SVLVlCOLTn.R — TFTE WARBLERS. 2(')7 



witJi whitish ; tliora art- no l)ljtcl< sixits on llio cniwn, Init, iiis'ciid, an oliva- 

 ceiiiis slain ; the nape is njivaccnus instead of lilack, and Uw, lihick centres 

 to dorsal rcatiicrs nioin concealed : tiie ash alinve is less |iure, am" tliero is no 

 trace ol' sireaks on the sides. A leniale lanli innal f) — ;{.S,14I --IVoni Ori- 

 /alia, Mexico, is,^rayisii-,.ll\aceoiisal)ove, inclndin- tlie whole lopof tiio head, 

 except henealh the snrlace ; tlie leathers on t.pot iiead have ■oiispicnons 

 lilaek centres, hut there are none on the l.aek : the sides of the head, and 

 tho Inises ol' the I'eatiiers on its top, are soileil yellow; the throat is dirty 

 white, witii the I, fathers diisi<y heneath the surliicci ; the hreast and side's 

 have a stroiij.- hrownish tinjjv. Anotiier female, and an autumnal one (prob- 

 ably of the year), is more lirown aliove, the specks ou the top of the head 

 exceedingly minute; tiiere are also oi)scure streaks alonn- the sides, where 

 there is a strong' brownisli tiii^e. 



IIahits. The Western or Hermit W<M.d Warbler, so far as known, is 

 limite.l in its distribution to the I'acitic coast IV.mT Central America to Wash- 

 ington Territory. Specimens procuivd from \'olcau de Fuc-o, Ale.xico, Ari- 

 zona, and California, an' in the collection of tlie Smithsonian Institution, 

 liut little is positively known as to its history or iiaiuts. Nuttall, who first 

 met with it in the forests on tiie ban'ks o-f tlie Columbia, ha<l no (hnibt 

 that it inveds in the dark Ibrests bord.'rinn-on that river. Ifo (h'scribed it as 

 a remarkably shy and solitary bird, retiring into the darkest and most silent 

 recesses of the everureens, and apparently liviiij-- anionj;- the loftiest brandies 

 of the ^nyantic lirs of that re^i,,n. In (•onse(|nence of its i)eeuliar habits it 

 was with e.xtrenm dilhi-ulty that his party could -et a si-ht of this retiring- 

 species. Its ,son,s,r, which he frequently hear.l fi.an these ]ii<,di tree-tops at 

 very re-nlar intervals for an Ikmu' or two at a time, he describes as a faint, 

 moody, and monotonous note, deliveriid wli.m the bird is at rest on some 

 lofty twi>f, and within convenient heariiij.- of its mate. 



.Mr. Townsend, who was on.! of the .same jmrtv, shot a pair of these birds 

 near Fort Vancouver, .May 2S, IS:'.,-,. They were tlittino amon- the toj.s of 

 the pn.e-tives in the deiiths of the for..st, where he fre.iuentlv saw them 

 han.;-n,^ from the twi-.s, in the manner of Titmic(>. Their notes, uttered at 

 dillerent imerval.s, he describes as very similar to these of the Black-throated 

 l!lu(i Warbler [/>. nmi/rsrni.s). 



Dr. Suckl..y obtained, dmie, ISoC, two .specimens at Fort St<.ilaco,mi. He 

 also .lescribes them as very shy, feedin- mid spendin.s,r nio.st of their time in the 

 tops of the hi-h.!st lirs, .so hij-h up as to be almost out of the reach of fine shot. 

 The species he re-ards as not at all rare on the I'aeilic coa.st,but only dilHcult 

 of procuriiiur, „„ account .,f the almost inaccessible nature of its haunts. 



Dr. C.mes procured a sin-le specimen of this species in Ariz.nia early in 

 September. It was taken in thick scrub-oak bushes. He thinks it may be 

 a summer resident of that Territory, liut^ if so, very niro. 



A single specimen was also obtained at i'etuluma, Cal., by Mr. Emanuel 

 Samuels, May I, IHoO. 



