PASSERINE BIRDS OF NEW YORK • 253 



Dendroica tigrina (Gmel.). Cape May Warbler 



1. Natal Down. No specimen seen. 



2. Juvenal Plumage acquired by a complete postnatal moult. 



Above, dark hair-brown, olive tinged on the back. Wings and tail black, edged 

 chiefly with dull brownish olive-green, the coverts with drab and tipped with 

 bufiy white. The two outer rectrices with subterminal white spots. Below, 

 including sides of head, mouse-gray with dusky mottling or streaking on the 

 breast and sides ; the abdomen and crissum dingy white faintly tinged with 

 primrose-yellow. Bill and feet pinkish buff becoming dusky. 



3. First Winter Plumage acquired by a partial po.?tju venal 

 moult, beginning early in July in eastern Canada, which involves 

 the body plumage and the wing coverts, but not the rest of the 

 wings nor the tail. 



Above, dull olive-green, each feather centrally clove-brown veiled with olive-gray 

 edgings ; the rump canary-yellow, the feathers basally black. Below, including 

 sides of neck, superciliary lines and spot under eye, canary- yellow, palest on ab- 

 domen and crissum, narrowly streaked on sides of chin, on the throat, breast and 

 sides with black which is veiled by grayish edgings ; auriculars mouse- gray. 



4. First Nuptial Plumage acquired by a partial prenuptial 

 moult which involves much of the body plumage but not the 

 wings nor the tail. The black crown, the streaks on the back, 

 the chestnut ear-patches and the streaked yellow of the throat 

 and breast are acquired. A specimen of January 30th from 

 Jamaica, W. I., shows new growth on the throat. 



5. Adult Winter Plumage acquired by a complete post- 

 nuptial moult in July. Similar to first winter plumage but the 

 head black, the back streaked and everywhere veiled with smoke- 

 gray edgings. Below, whitish edgings obscure the black streaks, 

 the chestnut ear-coverts and the bright lemon-yellow areas. The 

 wings and tail are blacker than in first winter, the back is black, 

 either streaked or spotted, and the yellow below is deeper. 



6. Adult Nuptial Plumage acquired by a partial prenuptial 

 moult as in the young bird. The change from the previous 

 plumage is so slight as to suggest the possibility of wear alone, 

 the amount of which is not, however, as strikingly variable in 

 different spring individuals as might be expected if the young 

 alone undergo a prenuptial moult. I confess I am in doubt, 

 with so little available material. 



