SWAINSON'S WARBLER. 565 



To none of my ornithological friends could I assuredly with more 

 propriety have dedicated this species than to him, the excellent and learned, 

 whose name you have seen connected with it — to him, who has himself 

 traversed large portions of America, who has added so considerably to 

 the list of known species of birds, and who has enriched the science of 

 ornithology by so many valuable works. Surely, you will allow that on 

 none else could I with more propriety have bestowed it. 



Sylvia Swainsonh. 



Adult. Plate CXCVIII. 



Bill as long as the head, slender, straight, tapering to a point, much 

 compressed, the ridge rather sharp, the sides of the upper mandible at 

 the base declinate and flat, the edges inflected. Nostrils basal, lateral, 

 oblong, half filled above by a cartilaginous membrane. The form is 

 lender and graceful. Feet of ordinary length, slender ; tarsus compres- 

 sed, anteriorly covered with a few long scutella, posteriorly sharp, longer 

 than the middle toe ; toes free, but the outer united to the second joint ; 

 claws arched, very slender, very acute, extremely compressed, with a la- 

 teral groove, the hind claw much larger. 



Plumage soft, blended, slightly glossed. Wings longish, the first 

 three quills almost equal, the first being very slightly shorter, secondaries 

 narrow and rounded. Tail of ordinary length, straight, even, of twelve 

 rather narrow rounded feathers. 



Bill light brown, darker at the tip. Iris brown. Feet and claws 

 flesh-coloured. The colouring of the plumage is extremely simple, the 

 whole of the upper parts being of a rich brown, tinged with red on the 

 head, while the under parts are very pale brownish-grey, the sides darker. 

 The sides of the head are brownish-white, the feathers tipped with brown, 

 and a whitish line passes over the eye. 



Length 5^, extent of wings S^ ; bill along the ridge j''^, along the 

 edges j^ ; tarsus y^|, middle toe including the nail |. 



The species to which this approaches nearest is the Sylvia vermivora, 

 which has been described in Vol. I. p. 177. 'I'he bird, however, is very 

 closely allied to the Wrens^ which it greatly resembles in the form of its 

 bill and feet, although in the form of its wings it differs essentially. 



