254 CHARACTERS OF DENDRCECA ESTIVA 



a^so from America, and supposed to inhabit this country. Examine, for instance, Hota- 

 cilla trochilusp, acredula, L. SN. i. 338, n. 49 /? ; Sylvia trochilus, 0. Lath. IO. ii. 550, n. 155 

 /? ; Sylvia acredula, Steph. Gen. Zool. x. 744 ; in all of which places Catesby's pi. 63 and 

 Edwards's pi. 278, f. 2, are cited, and the bird is ascribed to North America. Vieillot dis- 

 cusses this matter in connection with a bird described by him as the " Fanvetto naine ", 

 t/Zria pumilia, OAS.ii.pl. 100, or the "Pouillot nain", S. pumilia, X. D. d'H. N. xi. 239, 

 where it is referred to trochilus var. of Lath., and Ency. M6th. ii. 467, where the female is 

 said to be figured by Edwards, pi. 278, f. 2, and where reference is made to the " Figuier 

 brun et jiune" of Buffon, v. 295; but I cannot make out what his pumilia is, nor has any 

 one identified it, so far as I know. The whole matter hinges on Edw. pi. 278, f. 2 ; and as 

 this is not recognizable, the case is dubious, probably beyond determination. It is unne- 

 cessary to add that no such bird occurs in this country ; but so much of the composition of 

 the species as includes American references is doubtless more or less exclusively pertinent 

 to Dendrceca cestiva. The ascribing of the Willow "Wren to this country lasted until 

 within thirty or forty years, such species being given for instance in Nuttall's work of 

 1832 and Peabody's of 1839. Boddaert has a Mrtacilla canadensis, which is this species, 

 being based upon PE. 58, f. 2 ; but the name is twice anticipated by Motacilla canadensis 

 of Linnaeus, for two different species of the same genus.] 



OH. SP. $ Flava, dorso flavo-virente, gastrceo aurantio-brun- 

 neo striato; remigibus rectricibusque fuscis, extus et intus flavo- 

 limbatis; rostro plumbeo; $ et juv. infra innotata. 



$ , adult : Golden-yellow; the back with a greenish tinge resulting in rich 

 yellow-olive, the rump more jellowish; the middle of the back sometimes 

 obsoletely streaked with darker. Crown like the under parts, in high plum- 

 age often tinged with orange-brown. Breast and sides, and sometimes most 

 of the under parts, streaked with orange-brown. Quills and tail-feathers 

 dusky, edged on both webs with yellow, the yellow occupying most of the 

 inner webs of the tail-feathers. Bill plumbeous. Feet pale brown. Length, 

 4f-5 ; extent, 7|-7 ; wing, 2|; tail, 2. 



$ , adult : Like the $ ; yellow-olive of upper parts extending on the crown ; 

 streaks below obsolete or entirely wanting. General coloration paler than 

 in the $ . 



Young: Like the $ , but still more dully colored. Upper parts, including 

 crown, pale olive, with an ochrey instead of clear yellow shade ; below ochrey- 

 white or dull pale yellowish. Edgings of wings and tail dull yellowish. 



I have not seen, perhaps, the very youngest stage of this species ; at any 

 rate, I have seen no streaked specimens. The fledglings of comparatively 

 few of our Warblers, even the commonest, have been described. But as far 

 as known, all, with probably the exception of the present species, are 

 streaked or spotted at first like very young Thrushes. 



The North American Golden Warbler is well distinguished from its several 

 West Indian and South American allies. It appears to be somewhat the 

 smallest, with shortest tarsus scarcely two-thirds of an inch. In the $ of 

 D. vieilloti, the head all around is orange-brown ; and, in D. capitalis, of the 

 Birbadoes, the whole crown is of this color, sharply defined. D. petcchia, of 

 various West Indian Islands, is most nearly related ; it is larger ; the tarsi 

 are longer ; the wing is more rounded ; the yellow-olive of the back extends 

 with little more mixture of yellow on the nape, rump, and wing marginings: 

 the yellow edgings of the tail are narrower. In any plumage, D. cestira is 

 distinguished from all the other North American species by the yellow edging 

 instead of white blotching of the tail-feathers. 



