CAPE MAY WARBLER. 465 
6 
CAPE MAY WARBLER.—SYLVIA MARITIMA.—Fie. 215. 
SYLVICOLA MARITIMA. — Jarvine.* 
Sylvia maritima, Bonap Synop. p. 19.— The Carbonated Warbler? Aud. pl. 60, 
male; Orn. Biog. i. p. 308. 
Tris new and beautiful little species was. discovered in a maple 
swamp, in Cape May county, not far from the coast, by Mr. George Ord 
of Philadelphia, who accompanied me on a shooting excursion to that 
quarter in the month of May last, (1811.] Through the zeal and 
activity of this gentleman, I succeeded in procuring many rare and 
elegant birds among the sea islands and extensive salt marshes that 
border that part of the Atlantic; and much interesting information 
relative to their nests, eggs, and particular habits. I have also at 
various times been favored with specimens of other birds from the 
same friend, for all which ] return my grateful acknowledgments. 
The same swamp that furnished us with this elegant little stranger, 
(Fig. 215,) and indeed several miles around it, were ransacked by us 
both for another specimen of the same; but without success. Fortu- 
nately it proved to be a male, and being in excellent plumage, enabled 
me to preserve a faithful portrait of the original. 
Whether this be a summer resident in the lower parts of New Jer- 
sey, or merely a transient passenger to a more northern climate, I 
cannot with certainty determine. The spring had been remarkably 
cold, with long and violent north-east storms, and many winter birds, 
as well as passengers from the south, still lingered in the woods as 
late as the 20th of May, gleaning, in small companies, among the 
opening buds and infant leaves, and skipping nimbly from twig to 
twig, which was the case with the bird now before us when it was first 
observed, Of its notes, or particular history, I am equally unin- 
formed. 
The length of this species is five inches and a half, extent, eight 
and a half; bill and legs, black; whole upper part of the head, deep 
black; line from the nostril over the eye, chin, and sides of the neck, 
rich yellow; ear-feathers, orange, which also tints the back part of the 
yellow line over the eye; at the anterior and posterior angle of the 
eye is a small touch of black; hind head and whole back, rump, and 
tail-coverts, yellow olive, thickly streaked with black; the upper 
exterior edges of several of the greater wing-coverts are pure white, 
forming a broad bar on the wing, the next superior row being also 
broadly tipped with white ; rest of the wing, dusky, finely edged with 
dark olive yellow; throat and whole breast, rich yellow, spreading also 
along the sides under the wings, handsomely marked with spots of 
black running in chains; belly and vent, yellowish white; tail, forked, 
dusky black, edged with yellow olive, the three exterior feathers on 
* The Prince of Musignano first directed my attention to the identity of this bird 
of Wilson and Audubon’s Carbonated Warbler. I cannot perccive any essential 
difference, that is, judging fron the two plates and descriptions. | Mr. Audubon 
procured his species in the state of Kentucky. — Ep. 
