332 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSESES— OSCINES. 



171. 



olive outside, with whitish inside ; bill dusky above, pale below ; feet leaden-blue ; eyes red ; 

 no dusky maxillary streaks ; no apparent spurious quill. Little different with age, sex, or 

 season ; young and fall birds the brightest colored, especially on the sides, crissuin, and lining 

 of wings. Large; length 5.75-6.25 ; extent 9.75-10.75 ; wing 3.00-3.33; tail 2.33-2.50 ; bill 

 about 0.66 ; tarsus 0.75. E. N. Am. ; N. to Hudson's Bay and even Greenland; W. sonic- 

 times to Utah and Washington Territory; breeds throughout its U. S. range, and winters from 

 the Gulf States southward. In most places the most abundant species of the genus, in wood- 

 land ; a voluble, tireless songster. 



"V. flavivi'ridis. (Lat. flavus, yellow ; viridis, green. Fig. 190.) Ybllow-GEEEN Green- 

 let. Very similar to the last ; more yellowish below ; under wing- and taU-coverts decidedly 

 yellow ; sides of body decidedly greenish-yellow. Texas and southward. 



173. 



173. 



Fig. 190.— C.JtaririrwKs.nat. size. (From Baird.) FiG. 191.— V. a. barbatlllus , uaX size, (From Baird.) 



V, alti'loqxius barba'tulus. (Lat. alius, high, loqims, speaking ; harhahdus, having a little 

 beard. Fig. 191.) Black-whiskeked Greenlet. Whip-tom-kelly. Similar to olwa- 

 ceas ; distinguished by a narrow dusky maxillary line, or line of spots, on each side of the 

 chin; bill longer, 0.75-0.80; proportion of quiUs .slightly different (see the figs.). Cuba, 

 Bahamas, and casually in Florida. \V. altiloquus is the West Indian stock-form.] 

 V. philadel'phicus. (Gr. (f>i\ea>, pMleo, I love ; a8e\(j)6s, brother. Fig. 192.) Brotii- 

 erly-love Greenlet. Above, dull olive-green, brightening on the rump, fading insensibly 

 into ashy on the crown, which is not bordered with blackish ; a duU white superciliary line ; 

 below, palest possible yellowish, whitening on throat and belly, slightly olive-shaded on 

 sides; sometimes a slight creamy or buffy shade throughout the under parts; no obvious wing- 

 bars ; no apparent spurious quill. Length 4.S0-5.10; extent 8.00-8.50; wing 2.66; tail 

 2.25 ; bill hardly or about 0.50 ; tarsus 0.66. Eastern N. Am., strictly; N. to Hudson's Bay ; 

 a small, plainly-colored species, almost indistinguishable from gilvus except by apparent absence 

 of a spurious quiU; not very common in the Atlantic States, more so in the Mississippi Valley. 



Fig. 1S2. — r. philarldphicus, nat. size. (From Baird.) Fig. 193. — V. gilvus, nat. size. (From Baird.) 



174. V. ffil'vHs. (Lat. gilvm, yellowish. Figs. 188, 19:?.) WABBLlNfi Greenlet. Colors pre- 

 cisely as in the hist species; spurious quill present and evident, I to ^ as long as the 2d primary. 

 Length 5.50-6.00 ; extent 8.50-9.25 ; wing 2.80 ; tail 2.35; biU 0.40 ; tarsus 0.65. Eastern 

 N. Am. to the high central plains, breeding throughout its range ; wintering extralimital ; an 

 abundant little bird and an exquisite songster. Its voice is not strong, and many birds excel 

 it in brilliancy of execution ; but not one of them all can rival the tenderness and softness of 



