22 



APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. 



BLACK-CAP WARBLER. WARBLING VIREO OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. BLACKPOLL WARBLER. 



brown above, head cinei'eous; beneath, yel- 

 lowish white. Sides of the breast, base of 

 the quills and tail feathers, yellow, where 

 they are orange in the male. Bill and legs 

 smoky olive. Notch in the bill small. Sec- 

 ond and third primaries subequal and long- 

 est. Length, 5 inches; spread, 6.5. 



History.— This beautiful little bird is 

 found in all parts of the United States, and 

 extends its summer migrations as far north 

 as the 62d parallel of latitude. It arrives 

 in Vermont about the middle of Ma^-. It j 

 is a shy and retiring bird, confining itself 

 to the forests and groves. It builds its 

 nest, usually, between the forked branches 

 of a small tree, or sapling, 10 or 12 feet 

 from the ground. The nest is very securely 

 and neatly built, being made of fibres and 

 shreds of bark, very hrmly agglutinated 

 together. The eggs, 3 or 4 in number, ai-e 

 of a light cream co'or, thickly sprinkled 

 with different shades of yellowish brown, 

 particularly towards the large end. 



THE GREEN BLACK-CAP WARBLER. 



Muscicapa pusilla. — Wilsox. 



Description. — Crown, glossy black ; 

 back, rump, and upper tail coverts, o ive 

 green. Fiontlet, line over the eye, and all 

 beneath, bright lemon yellow. Tail and 

 wings, hair hrown, the feathers having 

 their outer vanes edged with yellow oMve 

 Bill, brown ; legs, flesh color. No part 

 white. Second and third quills longest, 

 subequal. Tail long and rounded, reaching 

 more than one inch beyond the tips of the 

 fdded wings. Female and young without 

 the black crown. Length, 4.5 inches ; 

 spread, 6.5. 



History. — This species appears to be 

 very widely diffused, being found in Labra- 

 dor, in latitude 58" north, where it breeds, 

 and as fir westward as Columbia nver. 

 According to DeKaj', it arrives in New 

 York early in May, but is in that state ex- 

 ceedingly rare. Their nests are built on 

 low bushes, in which they lay about four 

 grayish eggs, which are sprinkled with 

 reddish dots, in a circle around the larger 

 end. 



THE WARBLING ■\^REO. 

 Vireo gilvus. — Bonaparte. 

 Description.— Pale greenish olive. Head 

 and upper part of the neck, dark ash, ap- 

 proaching to brown. Line over and beneath 

 the eye, and extending from the eye to the 

 nostril, light ash. AVings and tail, h-air 

 brown, the feathers edged with greenish 

 gray. Upper mandible dark horn color, 

 the lower one lighter. Chin and under 



parts dull greenish white. Sides of the 

 body and beneath the wings, dull greenish 

 yellow. Legs, bluish browu. Length, 5 

 inches; spread, 8. 



History. — This Vireo, though plain and 

 unadorned in plumage, is one of the most 

 musical of the feathered warblers. Its 

 range is through the whole extent of the 

 United States, from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific. The nest of the Warbling Vireo is 

 usually pendulous, and placed in the very 

 summits of the loftiest trees. Nuttall has 

 found them elevated to the airy height of 

 more than 100 feet from the ground. The 

 nest is made of the fibres of weeds and shreds 

 of bark, and lined with grass. The eggs 

 are from 4 to 6, white, with confluent spots 

 and thread-li'.e lines towards the larger 

 end. My friend, C. S. Paine, who kindly 

 favoi'ed rae with a specimen of tliis bird, 

 and its nest, which was built in the top of 

 a lofty elm, near his dwelling, in Randolph, 

 assures me that the favorite resort of the 

 Warbling Vireo is among the trees and 

 bushes, growing by the side of ponds and 

 streams. 



THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. 



Meriila olivacea. — Giraud. 



Description. — General color above, yel- 

 lo^vish olive brown ; breast and throat buff, 

 spotted with black; belly, soiled white, 

 spotted with reddish brown. Bill, brown, 

 short and robust. Legs, flesh color, line 

 from the bill to the eye slightly rufous. 

 Outer webs of the primaries, yellowish. 

 Lower tail coverts, white. Second primary 

 longest, first and third nearly equal. — 

 Length, 6.5 inches; spread, 11. Length of 

 the tarsus 1 inch. Tail extends 1 inch 

 beyond the folded wings. 



History. — This species was long regard- 

 ed as a variety of the Hermit Thrush, M. 

 solitaria. It was first shown to be a dis- 

 tinct species by Mr. DeRhane, and was first 

 described and named by Mr. Giraud, in 

 his Birds of Long Island. This bird rears 

 its young in Vermont, and is not very rare. 

 Its nest, which is built on the ground in 

 the woods, is composed of leaves and vines, 

 and lined with fine roots. It has 4 light 

 blue eggs, but somewhat darker than those 

 of the Hermit Thrush, or very nearly the 

 color of those of the Robin. It probably 

 rears two broods in a season, since my 

 friend Paine assures me, that he has found 

 their nests, containing eggs, in the months 

 of June, July and August. 



THE BLACK-POLL WARBLER. 



Sylvia striata — Wilson. 

 Description. — Head deep glossy black ; 

 back mottled with black, white and dax'k 



