TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. 37 



Bill short, slender, somewhat conical, compressed, straight, pointed, 

 upper mandible with its dorsal outline slightly convex toward the end, 

 the ridge narrow, the sides convex, the edges a little inflected, with a 

 very slight sinus in the place of the notch, the tip slightly declinate and 

 acute ; lower mandible with the angle short and narrow, the dorsal line 

 ascending, and very slightly convex, the sides rounded, the edges in- 

 volute. The gape-line is straight ; the nostrils basal, oblong, opercu- 

 late, partially concealed by the feathers. 



Head rather small, ovato-oblong ; neck short ; body rather slender. 

 Feet of moderate length, slender ; tarsus longish, slender, compressed, 

 anteriorly with seven scutella, posteriorly with two longitudinal plates 

 meeting at a very acute angle behind ; toes rather small, the hind toe 

 stouter, the lateral equal ; claws of moderate length, well curved, much 

 compressed, laterally grooved, very acute. 



Plumage soft and blended. Wings of moderate length, rather 

 pointed ; the first quill one-twelfth of an inch shorter than the second, 

 which is almost as long as the third, and about half a twelfth longer than 

 the fourth ; the other primaries slowly graduated ; the outer secondaries 

 emarginate, the inner not elongated. Tail of moderate length, even. 



Bill dusky. Feet and claws flesh-coloured. The upper parts are 

 light olive, anteriorly tinged with grey, on the rump with yellow ; all 

 the feathers dusky in the centre ; the cheeks, ear-coverts and throat 

 are black, the feathers on the latter edged with yellow ; a band over 

 the eye, from the bill to behind the ear, a broader band on the side of 

 the neck running into the former, and a patch on the fore part of the 

 breast, bright yellow ; the rest of the lower parts white, but the sides 

 marked with oblong dusky spots. The wings are blackish-brown, with 

 two conspicuous white bands, formed by the tips of the first row of 

 coverts and by those of the secondary coverts. The tail-feathers are 

 blackish-brown, edged with greyish-yellow ; the two lateral on each 

 side white, excepting a dusky band occupying the terminal half of the 

 outer web, and a small portion of the inner ; there is also a white spot 

 near the end of the inner web of the next feather. 



Length to end of tail 4^§ inches, bill along the ridge i| ; wing from 

 flexure 2^^; tail -^^ ; tarsus yg ; hind toe ||, its claw /^ ; middle toe /j, 

 its claw |4g. 



