286 HISTORY OF DENDECECA BLACKBDRNI^ 



the characters of Z>. blackbumiee, as to lead qb to sappose that an entirely different bird 

 may have been in view; and at any rate the names in question may be passed over. The 

 PI. Enlam., however, thoagh not well colored, can hardly be anything else than the Black- 

 bnrnian 'Warbler, and it may become necessary to call the species Dendrceea cmrantia, 

 after Boddaert, who distinctly bases the name on this plate, while Miiller's earlier account 

 simply refers to Buffon without specially indicating what bird of BnfFon's is meant. 



The next candidate for recognition in this connection is the "Grey-poll "Warbler" of 

 Pennant and of Latham, which became Motacilkt incana Gm. Latham's description is : — 

 " Head, sides of the neck, and npper tail coverts, of a fine grey : wing coverts crossed with 

 two white bars: primaries and tail dusky, edged with grey: throat orange: chin and 

 breast of a fine yellow : belly of a whitish ash-colonr. Inhabits New York." This is mnch 

 nearer the mark, and in fact agrees pretty well with some imperfect plnmage of the pres- 

 ent species ; bat as it is scarcely diagnostic (some points seem to indicate Dendrceea macit- 

 2o5a), it may also be passed over, in favor of the " Blackbni-nian Warbler" of the same 

 authors, which became MotacUla blackbumice Gm. This bird was likewise sent from 

 " New York ", and was named after Mrs. Blackburn. 



The fifth name to be noticed is the ''Hemlock Warbler", Sylviaparus of Wilson, Nut- 

 tall, Audubon, and others, from "Pennsylvania". This species endured for many years — 

 in fact, until Baird in 1858 showed that it was a Blackburnian Warbler. One may be satis- 

 fied of the accuracy of this determination, by referring to Wilson's original description, 

 which perfectly accords with the incomplete dress of D. blackbumice. The reference by 

 Audubon of the Autumnal Warbler, Sylvia autwmnalis, to this species, is clearly an error. 



In 1817, Vieillot gave a sixth name to the species, Sylvia melanorhoa, described from 

 "Martinique" in the Nouv. Diet. ; and in the Ency. M6th. the species reappears, along 

 with the four previous designations, chrysocephala, incaria, blackbumice, anA pants. The 

 bird is here attributed to "L*Am6riqae m^ridionale", which removes the chief objec- 

 tion to the name, for the species is not known from the West Indian locality first ascribed ; 

 the description is tolerably pertinent, fitting about as well as that of Pennant and Latham's 

 "Grey-poll Warbler" for example, and may be held, in absence of evidence to the con- 

 trary, to indicate some incomplete dress of the Blackburnian Warbler. 



Stephens is said to have called this species Sylvia lateralis, in the x. voL of his Cent, of 

 Shaw's Gen. Zool., 1817, 659 ; but on turning to this place, I find that the '* Sylvia lateralis " 

 is there described after Latham, from "Now South Wales", and does not agree in any 

 particular with the characters of the present species. 



The reference of the species to various genera, whereby additional synonyms are 

 created, is a matter of course, requiring no comment. 



Hab. — Chiefly the Eastern ProTince. West, however, to Utah {Allen) 

 and New Mexico (F. Stephens). South in winter through Eastern Mexico and 

 Central and South America to Ecuador. Bahamas {Bryant). Breeds in the 

 northern portions of its United States range and northward in the British 

 Provinces; doubtless, also, in elevated tracts of the Middle States. Winters 

 extralimital. A Sylvicola ^'parus" is attributed to Greenland by Reinhardt, 

 7. c. (Frederikahaab, Oct. 16, 1845, Holboll). 



Ch. sp. — S Nigra^ albido varia; vertice medio^ strigd superci- 

 liari^ laterihus colli, guld et pectore flammeis ; reliquis partihus 

 inferiorihus ex flavo albidiSy laterihus nigro striatls; alis candd- 

 que dorso concoloribus, illis specula magno albo, rectricibus late- 

 ralibus magnd ex parte albis, 9 Supra brunneo-olivacea, albido 

 nigroque varia^ guld aurantiacd, alis albo bifasciatis, 



(J, adult, in spring: Entire upper parts, including the wings and tail, 

 black, the back varied with whitish, the wings with a large white specu- 

 lum on the coverts and much white edging of the coverts, the lateral tail- 

 feathers largely white, only a shaft- line, with clubbed extremity, being left 



