I5O SYLVICOLID^E : AMERICAN WARBLERS. 



YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER. 

 DENDRCECA PALMARUM (Gm.) Bd. 



Chars. Adult : Above, brownish-olive, rump and upper tail-coverts 

 brighter yellowish-olive, back with slightly dusky streaks ; crown 

 chestnut-red ; line over eye and entire under parts rich yellow, 

 the breast and sides with orange-brown streaks, as in D. (zstiva; 

 no white wing-bars ; square white tail-spots at very end of only 

 the two outer pairs of feathers. Young : An obscure dingy-look- 

 ing bird, quite brownish above, like a young Yellow-rump ; but 

 upper tail-coverts not pure yellow, and under tail-coverts often 

 quite brightly yellow, in contrast with the dingy yellowish or 

 whitish of other under parts ; generally a trace at least of chest- 

 nut on the crown ; no white on wings ; tail-spots peculiar, as in 

 the adult. Length, 5.25 ; extent, 8.25 ; wing, 2.50 ; tail, 2.25. 



Note. On geographical variation in Dendrcsca palmarum, with 

 description of a new variety, hypochrysea, and on the occurrence 

 of the western variety in New England, see Ridgway, Bull. 

 Nutt. Club, i. 1876, p. 8 1 ; Deane, ibid., 1879, PP- 6o and 186. Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Ridgway, his new variety is the ordinary bird of 

 New England, where typical palmarum is rare. 



The Red-poll differs decidedly from any other War- 

 bler in the manner and character of its presence in 

 New England, and conspicuously in habits. It comes 

 to us the earliest of all excepting the Pine-creeping, 

 and stays later than any other excepting the Yellow- 

 rump, of course, which remains all winter. It nests 

 on the ground, unlike any other Dcndrceca ; is quite 

 terrestrial in habits, like a Titlark, for example, and 

 haunts fields and roadsides, often in company with 

 troops of Sparrows ; the anomalous combination being 

 heightened by certain Flycatcher-like actions, which 

 are highly characteristic of this interesting bird. It 

 reaches New England early in April, or at furthest by 



