1 66 SYLVICOLID^E : AMERICAN WARBLERS. 



substances, lined with fine fibres and sometimes hair. 

 The eggs are laid late in May or early in June, and again 

 in July. They differ from the usual run of Warbler 

 eggs in being much more sparingly spotted having 

 sometimes -scarcely any markings, but usually being 

 very thinly dotted, and mostly on the larger part, with 

 several shades of brown. The markings are very irreg- 

 ular, in size, number, and tint; among the little points 

 a few blotches of larger size are commonly found. 

 The ground is usually clear white, sometimes faintly 

 creamy. Such is the character of a dozen specimens 

 before me as I write. The size of the egg is not less 

 variable than the markings, averaging about 0.70 by 

 o-55- 



MOURNING WARBLER. 

 GEOTHLYPIS PHILADELPHIA ( Wtls.) Bd. 



Chars. Above, clear yellowish-olive, shading to ashy on the head ; 

 under parts bright yellow, the throat and breast more or less per- 

 fectly black, according to perfection of coloring ; usually black, 

 veiled with gray or ashy fringing of the individual feathers, pro- 

 ducing an appearance of the bird's wearing crape, whence the 

 name " Mourning Warbler " ; wings dusky, glossed with the 

 color of the back, not marked with white ; no white on eyelids ; 

 under mandible and feet flesh-color. Young birds have little or 

 no black, and no ashy, on the head ; they thus closely resemble 

 Oporornis agilis, from which the generic characters of compara- 

 tive length of wings and tail serve to distinguish them. Length, 

 5.25-5.50 ; wing and tail, each, about 2.25. 



The " Mourning " Warbler gay and agreeable as 

 a widow who finds the " peace that passeth all un- 

 derstanding " in the consciousness that her weeds are 

 becoming is sufficiently rare in southern New Eng- 



