332 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEBES— OSCINES. 



171. 



olive outside, with whitish inside ; bill dusky above, pale below ; feet leaden-blue ; eyes red : 

 no dusky maxDlary streaks ; no apparent spurious quUl. Little different with age, sex, or 

 season ; young and fall birds the brightest colored, especially on the sides, erissum, and lining 

 of wings. Large; length 5.75-6.25 ; extent 9.75-10.75 ; wing 3.00-3.33; tail 2.33-2.50 ; bill 

 about 0.66 ; tarsus 0.75. E. N. Am.; N. to Hudson's Bay and even Greenland; W. some- 

 times to Utah and Washington Territory ; breeds throughout its U. S. range, and winters from 

 the Gulf States southward. In most places the most abundant species of the genus, in wood- 

 land; a voluble, tireless songster. 



V. flavivi'ridis. (Lat. flavus, yellow ; viridis, green. Fig. 190.) Yellow-GEEEN Green- 

 let. Very similar to the last ; more yellowish below ; under wing- and taU-coverts decidedly 

 yellow ; sides of body decidedly greenish-yeUow. Texas and southward. 



172. 



173. 



J74. 



¥16.190.— V.Jlamviri,dis,na.t.Blze. (From Baird.) Fia. 191. — V. a. bcarbatidus, na,t size. (From Baird.) 



V. altiloquus barba'tulus. (Lat. altus, high, loqims, speaking; iarhatulus, having a little 

 beard. Fig. 191.) Black-whiskered Geeenlet. Whip-tom-kelly. Similar to olwa- 

 ceus ; distinguished by a narrow dusky maxillary line, or line of spots, on each side of the 

 chin ; biU longer, 0.75-0.80 ; proportion of quills slightly different (see the figs.). Cuba, 

 Bahamas, and casually in Florida. {V. altiloquus is the West Indian stock-form.] 

 V. philadel'phicus. (Gr. (jyiKea, phileo, I love ; dScK^os, brother. Fig. 193.) Broth- 

 eelt-love Geeenlet. Above, dull olive-green, brightening on the rump, fading insensibly 

 into ashy on the crown, which is not bordered with blackish ; a duU white superciliary line ; 

 below, palest possible yellowish, whitening on throat and belly, slightly olive-shaded on 

 sides; sometimes a slight creamy or buffy shade throughout the under parts; no obvious wing- 

 bars ; no apparent spurious quill. Length 4.80-5.10; extent 8.00-8.50; wing 2.66; tail 

 2.25 ; bOl hardly or about 0.50; tarsus 0.66. Eastern N. Am., strictly; N. to Hudson's Bay; 

 a small, plainly -colored species, almost indistinguishable from gilmus except by apparent absence 

 of a spurious quill; not very common in the Atlantic States, more so in the Mississippi Valley. 



Fig. 192. — r.i)M«adeipAioMs,nat. size. (From Baird.) Pig. 193. — F. g^Zcus, nat. size. (Prom Baird.; 



V. gil'vus. (Lat. gihus, yellowish. Figs. 188, 193.) Waebling Geeenlet. Colors pre- 

 cisely as in the last species ; spurious quill present and evident, i to i as long as the 2d primary. 

 Length 5.50-6.00 ; extent 8.50-9.25 ; wing 2.80 ; tail 2.25 ; bUl 0.40 ; tarsus 0.65. Eastern 

 N. Am. to the high central plains, breeding throughout its range ; wintering extralimital ; an 

 abundant little bird and an exquisite songster. Its voice is not strong, and many birds excel 

 it in brilliancy of execution ; but not one of them all can rival the tenderness and softness of 



