SYLVICOLIDJE — SYLVICOLIN^ : TRUE WABBLERS. 297 



vSiilionally accepted. The coloration of the rectrices is a good clue to this genus ; for all the 

 species (excepting D. (estiva and its exotic conspecies) have the tail-feathers always blotched 

 with white,— ^a feature only shown, among North American allies, in Mniotilta, Parula, Pro- 

 tonotaria, Peuced/ramus, and some species of Helminthophila, Myiodioctes. There is as much 

 uniformity in the nest and eggs of Bend/raeca as in those of Helminthophila. Whereas all 

 these nest on the ground, as far as known all the Dend/rcecm nest in trees and bushes, with the 

 single exception of Z). palmarum. Excepting D. castanea, the eggs are essentially similar ; 

 all being white, variously speckled, dotted, or blotched with shades of reddish and darker 

 brown, and Ulao or purplish shell-spots. About thirty-five species are current, but not all of 

 them are well established ; they all occur within our limits excepting these : pityophila 

 (Cuba), adelaida (Porto Rico), pharetra (Jamaica), eoa (Jamaica), aureola (Galapagoes), 

 capitalis (Barbadoes), and petechia (West Indies) with its several tropical forms, aU like our 

 iSsUva. Of the twenty-six species which have been ascribed to North America, one, olivacea, 

 has since been made type of the genus Peucedramus; while of " montana" and " carbonata" 

 nothing is now known : leaving twenty-three species to be treated, nearly as in the original 

 edition of the Key, there having been but one North American accession to the genus since 

 1873, though two varieties (respectively of dominica and of palmarum) have meanwliile been 

 described. D. tigrina has been made type of a genus Perissoglossa ; but it remains to be seen 

 whether other warblers do not possess the same peculiarities of the tongue. The following 

 artificial analysis wiH facilitate the determination of our twenty-three established species ; I 

 believe it to be an infallible key to the perfect male plumages, and that it will probably hold 

 good for spring specimens of both sexes of many species; but it will fail for nearly all autumnal 

 and most female specimens of (b). It is difficult if not impossible to meet the varied require- 

 ments of these by rigid analysis ; and recourse must be had to the detailed descriptions of the 

 species arranged in what seems to be their natural sequence. The supplementary table of cer- 

 tain diagnostic marks may prove of much assistance, though it is not a complete analysis. 



Analysis of perfect Spring Males, 



Tail-feathers edged with yellow; head — yellow . . . (estiva IH 



— chestnut vieilloti Ilia 



Tail-feathersblotched with white ; a white spot at the base of primaries . . . ccerulescens 117 



— no white spot at base of primaries, (a) 



(a) Wing-bars not white. Below, white, sides chestnut-streaked, crown yellow pennsylvamica 124 



— yellow ; sides reddish-streaked, crown reddish . . .palmarum 132,133 



— black-streaked ,• above, ashy kirtlandi 131 



— olive, reddisl^T^lneaked . discolor 127 



(a) 'Wing-bars white (sometimes fused into one large white patch), (b) 



(b) Crown blue, like the back ; below white, sides and breast streaked ccerulea 118 



— chestnut, like the throat ; below, and sides of neck, bufify-tinged castanea 123 



— clear ash ; rump and under parts yellow, breast and sides black -streaked maculosa 125 



—.blackish, with median line orange-brown, like the auriculars ; rump yellow tigrina 126 



— perfectly black ; throat black ; a small yellow loral spot nigreacens 116 



— not black ; no yellow ; feet flesh-color striata 122 



— with yellow spot ; throat flame-color; rump not yellow . blachlyuma 121 



— white ; rump and sides of breast yellow coronata 119 



— yellow ; rump and sides of breast yellow auduboiii 120 



(b) Crown otherwise; throat black; back ashy, streaked, rump ash, crown yellow. . . . occidentalis 113 



— bladkish, rump black, crown blackish chrysoparia 115 



— olive ; crown like back . virens 112 



— not like back townsendi 114 



— yellow ; back olive ; no black or ashy on head . ... pimus 134 



— ashy-blue ; cheeks the same ; eyelids yellow gracice 128 



— black ; eyelids white .... dominica 129, 130 



Diagnostic marks of certain Warblers in any plumage. 



Wing-hars and belly yellow discolor 127 



Wings and tail dusky, edged with yellow cestiva oi vieilloti 111 or Ilia 



Wing-bars yellow, and belly pure white pennsylvamca 124 



