SVLVIL. LTD.E — THE WARBLKRS. 267 



witli wliitish; there are no hV.wk s)>ots on the erown, l)iit, instead, an oliva- 

 ceous slam : tlir najie is ulivacctais instead of l»la(k, and tlir lilack centres 

 to dorsal Iralher- more ciiniM'aled ; the ash ahnvr is le>s pure, antl tlu-re is \u, 

 trace of streaks on the sides. A fmiale autrnjnal ( — l>S,141 — from Ori- 

 /aha, Mexit'o. is lirayisli-nlivaceous altnve. incluilin^ the whole toj> nf tlie hea«l, 

 except heneatli tlie surface; tlie lealliers on top of head have eonsj)ieuous 

 hiack centres, lait tliere are none on. tlie Itack : the sides of the head, and 

 the hases of tlie hMlliers nn its top, are soiled vidlow ; the thro.il is dirty 

 white, witli the feathers dusky heneath the surface; the hreast and sides 

 have a strong hrownish tini^e. AiioiJier feiuale, and an autcnuial one (prob- 

 ably of tlie year i, is more brown aho\t', the specks on the top of the head 

 exceedingly minute; there are also obseure streaks -ilon^ the sides, where 

 tliere is a stnaiu" br(»wnish tinue. » 



ll.MUTs. The Western ••r Hermit Wood Warbler, so far as known, is 

 limited ill its distribution to the Pacific coast fronl Central America to Wash- 

 ini^'ton Territory. S]ieciniens piocured from \'olcan de Fiu'^o, Mexico, Ari- 

 z«»na, and California, are in the, collection of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 liut little is positiv'ly known as to its history lu- habits. Xuttall, who first 

 met with it in the forests on the banks e.-!" the Columliia, had no doubt 

 that it breeds in the dark forests borderinufon that river. He described it as 

 a reinarkablv shv and solitarv bird, retirinu" into the darkest and most silent 

 recesses of the everLiieens, and apparently living- amon^ the loftiest branches 

 of the j^iganlic firs of that region. In conseijuence of its peculiar habits it 

 was with extreme ditticulty that his party could ixet a sii^dit of this retiring 

 species. Its song, which he fretjuently heanl fnau these high tree-tojts at 

 very regular ? ■^ vals for an hour or two at a time, he describes as a faint, 

 moody, and monotonous note, deli\ered wIkmi the bird is at rest on some 

 lofty twig, and within convenient hearing of its mate. 



Mr. Towusend, who was one of the same party, shot a pair of these birds 

 near Fort Vauc<uiver, May 2S, IS:'.."). They were Hitting among the tops of 

 the pine-trees in the depths of the forest, where he fre([nently saw them 

 han<r'ng from the twigs, in the manner (tf Titmice. Their notes, nttered at 

 dillerent intervals, he describes as verv similar to those of the Ijlack-throated 

 lilue Warbler A /vr/v/A'.svvv/.s). 



Dr. Suckley obtained, dune, 18o(>, two s])eeiin<Mis at Fort Steilacocmi. He 

 also descrilu's them as very shy, feeding and spending most of their time in the 

 tops of the highest tirs, so high u]) as to \\v almost out of the reach of fine shot. 

 The species he regards as not at all rare on the Pacific coiist, but only dilticult 

 of procuring, on account of the almost inaccessible nature of its hannts. 



Dr. Coues procured a single s]>ecimen of this species in Arizona early in 

 Sejitember. It was taken in thick scrub-oak bushes. He thinks it may be 

 a summer resident of that Territoiy, but, if so, very rare. 



A single s])ecimen was also obtained at Petuluma, Cal., by Mr. Emanuel 

 Samuels, May 1, 185(j. 



