228 HABITS OF THE ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER 



The sexes of this species scarcely differ, and young or autumnal birds 

 are very similar to the adults, except the frequent or usual absence of the 

 orange-brown crown-spot in birds of the year. The species is well distin- 

 guished from all its allies by the color of the crown-patch, as well as by the 

 general oliveneps and yellowness of coloration, no part of the bird being 

 pure ashy or white. 



The foregoing description is applicable more particularly to typical celata, 

 from which the Pacific-coast form differs decidedly, as pointed out by Mr. 

 Ridgway, being much more richly colored. It may be described simply as 

 olive-green above, and greenish-yellow, shaded with olive, on the sides below, 

 without any of the qualifying terms required for precision in the case of 

 typical celata. This form, lutescens, occurs in parts of the Colorado region 

 during the migrations, when it is associated with true celata, but is stated to 

 breed only farther north and more coastwise. 



AS remarked by Dr. Brewer, the geographical distribution 

 of H. celata is involved in some obscurity, probably owing 

 to its irregularity of migration. The bird was unknown to 

 Wilson, but described soon after his time by Mr. Say, whose 

 zoological commentary has rendered u Long's Expedition" mem- 

 orable to ornithologists. After a few years, Nuttall spoke of it 

 as not uncommon in the orange-groves of West Florida ; he may 

 or may not have had some other species in view, but we find 

 Allen recording celata among the winter birds of Florida, as 

 well as attesting its occurrence in Massachusetts. Thus it ap- 

 pears that Audubon's notice of its movements is probably well 

 founded, and that it was not sufficiently considered, when, in 

 1858, Baird assigned a range only from the Mississippi River to 

 the Pacific. The gist of the matter would appear to be that 

 we have here a bird of very general dispersion in North Amer- 

 ica, evenly and regularly distributed in large numbers over 

 more than the western half of the continent, but of rare and 

 perhaps fitful occurrence in the Atlantic States. The extra- 

 limital records, without exception so far as I know, are Mexican. 

 The habitat of the species is thus brought into close correspond- 

 ence with that of H. ruficapilla, though the areas of greatest 

 abundance of the two species are upon opposite sides of the 

 continent. 



I have myself only observed the Orange-crowned Warbler 

 in the West, where it is a common bird, at least during the 

 migrations. It is known to winter along our southwestern 

 border, as it also does in Florida. Its breeding-range appears 

 to be nearly coextensive with the whole area of its distribution 

 in the West, where the mountain chains afford the elevation 

 that answers to increase of latitude as far as the nidification 



