220 Brewster on Helminthophaga leucobronchialis. 



abdomen white; the remainder of the lower parts gamboge-yel- 

 low; the wing-bands white: the nape ashy tinged with green; 

 the occiput, back, and wings as purely olive-green as in //. 

 pi i/us. 



No. 1.210 (Dr. Fisher's collection, 9 adult, Sing Sing, July 24, 

 1SS1) is entirely pale greenish-yellow beneath ; the back is simi- 

 lar to that of pinus but the nape is decidedly ashy and the wing- 

 bands as clearly yellow as in chrysoptera ; the dusky brown 

 eye-stripe is restricted to the lores and post-orbital spot. 



Of the above specimens. No. 605 is perhaps the most important ; 

 with its white wing-liars, ashy back, and yellow breast and throat 

 it very equally combi les the respectn ■ characters of Ipucobron- 

 chialls and ■pinus. Xos. 2.620 and 1.210. approach pinus even 

 more closely : but (he former has tin 1 white throat and cheeks of 

 leucobronchialis ; and the latter an ashy nape, yellow wing-bands 

 and generally pale coloring baneath. No. 1.30S shows a signifi- 

 cant variation in the other direction, the extension of the black 

 eye-stripe indicating an increased affinity with chrysoptera. No. 

 [,23c; is apparently similar to Gibb's type of //. ••giii/uii '," after- 

 wards referred to leucobronchialis by Mr. Ridgway (this Bull., 

 [V, p. 233). Taken as a whole, the series perfectly connects leuco- 

 bronchialis with pinus •, as well as showing an extension of the 

 former toward chrysoptera. This fact being established, the 

 question immediately follows. I low can these aberrant birds be 

 accounted for ? Before attempting to answer this let us take up 

 //. lawrencei and examine a few more specimens. 



I have before me a female Helminthophaga (No. 4,667, author's 

 collection. Highland balls. New York, July 7, 1879, presented 

 by Dr. Mearns) which has the crown yellow: the back and 

 wings dull ashy tinged with olive-green ; the wing-bands yellow ; 

 the cheeks and throat ashy ; the chin, sides of throat, and re- 

 mainder of the under parts heavily washed with greenish- 

 yellow. Making due allowance for the fact that its plumage is 

 excessively worn and faded, this specimen presents nearly the 

 relative characters that would be looked for in the female of 

 lawrencei ; the throat and cheek-markings are those of chrysop- 

 tera (female), -while the remainder of the plumage is colored 

 nearly as in pinus; the wing-bands however are yellow, instead 

 of white, and the back is not purely olive-green : but these varia- 

 tions are closely parallel to those which occur in leucobron- 



