GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER. 225 
stretches to the sunlight out of the lower shade it casts itself, affording the happiest 
hunting-ground to these nimble and industrious birds. They are seen coursing among 
the branchlets, skipping at apparent random through the endless intricacies of the 
foliage, hovering momentarily about the terminal branches of needles, and then dashing 
far out into clear space, to capture the passing inseét with a dexterous twist and 
turn.”’ (Coues.) Doubtless the birds breed high up in the pine trees. Their song is 
similar to that of other members of the family. 
DESCRIPTION: Male: The color above is ashy-gray, with a slaty-blue tinge; middle of back, streaked with 
black; the crown with crowded black arrow-heads, the tendency of these markings being to form a 
line along the side of the crown, meeting its fellow on the forehead. Over the eye a broad line of 
yellow, changing to white behind the eye; sides of the head like the back, enclosing a yellow crescentic 
spot below the eye. Chin, throat, and fore-breast, bright yellow, bordered with blackish streaks. 
Two white wing-bars. Female, similar; yellow not quite so strong. 
Length about 5 inches. 
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. 
Dendroica nigrescens BairD. 
This species occurs in the western United States, north to Colorado and Oregon, 
south, in winter, to Orizaba, Mexico. Dr. Coues found it during the migrations and 
also in summer at Fort Whipple, Arizona. Nuttall and Townsend, Dr. Cooper, Prof. R. 
Ridgway, Mr. Henshaw, Mr. Aiken, and other ornithologists observed these rather rare 
birds in the mountain regions of the West, especially in coniferous trees. 
DESCRIPTION: Male: “Above, bluish-ash, interscapular region, and usually also the upper tail-coverts, 
streaked with black. Below, from the breast, pure white, the sides streaked with black. Entire head, 
with chin and throat, black; a sharply defined yellow spot before the eye, a broad white stripe behind 
the eye; and a long white maxillary stripe widening behind from the corner of the bill to the side of 
the neck. Wings, fuscous, with much whitish edgings, and crossed with two broad white bars on the 
ends of the greater and median coverts. Tail, like the wings, the three lateral feathers mostly white, 
except on the outer webs, the fourth with a white blotch.” (Coues.) Female: Similar. 
Length about 5 inches. 
GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER. 
Dendroica chrysoparia SCLATER & SALVIN. 
Z[SsHE MOUNTAIN REGION of south-western Texas is not covered with such a 
q a magnificent forest growth as the Alleghanies in western North and South Caro- 
lina and northern Georgia. Prattling brooks and gushing mountain streams, so common. 
in the region last mentioned, are rarely met with in western Texas. The Comal near 
New Braunfels is exceedingly picturesque, imbuing the surrounding landscape with a 
charm peculiarly its own. Owing to the great dryness of this region the hill-tops and 
mountain-sides are often quite destitute of trees, but more frequently they are covered 
29 
