42G 



N'oirrn amkkican imiids. 



Cirtliioln flavtola. 



well, 1111(1 nil tlu* niit«'r rcilucrd t<> ;i narrow ImhiIc r. (\ ruhnti from ('<»/.uiiU'l, 

 iit'iir tlie fjisti'in cuast of N'lU'alaii, cxliiltit.s tlu- < nuiineiiLiil iuipiL'ss in pos- 

 ses.siijj^' tlu' cliaiartcr last nu'iiticuu'il. 



In all till! .speciers IVniii tlu- (iicattT Antilles and llu' poition (»|" Cnntini'n- 



tal AiiK'iica west and diifctlv south 

 (»r this Lii'Mip, tlieiv is a distinct cx- 

 tiiiial wliitr j>at('li at liasc of (|iiills ; 

 vliilc tliis disappears in tlic species of 

 tlie Lesser Antilles and eastern S(»utli 

 America, nr is only laintly liacealde. 

 Aiiaiii, in the s}>ecies ot" the Lesser 

 Antilles, witli the disappearance of the 

 white w iiiLr-palch, the ^n-aler and mid- 

 dle w iim-c(»verts show a faint ed^^iiiL!: of 

 lighter, l>v which, as well as hv the darker hack, ihev arc distiii'^nished from 

 their South American allies. 



The shape of the white patch at hase of the «piills on tlie outer weh fur- 

 nisiies, in condtinalion with the color of the throat, excellent and ]terniaiicnt 

 sju'citic characters. This in the Jamaican, llayth-n, and liahaman forms is 

 elongated, extendini;" uraduallv and uniformly hehind to the outer edue (►f 

 the (piill, while in those of Porto L'ico, St. Thomas, Cozumel, and the South 

 American sj>ecies, where it exists, the ]>osterior outline is nearly transverse, 

 and onlv runniiiLi out a little alon<4 outer weh. 



As a general rule South American specit s have shorter tails than the 

 West Indian. 



It is a nice (piestion what are really species in this «i[enns, and what merely 

 races or varieties ; hnt it would prohahly he not far from correct to assume 

 that the various fornis descrihed are simply nuHlitications of one jtrimitive 

 s])ccies, ])ioiluced by Licouraphical distrihuti(tn and external physical condi- 

 tions. In the foUowinu diaLjnosis I shall treat all the varieties as occuj»yin<^ 

 the same rank, without attempting any discrimination. AlthouL^h hnt one 

 of these helonu's to the Tnited States, and that as a straij^ler from the r.aha- 

 mas. I L^ive the tahle of the whole, to show the intercstinij; relationship be- 

 tween them, 



i'tiMMoN CiiAR.vcTKR.'S. Al>ovo «lnskv-olivo or blaf'kisli; tlic rnmp olivaceous or 

 y*'llo\visli : tiic hi'a<l ami <lu*fk> always lilack. aii<l sonietiim-s daikt-r tiiaii 1"a«k. 

 Cliiii and tliri>at ashy or l.lat-k. liost <if uihU'i- pait yt'llow. (hilirr Itcliiiid. A 

 l>roail white stripe lioiii hill ahovc t-yc f<i iiajx'. A white j)atch at base ot" pri- 

 iiiaiics : L'cnerally visililc cxtenially. sotiictiiiifs <-oiic('al(Ml. Lateral tail-feathers 

 tijtjied with wiiite. Dill lilaek; leps dusky. 



A« Head miironn in color with rest ol" iijijiei- parts: dark sooty-hrown or hlaekish. 

 Both welis of outer tail-feather tipped witii white Texeept in hifcaln^. All \Vest 

 bidian exeept hdeohi, w hieh. howevei', occurs in Tol»a<ro and Trinidtul, and gen- 

 erally helouL's to the shores of the Carrihean Sea. 



1. A flistinet and •■ousjiieuous exteinal white patch at base of primaries. 



Wing-coverts not margined with jialer. 



