202 REVIEW OF AMERICAN BIRDS. [PART I. 



I have before me a St. Croix skin kindly lent by Mr. Newton, 

 and one from St. Thomas, from Mr. Lawrence's collection, and 

 have examined other St. Thomas specimens in the museum of the 

 Philadelphia Academy. None of these, unfortunately, are in that 

 perfection of feather and coloration necessary to exhibit their true 

 character, and I am unable to indicate these features properly, 

 though believing them to be different from petechia. 



The St. Croix bird, which resembles petechia in the yellow edges 

 to the wing coverts, is smaller, with considerably shorter wings 

 proportionally (2.40, instead of 2.65); the wing formula is quite 

 different, being 3. 2. 1. 4. 5. 6, instead of 3. 4. 2. 5. 1. 6— the 1st 

 quill being thus longer than the 4th and 5th, the 2d next to the 

 longest, instead of the 1st being shorter than the 4th and 5th, and 

 the 4th second in length. The St. Thomas specimens have much 

 the same wing formula — 3. 2. .4. 1. 5. 6 in most ; in two, 3. 4. 2. 1. 5. 6 ; 

 they are rather larger, however, with more yellow on the tail. 



A specimen, in poor condition, obtained in Barbadoes by Mr. 

 Gill, and preserved in alcohol (No. 33,766), although apparently an 

 adult male, is of very small size: length, 4.30; wing, 2.25; tail, 

 2.00 ; and has as the wing formula, 3. 4. 5. 2. 1. The tail has almost 

 the same amount of yellow as in D. asstiva, and much more than in 

 any of its red-capped allies, viz., the entire inner webs of five ex- 

 terior feathers, with exception of a terminal streak. On the outer 

 web of the exterior feather the basal yellow does not extend quite 

 as far up as in sestiva. The entire top or head is of a deep chestnut- 

 brown. This bird, therefore, may be a different species again from 

 those just referred to. The specimen exhibits the unusual anomaly 

 of having seven tail feathers on one side, and six on the other. 



The solution of all the questions connected with this subject will 

 depend upon full series of specimens in perfect spring plumage, from 

 all the different West India Islands. It is, however, quite evident 

 that, while D petechia, of Jamaica, and D. gundlachi are distinct 

 species, there is at least one, and perhaps several additional species 

 in the "West India Islands more to the eastward, perhaps one for 

 each group of islands. 



Note. — As the present pages are passing through the press the 

 Institution has received a series of Golden "Warblers from St. 

 Thomas, collected by Mr. Swift, which, unfortunately, being in 

 winter plumage, do not furnish the means of making a final com- 

 parison, though substantiating what has already been said in regard 

 to the character of the wings. 



