September 1, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



279 



a species^" and began to throw off what mnst 

 be considered as ' mutants,' taking de Vries's 

 definition of the word. In other words, H. 

 pinus is alone responsible and is the direct 

 ancestor of both H. leucohronchialis and H. 

 lawrencei; that these ' mutants ' have up to 

 the present time generally bred back into the 

 parent stock, and that in so doing the in- 

 stability of H. pinus has increased geometric- 

 ally with the constant result of the increasing 

 number of both kinds of ' mutants.' 



Lawrence's avarbler, helminthophila 



LAWRENCEI (hERRIOK). 



Previous to Mr. Brewster's description of 

 Helmintliopliila leucohronchialis, Herrick de- 

 scribed^^ a bird which he named Helmintho- 

 phila lawrencei. The affinities of this species 

 are evidently with H. pinus, which it re- 

 sembles in many ways, but from which it dif- 

 fers in being bright olive green above, and in 

 having the ear coverts black and an area on 

 the throat the same color. 



At the time of this writing, between twenty 

 and twenty-five^* specimens are known, there 



"■- Cf. Bishop, Auk, Vol. XXII., No. 1, pp. 21-24, 

 1905. " In southern Connecticut there are three 

 distinct forms of the blue-winged warbler (E. 

 pinus) taking males alone into consideration — the 

 ordinary form with rich gamboge-yellow lower 

 parts, white AAdng-bars and bright olive-green 

 back; a second forrn like the last but with 

 gamboge-yellow wing-patch, resembling the golden- 

 winged {H. chrysoptera) , which is much the 

 rarest; and third, a form with pale yellow lower 

 parts, much paler back, and with usually yellow 

 wing-bars; and between the three occur all sorts 

 if intermediates. 



^ Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ences of Philadelphia, p. 220, plate 15, 1874. 



" ' Description of a New Species of Eelmintho- 

 phaga, by Harold Herrick, Proceedings of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 

 1874, p. 220, pi. 15. 



' Captiire of a Second Specimen of Helmintho- 

 phaga laiorencei,' by Harold Herrick, Bull. Nutt. 

 Orn. Gluh, Vol. II., No. 1, pp. 19-20, 1877. Re- 

 cords the capture of a second specimen which Mr. 

 George N. Lawrence obtained from a dealer who 

 told him that it was taken near Hoboken, N. J., 

 in the spring of 1876. It was apparently a male 

 and closely resembled the type. 



being some confusion as to three of them. 

 These birds are generally believed to be hy- 

 brids or crosses between H. pinus and S. 

 chrysoptera?" But no one has ever intimated 

 that they have seen lawrencei mated with 

 chrysoptera, or chrysoptera feeding young 



' A Third Specimen of Lawrence's Warbler,' by 

 Clark G. Voorhees, New York City, Auk, Vol. V., 

 No. 4, p. 427, 1888. Records the capture at Rye, 

 Westchester Co., N. Y., on August 31, 1888, of an 

 adult male. The third known specimen. 



' Helminthophila pinus, H. chrysoptera, H. leuco- 

 hronchialis and H. lawrencei in Connecticut in 

 the Spring of 1888,' by Louis B. Bishop, M.D., 

 New Haven, Conn., Aulc, Vol. VI., No. 2, pp. 192- 

 193, 1889. Records the capture of three speci- 

 mens: a female at New Haven, May 21, a female 

 at Stamford, May 23, and a male at the same 

 place on May 25. This makes six known speci- 

 mens. 



Cf. op. cit.. Auk, Vol. I, No. 1, pp. 305-310. 

 Records by E. H. Eames of the capture of an adult 

 male at Bridgeport, Conn., on May 16, 1889, and 

 hearing this bird in full song. This is the seventh 

 one known. 



• Notes from Connecticut,' by E. H. Eames, 

 Bridgeport, Conn., Auk, Vol. X., No. 1, pp. 89-90, 

 1893. Mr. Eames records: 'Four Lawrence's 

 warblers were within a radius of half a mile, 

 three typical and one with the black obscured 

 and the crown dull yellow-olive, * * * .' Thia 

 brings the known number of this bird up to eleven. 



' Notes on Helminthophila chrysoptera, pinus, 

 leucohronchialis and lawrencei in Connecticut,' 

 by John H. Sage, Portland, Conn., Auk, Vol. 

 X., No. 2, pp. 208-209, 1893. Mr. Sage records 

 a single example, a male taken on May 14, 1887. 

 This is the twelfth known specimen. 



' Notes Concerning Certain Birds of Long Is- 

 land, N. Y.,' by William C. Braislin, M.D., Auk, 

 Vol. XX., No. 1, pp. 30-53, 1903. "At Cold 

 Spring Harbor, Long Island, May 8, 1902, a speci- 

 men of Lawrence's warbler was secured. * * * 

 is a male, and seems perfectly typical." This 

 appears to be the thirteenth bird of this kind 

 recorded. 



Cf. Thurber, 2'rtie Democratic Banner (news- 

 paper), Morristown, N. J., November 10, 17 and 

 24, 1887. Records a specimen. 



^^ ' Helminthophila leucohronchialis,' by Robert 

 Ridgway, Auk, Vol. II., No. 4, pp. 359-363. Ridg- 

 way argues from the color pattern of the type 

 and the second recorded bird ( see above ) , and 



