54 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



For the last month the winds have prevailed almost 

 entirely from the east and south-east, consequently none 

 of the feathered tribe have reached us from the American 

 shore, and our first visitants having passed on to the 

 southward, Bermuda has become a barren waste to the 

 sportsman and the lover of Ornithology. I do not believe 

 there is a single Snipe or other migratory bird in the 

 Colony, excepting, perhaps a Blue Heron, a Kingfisher 

 and a Falco columbarius, which attacked the Pigeons 

 under my window yesterday morning. 



Should stormy weather prevail on the coast of America 

 we may yet be visited by a few straggling Ducks, Cor- 

 morants, Gulls, &c, that is, provided the gales blow from 

 the north-west, or west. 



December iytk, 1847. — Examined a Warbler shot by 

 Lieutenant Wedderburn, 42nd Regt, in the Governor's 

 Marsh this morning. It measured rather more than five 

 inches in length, and eight in extent. Eyes, dark 

 hazel. Bill, brownish black above, and yellowish towards 

 the base of the lower mandible. Legs and claws, dark 

 brown. Soles of the feet, yellow. Upper plumage of the 

 head, neck and back, greyish olive brown with a few dis- 

 tinct spots of deep reddish chestnut towards the bill ; back 

 and neck, slightly dashed with dark brown. Ruriij. greenish 

 yellow. Tail, olive brown, approaching to black, consisting 

 of twelve feathers, extending one inch from the tip of the* 

 wings. The outer tail feathers edged externally with 

 yellowish white, the two outer ones on each side largely 

 spotted with white on the inner webs, and the third feather 

 with a narrow stisak of white in the centre, extending to 

 the point. Lower parts, light yellow, lightly streaked with 

 brown. Tail coverts, bright yellow. In other respects this 

 bird agreed with Audubon's description of the young 

 Sylvicola petechia, or Yellow-red-poll Wood Warbler. 



