292 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEBES — OSCINES. 



JijJ. — Worm-eating 

 (Ad nat. del. E, C.) 



WORM-EATINO Wap.bler. Olivp, below buffy, paler or whitish on tlie belly ; head bufl', 

 mth fmir black stiipes, two along sides of crown from bill to nape, one along each side of head 



through the eye ; wings and tail olivaceous, unmarked ; bill 

 and feet pale ; bill acute, unbristled, unnotched, at least 

 0.50. Length 5.50; extent 8.75 ; mng 2.75-3.00 ; tail 

 2.00-2.25. The distinctive head-stripes appear before the 

 bird is fully fledged. Eastern U. S., rather southerly, but 

 north regularly to the Middle States, casually to Maine ; 

 west to Kansas, Missouri, and the Indian Territoi-y ; breeds 

 Warbler, tliroughout its U. S. range ; winters fi'om Florida south- 

 ward ; common in woods, shrubbery, and swamps ; a bird 

 of rather slow and sedate movements ; nest on the ground, of leaves, grasses, rootlets ; eggs 

 4-5, crystal-white, minutely dotted with reddish-brown, 0.70 X 0.50. 

 97. H. swain'soni. (To Wm. Swainson.) Swainson's Warbler. Somewhat similar to tlie 

 last; no black head stripes ; no decided markings anywhere. Upper parts dark olive-browm, 

 nearly uniform, but browner on exposed surfaces of wings and taU, and quite clear brown on the 

 crown. A long light superciliary stripe. Under parts dull sordid whitish, shaded on the sides with 

 the color of the back. Middle tail-feathers with obsolete wavy cross-bars. Bill brown above, 

 pale below; feet pale. Large: length nearly 6.00 ; Aving 2.75, pointed, tip formed by 1st 

 -3d quills; tail 2.00, emarginate ; bill of great size, 0.65 along culmon, about equalling tarsus 

 in length, deep at base, with straight upper mandible rising high on forehead; thus shaped 

 something like a meadow-lark's. A rare and curious species, confined to the South Atlantic 

 States. I have seen but three specimens; the description is from Audubon's type. 

 37. HELMINTHO'PHILA. (Gr. (X^ls, eXjiivdos, lielmis, hehninthos, a bug ; (^lAtm, phileo, I 

 love.) WoRM-EATiNft Warblers. Bill slender and exceedingly acute, unnotclicil, unbristled 

 (fig. 163). Wings pointed, longer than the neaidy even tail, — in 

 one species nearly half as long again. Tarsi longer than middle 

 toe and claw. Tail-feathers in some species white-blotched, in 

 others plain, — the former being otherwise of bright and variegated 

 colors, the latter more simply clad. Nest on the ground or quite 

 near it (excepting in the case of H. lucice) ; eggs white, spotted. 

 To the eight estabhshed species of the genus have lately been 

 added three others ; but one of them is almost certainly a hybrid 



between H. pinus and Oporornis formosa, while the other two are '^'"- *'''"^' (-^'l "-it' <1'^1- E- C.) 

 probably hybrids between H. pinus and H. chrysoptera. There has also been added a variety 

 of H. celata. These are enumerated beyond, but only the eight established species are con- 

 sidered in the analysis of the genus. Even with this reduction, Helmintliophila is still the 

 second largest genus of the subfamily. It is pecuharly North American, all the known 

 species occurring in this country, some of them not being known to occur elsewhere. The 

 genus may be divided according to coloration into two groups, which correspond in a general 

 way with geographical distribution. Three species {H H. jnmis, chrysoptera, and baehmani), 

 exclusively eastern, are of variegated colors, the tail-feathers white-blotched as in Dendrceca. 

 In the other five the coloration is simpler; the tail-feathers are not, or not conspicuously, 

 blotched with white, and all but one of these species have a crown-patch ; one of them is East- 

 ern, two are Western, and two of general dispersion. The natural analysis of the species, and 

 a shorter key to them, are subjoined ; these tables shoidd suffice to identify any adult male 

 siieciniens, but females and young, particularly of Nos. 5, (i, 7, require detailed descriptions for 

 their recognition. (In H. peregrina, with tail normally plain, the outer feather is sometiuies 

 distinctly white-blotched.) 



Fig. 163. — H. chrysoptera, 



