,^'\ 



302 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSEEES— OSCINES. 



blcs auduhoni, excepting in the fullim-ing points: — Throat white. Breast Wack, mixed with 

 white. Sides of the head definitely pure hlaeli: ; edges of eyelids, aud long nari'ow superciliary 

 line, white. Wings crossed with two broad white bars, ^vhich do not fuse into one white 

 Ijatch, owing to nam iwness or deficiency of white edging along the outer webs of the great 

 coverts.) (.)nc of the larger species. Length 5.30-5.75 ; extent 8.80-9.40 ; wing 2.75-3.00; 

 tail about 2.50. North America, but chiefiy eastern ; Alaska; Washington Territory; Cali- 

 fornia; Arizona; IJ. S. rarely in summer, but during the migrations the most abundant of all 

 the warblers ; winters as far north as New England ; seen everywhere, but is particularly 

 numerous in shrubbery, along hedge-rows, in flocks, with troops of sparrows, titmice, etc. 

 Ijreeds from northern New England northward ; nest generally low in evergreens ; eggs 4, 

 about 0.75 X 0.55, with the usual markings. Moult double, there being a vernal as well as 

 an autumnal change, the former usually effected during the spring migrations. 



120. D. aud'ubonl. (To J. J. Audubon.) Atidubon's Warbler. Western Yellow'-p.ump. 

 (J, adult, in summer : Upper parts clear bluish-ash, streaked with black. A central longitudi- 

 nal spot on the crown, the rump, throat, and a patch on each side of the breast, rich yellow. 

 Sides of the head little darker than the upper parts ; eyelids narrowly white, but no decided 

 superciliary white stripe. The ash of the upper parts extending far around the sides of the 

 neck. Jugulum and breast in high plumage pure black, though usually mixed with some 

 grayish skirting of the feathers, or invaded by white from behind, or even touched mth yellow 

 here and there. Belly and under tail-coverts white, the sides streaked \Yith black. Wings 

 blackish, with gray or white edging, especially on the inner quills ; the median wing-coverts 

 tipped, the greater ones edged and tipped, with white, forming a great white blotch. Tail like 

 the wings, the outer webs narrowly edged with gray or white, the inner webs of all the lateral 

 featheis with large white blotches. Bill and feet black. One of the largest species. Length, 

 5.50-5.75; extent, 8.75-9.33 ; wing, 2.75-3.00 ; tail, 2.25. $, in summer : Generally simOar 

 to the (J. Upper parts duller and browmer slate-color, with less heavy dorsal streaks; crown- 

 spot and other yellow parts paler ; breast not continuously black, but variegated with black, 

 white, and the color of the back. Sides only obsuletely streaked. Eyelids scarcely white, and 

 cheeks hardly different from the back. White of wing-coverts mostly restricted to two bars ; 

 white tail-spots smaller. Both sexes in autumn and winter, and young : Upper parts quite 

 brown, with obscure black marking. Yellow crown-spot concealed or wanting ; yellow of 

 throat, rump, and sides of breast paler and restricted. Under parts whitish, shaded on the 

 sides, and usually across the breast, with a dilute tint of the color of the back, the breast and 

 sides obsoletely streaked M'ith darker. White of wing-coverts obscured with brownish. North 

 America, from easternmost woodland of the Rocky Mts. to the Pacific ; north probably to 

 Alaska ; accidental in New England ; migratory, breeding northward and in Alpine regions : 

 extremely abundant ; nesting in no Avise peculiar. 



121. D. black'burnse. (To Mrs. Blackburn, an English lady.) Blacicburn's Warbler. 

 I'j'' Prometheus. ^J, adult, in spring: Entire upper parts, including the wings and tail, black, 

 v',7,, ^ the back varied with whitish, the wings with a large white speculum on the coverts and much 

 )' ' white edging of the coverts, the lateral tail-feathers largely white, only a shaft-line, with 

 J • clubbed extremity, being left blackish on the outer two or three pairs. Spot on fore part of 



crown, eyelids, line over eye spreading into a large spot behind the auriculars, with chin, 

 throat, and fcjre breast, intense orange or flame-color. There is nothing to compare with the 

 exquisite hue of this Promethean torch. Sides of head black in an irregular patch, usually 

 confluent witli the black streaks on the side of the breast, isolating the orange of the sides of 

 the head from that of the throat, and circumscribing the orange patch below the eye. Under 

 parts from the breast white, more or less tinged with oj-ange or yellow, and Avhole sides streaked 

 with black. Bill and feet dark. Length abfiut 5.50 ; extent 8.50; wing 2.75 ; tail 2.00. 9, 

 adult, in spring : Similar to the male in the pattern and distribution of the colors ; upper 



