SVI.VICOLID.K — Till-: WAniJLKRS. 250 



stn-ak brown; tin- tliinl lir-^>\vii. with a tfrininal iiariow wliit** sireak. Hill l>la<'k : irt-t 

 ltn»wii. Lciiirfli. l.7o : wiiiij. •_'.;;•» ; tail. 'J.l'>. 



Il.vH. Wt'stcrii ami Mid.lic |'in\ inrrs of rnitcfl States. MiLTatorv soiitliwanl into 

 ^^ fsttTU Mfxiro (( >axa<-a) : Ori/alM ( wiiiifi-. Si \ii< iiuAsrj. 



Fi'inalc .">:;.;;7-"», East lIuinlM.ldt MtMintains, X»'V., .Inly 1-1-). Similar to 

 tluMiialc, l)ut crown ash nuMliallv streakt'd with i»lack, instead of continuous 

 black ; the str«'aks on hack narrow and incons}>it*uons ; tiic black of the 

 throat continctl to the juL^iduni, a|>]>carini,' in s]M»ts onlv on anterior half. A 

 youuLj female No. r>:;,:;7r», Kast I!uml)oldt Mountains, Au^nist 1(1) is plain 

 brownish-ash above*, lacking entirely the .streaks on the back, and those on 

 sides of crown extremely obsolete. There is no black whatever on throat or 

 juguluni, which, wilji tlie well-defined sn]>ra-loral stri]>e and h»wer jjarts in 

 general, are soiled white, more brownish laterally. The (»ther features, including; 

 the yellow spot over the lores, with the winu and tail markiniis, are much as 

 in the adult. A younu- uiale 'TkI^ST^i}, same h)cality and date, ditfei's from the 

 last in havini; the sides of the crown black, and the throat-patch almost 

 complete, but nuich hidden by the broa«l white bonhus to the feathers. An 

 adult autunmal male (7,<)'.M), Calaveras liiver) is like the spring adult, but 

 the ash is overspread by brownish, nearly obliteratini; the dorsal streaks, and 

 dividing the black of the crown ; the black throat-patch is perfectly defined, 

 but nuich obscured by white borders to the feathers. 



H.vBirs. The IMack-throated (Jray or Dusky Warbler, so far as is now 

 known, belongs to the Western and ^liddle Trovinces, occurring certainly 

 as far to the south as San l>i(\u)>, in California, and as far to the north as Fort 

 Steilacooni, in Washington Territory, penetrating in winter into Mexico. 

 The most easterly localities in which it has been met with are in Arizona 

 and New Mexico. The Smithsonian Institution has receiveil specimen.s also 

 from Colund)ia Kiver, Calaveras, Cal., and Fort Defiance. 



This sj>ecies was first obtained and described by Mr. Town.send, who found 

 it abundant in the forests of the Colund>ia, where it breeds and remains 

 until nearly winter. Its nest, which he tlu^re met with, resenddes that of 

 Pirrvla (iinrricnna, only it is made of the long and fibrous green moss, or 

 UsHCff, peculiar to that region, and is placeil among the u])])er branches of 

 oak-trees, suspended between two small twigs. 



Mr. Xuttall states that it arrives on the Cobnnbia early in May, and from 

 the manner in which its .song was tlelivered at intervals, in the to])s of decidu- 

 ous tre'^s, he had no doubt that thev were breediuL; in those forests as early 

 as May 23. This .song he describes as delicate, but monotonous, uttered as 

 it busily ami intently searches eyery leafy bough and expanding bud for 

 insects and their larva* in the spreading oak, in which it utters its solitary 

 notes. Its song is repeated at short and regular interyals, and is said by Mr. 

 Xuttall to bear some resemblance to f-sln'e-fslnli/-fsh(n'tsh(c, varym^i the feeble 

 sound very little, and with the concluding note somev>liat slenderly and 

 jdaintively raised. Dr. Suckley speaks of this bird as moderately abundant 



