DISTRIBUTION OP THE CCEBULEAN WAEBLEE 269 



the $ . The female is curiously similar to the same sex of D. OKrulescens, 

 but in the latter the tail-spots are different ; there are no white wing-bars, 

 but instead there is a small whitish spot at the base of the outer primaries. 

 The autumnal plumage of the adults is said to diifer in no wise from that 

 of the spring. Young males are said to be much like the adult females, but 

 less uniformly greenish-blue above and purer white below, with evident 

 blackish stripes on the interscapulars and sides of the head. The young 

 female resembles the adult of that sex, but is still greener above, with little 

 or no blue, and quite buffy-yellowish below. When in full dress, this is a 

 very pretty bird, there being something peculiarly tasteful and artistic in 

 the simple contrast of the snowy- white with the delicate azure- blue, without 

 any " warm " color. 



HAVnTG left in the "Birds of the Northwest" a sketch of 

 the general geographical distribution of this species, I 

 resume the subject chiefly to enter into detail respecting the 

 western limits of its dispersion, which are wider than is com- 

 monly supposed, or than is indicated by Dr. Brewer's latest 

 contribution to its history. It will be remembered that not long 

 after Wilson's original notice of the bird, Thomas Say described 

 it under the name of Sylvia bifasciata in Major Long's Expedi- 

 tion to the Eocky Mountains, and such hint of its westward 

 extension has very recently been verified by Mr. Henshaw, who 

 saw a Warbler, "unquestionably of this species", on the 17th 

 of May, whilst he was collecting in the vicinity of Denver, Col- 

 orado. The bird had not previously been recognized from west 

 of the Plains. Woodhonse, however, gave it as breeding in 

 abundance in the Indian Territory, and Allen as common about 

 Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. These are the principal Western 

 records. For though it is true that Audubon assigns it to the 

 "Columbia Eiver" on Townsendian authority, there is probably 

 some mistake about this — at any rate, I continue to discredit 

 the statement. The Mississippi Valley, in a broad sense, seems 

 to be the bird's main area of distribution, where only is it at all 

 abundant. In the Atlantic watershed, it is certainly one of our 

 rarer species, though apparently of general dispersion ; but 

 there is now no doubt that it enters New England. Audubon, 

 indeed, ascribes it to Nova Scotia, and it would not be likely to 

 reach that island without passing by New England. Audubon 

 says explicitly, " the northeastern point at which I have known 

 it to be procured is the neighborhood of Pictou, Nova Scotia"; 

 but gives no authority nor any circumstances of observation. 

 So long ago as 1837, Dr. Brewer gave ^'Sylvia rara" as a bird 

 of Massachusetts, and for many years the species has been 



