SPECIES 17. SYLVIA CJERULEA. 



CERULEAN WARBLER. 



[Plate XVII. Fig. 5.] 



PEALE'S Museum, JVb. 7309. 



THIS delicate little species is now, for the first time, intro- 

 duced to public notice. Except my friend Mr. Peale, I know 

 of no other naturalist who seems to have hitherto known of its 

 existence. At what time it arrives from the south I cannot 

 positively say, as I never met with it in spring; but have seve- 

 ral times found it during summer. On the borders of streams 

 and marshes, among the branches of the poplar, it is sometimes 

 to be found. It has many of the habits of the Flycatcher; 

 though, like the preceding, from the formation of its bill we 

 must arrange it with the Warblers. It is one of our scarce birds 

 in Pennsylvania; and its nest has hitherto eluded my search. I 

 have never observed it after the twentieth of August, and there- 

 fore suppose it retires early to the south. 



This bird is four inches and a half long, and seven and a half 

 broad; the front and upper part of the head is of a fine verditer 

 blue; the hind head and back of the same colour, but not quite 

 so brilliant; a few lateral streaks of black mark the upper part 

 of the back; wings and tail black, edged with sky blue; the three 

 secondaries next the body edged with white, and the first and 

 second row of coverts also tipt with white; tail coverts large, 

 black, and broadly tipt with blue; lesser wing coverts black, 

 also broadly tipt with blue, so as to appear nearly wholly of 

 that tint; sides of the breast spotted or streaked with blue; belly, 

 chin and throat pure white; the tail is forked, the five lateral 

 feathers on each side with each a spot of white, the two middle 

 more slightly marked with the same; from the eye backwards 



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