SYLVICOLIDJE — SYLVIC0LIN2E : TRUE WARBLERS. 297 



ventionally accepted. The coloration of the rectriccs is a good clue to this genus ; for all the 

 species (excepting D. astiva and its exotic conspecies) have the tail-feathers ahi'ays hlotched 

 with white, — a feature only shown, among Korth American allies, in Mrdotilta, Panda, Pro- 

 tonotaria, Peiicedramus, and some species of Helminthophila, Myiodioctes. There is as much 

 uniformity iu the nest and eggs of Dendrceca as in those of Hehninthophila. Whereas all 

 these nest on the ground, as far as known all the Dendroscce uest iu trees and buslies, with the 

 single exception of D. pahnanm. Excepting I), castanea, the eggs are essentially similar ; 

 all being white, variously speckled, dotted, or blotched wdth shades of reddish and darker 

 brown, and blao or purplish shell-spots. About thirty-five species are current, but not all of 

 them are well established ; they aU occur within our limits excepting these : pityopMla 

 (Cuba), adelaidce (Porto Eico), piht^^retra (Jamaica), eoa (Jamaica), aureola (Galapagoes), 

 capdtalis (Barbadoes), and petechia (West Indies) with its several tropical forms, all like our 

 (estiva. Of the twenty-six species which have been ascribed to North America, one, olivacea, 

 has since been made tyj)e of the genus Peiicedramus; while of " montana" and " carbonata" 

 nothing is now known : leaving twenty-three species to be treated, nearly as in the original 

 edition of the Key, there having been but one North American accession to the genus since 

 1873, though two varieties (respectively of dominica and of palmarum) have meanwhile been 

 described. D. tigrina has been made type of a genus Perissoglossa ; but it remains to be seen 

 whether other warblers do not possess the same peculiarities of the tongue. The following 

 artificial analysis wiU facilitate the determination of our twenty-three established species ; I 

 believe it to be an infallible key to the perfect male plumages, and that it will probably hold 

 good for spring specimens of both sexes of many species; but it will faU for nearly all autumnal 

 and most female specimens of (b). It is difficult if not impossible to meet the varied require- 

 ments of these by rigid analysis; and recourse must be had to the detailed descriptions of the 

 species arranged in what seems to be their natural sequence. The supplementary table of cer- 

 tain diagnostic marks may prove of much assistance, though it is not a complete analysis. 



Anahjus of perfect Spring Males. 



Tail-feathers edged with yellow ; head — yellow a^sttva 111 



— chestnut ricUloti Ilia 



Tail-feathers blotched with white ; a white spot at the base of primaries carulcscens 117 



— no white spot at base of primaries, (a) 



(a) Wing-bars not white. Below, white, sides chestnut-streaked, crown yellow pennsylcanica 12i 



— yellow ; sides reildish-streaked, crown reddish XMlmarum 132,133 



— black-streaked ; above, ashy kirtlandl 131 



— olive, reddish-streaked . . diacolor 127 



(a) "Wing-bars white (sometimes fused into one large white patch), (h) 



(b) Crown blue, like the back ; below white, sides and breast streaked cmrulea 118 



— chestnut, like the throat ; below, and sides of neck, buffy-tinged castanea 123 



— clear ash ; rump and under parts yellow, breast and sides black-streaked maculosa 125 



— blackish, with median line orange-brown, like the auriculars ; rump yellow tigrina 126 



— perfectly black ; throat black ; a small yellow ioral spot nigrescens 116 



— not black ; no yellow ; feet flesh-color striata 122 



— with yellow spot ; throat flame-color ; rump not yellow hlaclcinmce 121 



— white ; rump and sides of breast yellow coronata 119 



— yellow ; rump and sides of breast yellow auduboni 120 



(bi Crown otherwise; throat black; back ashy, streaked, rump ash, crown yellow occidentalis 113 



— blackish, rump black, crown blackish chrysoparia 115 



— olive ; crown like back virens 112 



— not like back townsendi 114 



— yellow ; back olive ; no black or ashy on head pinus 131 



— ashy-blue ; cheeks the same ; eyelids yellow gracUe 128 



— black ; eyelids white dominica 129,130 



Diagnostic marks of certain Warblers in any plumage. 



Wing-bars and belly yellow discolor 127 



Wings and tail dusky, edged with yellow astiva ot vieilloti lllorlllo 



Wing-bars yellow, and belly pure white pennsylvanica 124 



