WOOD WARBLERS 405 



indistinctly streaked with darker on throat and chest. Adult female: crown 

 patch usually duller and restricted, sometimes obsolete. Young : generally 

 without crown patch. Young in first plumage : crown patch wanting; 

 upper parts dull olive ; wings with two light bands ; belly white ; rest of 

 under parts brownish gray, tinged with buffy. Male : length (skins) 4.25- 

 4.80, wing 2.39-2.49, tail 1.92-2.07, bill .37-.41. Female : length (skins) 

 4.35-4.65, wing 2.26-2.33, tail 1.78-1.94, bill .37-.42. 



Distribution. Breeds from the Yukon and Mackenzie River districts 

 south through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico ; migrates to south- 

 eastern United States and central Mexico. 



Nest. On the ground, hidden in a bank or among bushes ; made of 

 strips of bark, plant stems, and grasses, lined with grasses, or hair and fur. 

 Eggs : 4 to 6, white or creamy, finely speckled, chiefly around the larger 

 end with reddish brown. 



Food. Leaf worms and other insects. 



646a. H. c. lutescens (Ridgw.). LUTESCENT WARBLER. 



Similar to celata, but brighter colored ; upper parts bright olive green ; 

 under parts bright greenish yellow, streaks on under parts dull olive greenish. 

 Young in first plumage : upper parts olive green, wing bars paler or buffy ; 

 under parts buffy or straw color shaded with olive on chest, sides, and 

 flanks. Male : length (skins) 4.20-4.45, wing 2.29-2.41, tail 1.76-1.93, bill 

 .37-.38. Female: length (skins) 4.00-4.40, wing 2.24-2.40, tail 1.80-1.85, 

 bill .39-.40. 



Distribution. Breeds along the Pacific coast from Kadiak to the moun- 

 tains of southern California ; east in migrations to the Rocky Mountains, 

 south to Mexico and Central America. 



Nest. On the ground, in cavities in banks or in ferns along small 

 streams. Eggs : 4 or 5, colored like those of the orange-crowned. 



The lutescent warbler is often seen during migration stretching 

 up for an insect on top of the chaparral, or darting out from the 

 blooming top of an oak, with whose golden brown tassels the pretty 

 bird harmonizes. He seems a peculiarly dainty, airy little creature, 

 his wings lifting him off his feet if an insect is a bit beyond his 

 reach, and holding him up like a hummingbird under an oak tassel, 

 or carrying him about from branch to branch while he looks for 

 food, warbling his short lay in the intervals. In the breeding season 

 he goes to the mountain sides where he is found in the shrubbery, 

 in aspens, or on the ground, sometimes above an altitude of 11,000 

 feet. 



646b. H. c. SOrdida Towns. DUSKY WARBLER. 



Like lutescens, but decidedly darker, bill and feet larger, wing shorter, 

 tail longer. Male : length (skins) 4.35-4.70, wing 2.27-2.36, tail 1.94-1.97, 

 bill .42-.47. Female : length (skins) 4.60-4.70, wing 2.23-2.26, tail 1.93- 

 1.97, bill .41. 



Distribution. Santa Barbara Islands, California; visiting adjoining 

 mainland after the breeding season. 



Mr. Grinnell states that dusky warblers appear in the vicinity of 

 Pasadena in July or August in large numbers in the oak regions 

 and along the arroyos. 



