PASSERINE BIRDS OF NEW YORK 281 



Unlike previous plumage. Above, deep olive-brown, greener on the upper tail 

 coverts, the crown and forehead tinged with Mars-brown, the forehead fre- 

 quently with a very few feathers black basally. The wing coverts chiefly olive- 

 green. Below, bright lemon on the chin, throat and crissum, pale straw- 

 yellow on the abdomen, the flanks washed with olive-brown, and a very faint 

 buffy pectoral band. The malar and auricular regions show^ traces of the black 

 " mask ' ' varying from a few black feathers to a considerable area always veiled 

 by ashy edgings. The black seldom invades the lores and forehead and never 

 the orbital ring as in the adult. The orbital ring is buffy white. 



4. First Nuptial Plumage acquired by a partial prenuptial 

 moult which involves chiefly the forehead, crown, sides of head 

 and chin and not the rest of the plumage. These areas are 

 somewhat worn, as a rule, when the birds reach New York in 

 May, but specimens from Jamaica, West Indies, taken Decem- 

 ber 2d, January 9th, 2 2d and 24th and February 4th show 

 actual moult in progress. It is not surprising that the feathers 

 assumed then should show considerable wear before May. 

 The black feathers of the " mask " are acquired, those of the 

 upper margin of this area broadly tipped with pearl-gray which 

 becomes ashy with wear. This gray band, posteriorly on the 

 crown, has its feathers tipped with Mars-brown and the basal 

 black graduall}/ diminishes more posteriorly as the extent of 

 brown on each feather increases. There is a yellow tinge in 

 some of the feathers. The width of the band varies greatly. 

 The bright yellow chin is also acquired and young birds and 

 old become indistinguishable. 



5. Adult Winter Plumage acquired by a complete post- 

 nuptial moult in July and August. Differs from the first winter 

 dress in possessing a complete black " mask," which includes 

 the forehead, lores, orbital ring and auriculars, only the fore- 

 head and the auriculars being slightly veiled. The "mask" 

 has a distinct cinereous posterior border veiled on the crown 

 with V^andyke-brown. The yellow below is deeper and the 

 brown wash on the flanks darker in most cases. Six specimens 

 out of twenty-two in this plumage show a few white feathers in 

 the orbital ring usualh' confined to the lower eyelid, and three 

 out of twenty-three spring males show the same peculiarity 

 which seems to be purely individual peculiar possibly to the 

 younger birds. 



