CERULEAN WARBLER. 189 



in the same pursuit. They also dart after flies wherever they can see 

 them, generally skipping about with the wings loose. 



Length five inches and a quarter, extent eight inches ; upper parts 

 and sides of the neck a dark mouse brown, obscurely streaked on the 

 back with dusky black ; lower parts pale dull yellowish white ; breast 

 marked with faint streaks of brown ; chin and vent white ; rump vivid 

 yellow ; at each side of the breast, and also on the crown, a spot of 

 fainter yellow ; this last not observable without separating the plumage ; 

 bill, legs and wings black ; lesser coverts tipped with brownish white ; 

 tail coverts slate ; the three exterior tail feathers marked on their inner 

 vanes with white ; a touch of the same on the upper and lower eyelid. 

 Male and female at this season nearly alike. They begin to change 

 about the middle of February, and in four or five weeks are in their 

 slate colored dress, as represented in the figure referred to. 



Species XVII. SYLVIA CJEBULEA. 



CERULEAN WARBLER. 



[Plate XVII. Fig. 6.] 



This delicate little species is now, for the first time, introduced to 

 public notice. Except my friend Mr. Peale, I know of no other natu- 

 ralist who seems to have hitherto known of its existence. At what 

 time it arrives from the south I cannot positively say, as I never met 

 with it in spring ; but have several times found it during summer. On 

 the borders of streams and marshes, among the branches of the poplar, 

 it is sometimes to be found. It has many of the habits of the Flycatcher ; 

 though, like the preceding, from the formation of its bill we must ar- 

 range it with the Warblers. It is one of our scarce birds in Pennsylva- 

 nia ; and its nest has hitherto eluded my search. I have never observed 

 it after the twentieth of August, and therefore suppose it retires early 

 to the south. 



This bird is four inches and a half long, and seven and a half broad ; 

 the front and upper part of the head is of a fine verditer blue ; the hind 

 head and l)ack of the same color, but not quite so brilliant ; a few late- 

 ral streaks of black mark the upper part of the back ; wings and tail 

 black, edged with sky blue ; the three secondaries next the body edged 

 with white, and the first and second row of coverts also tipped with 

 white ; tail coverts large, black, and broadly tipped with blue ; lesser 

 wing coverts black, also broadly tipped with blue, so as to appear nearly 

 wholly of that tint ; sides of the breast spotted or streaked with blue ; 



