MNIOTILTIDiE — THE AMERICAN WARBLERS. 173 



Mr. Nelson says that the Yellow-breasted Chat is a "a regular but 

 not common summer resident" in Cook county, arriving May 1 to 

 10, and departing the last of August. 



Genus SYLVANIA Nuttall. 



Syhmnia Nutt. Man. Land B. 1832,290. Type by elimination Muscicapa selbi! AuD.,= 

 Motacilla mitrala Gmel. 



Wilsonia Bonap. Geog. and Comp. List, 1838,23. Same type, 



Myiodioctes AuD. Synop. 1831».4S. Same type. 



"Gen. Chak. Bill broad, depressed; the lateral outlines a little concave; the bristles 

 reaching down not quite half-way from nostrils to tip. Culmen and commissure nearly 

 straight to near the tip. Nostrils oval, with membrane above. Wings pointed, rather 

 longer than the nearly even but slightly rounded tail ; first quill shorter than the fourth, 

 much longer than the fifth ; the second and third quills longest. Tarsi rather lengthened 

 the scutellar divisions rather indistinct; the middle toe without claw, about three flftlis 

 the tarsus. 



"This genus is distinguished from Setophaga mainly by stouter 

 feet and longer toes ; shorter and more even taU, narrower bill, etc. 

 The species are decidedly muscicapine in general appearance, as 

 shown by the depressed bill with bristly rictus. The type, M. mi- 

 tratus, is very similar in character of bill to Dendroica castanea, but 

 the wings are much shorter; the tail longer and more graduated; 

 the legs and hind toe longer, and the first primary shorter than 

 the fourth (.15 of an inch less than the longest), not almost equal 

 to the longest. The species are plain ohve or plumbeous above, 

 and yellow beneath. They may be grouped as follows :" {Hist. N. 

 Avi. B.) 



A Inner webs of tail-feathers with white patches. 



1. 8. mitrata. Above plain olive-green, beneath pure yellow. Adult male: Head, 

 neck, and jugulum deep black, the forehead and aurieulars gamboge-yellow. 

 Adult female: Black head-markings of the male usually merely indicated, some- 

 times absent, and rarely so extensive or deeply black as in that sex. Young: No 

 black whatever about the head. 



2. S. microoephala. Above olive-green, beneath pale yellowish; wing with two white 

 bands. 



B Inner webs of tail-feathers without any white markings: 



3. S. pusilla. Above plain olive-green, beneath continuous yellow. Adult male: 

 Crown with a patch of glossy blue-black. Adult female : Similar to the male, but 

 black crown-patch usu.ally less distinct, sometimes nearly obsolete. Young: No 

 trace of black on crown ; otherwise, like the adult female. 



4. S. canadensis. Above plumbeous gray, beneath yellow, the crissum white; a yel- 

 low orbital ring. Adult male: Forehead, crown and jugulum, spotted with black. 

 Adult female: Similar to the male, but black spots of head, etc., much less dis- 

 tinct. Young in first autumn: Similar to the adult female, but black markings 

 wanting; those of the jugulum, however, indicated by deltoid or ouneate streaks 

 of olive-grayish or dusky: yellow supraloral bar obsolete. 



