcilcs virginianus chap- 

 man/, is the only specialized race of Florida bird that seems 

 the exception to the conclusion that the breeding- birds of the 

 Florida peninsula cannot be regarded as migratory species. 

 Negative evidence in support of this conclusion seems to be fur- 

 nished by the fact that almost every land species well known 

 as a migrant on the mainland was observed during the time, 

 about two months in all, that observations were carried on at 

 the Dry Tortugas. 



Further, it will be noticed that the tendency to representation 

 of western races is marked. This is well illustrated in the case 

 of Dendroica domihica albilora and Dendroica palmar/tm. 

 The first bird is almost unknown on the mainland, but out of a 

 series of eight Yellow-throated Warblers obtained, six are well- 

 marked representatives of D. d. albilora, and though upward of 

 twenty Palm Warblers are included in the birds taken at the 

 Tortugas, only two are referable to the eastern race hypochry- 

 sca which is not at all rare in the region about Tarpon Springs. 



