BIRDS OF north: AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 599 



DENDROICA VIGORSII VIGORSII (Audubon). 

 PIKE WARBLER. 



Largest species of the genus (wing 67.6-Y6 in male, 66.5-70 in 

 female); upper parts (except wings and tail) unicolored (plain olive- 

 green, grayish olive, or olive-brownish); wing-bands dull white or 

 grayish. 



Adiilt male in spring <tnd summer. — Above plain bright olive-green, 

 usually becoming more grayish on scapulars; wings and tail dusky 

 with dull gray edgings, the middle and greater wing-coverts broadly 

 tipped with dull white or pale gray, producing two distinct bands; 

 inner webs of two outermost rectrices extensivelj^ white terminally, 

 the white on lateral rectrix occupying nearlj' the terminal half, the 

 outer web more or less broadly edged with white; sides of head and 

 neck olive-green, the former relieved bj^ a narrow, usually indistinct, 

 superciliary streak and a crescentic suborbital spot of yellow, the 

 lores usually darker olive-green, often becoming dusky at anterior 

 angle of eye; malar region, chin, throat, chest, and breast — usuall}^ 

 upper portion of abdomen also — yellow (intermediate between gamboge 

 and canary yellow), the sides of chest and breast usually streaked, 

 more or less, with olive-greenish, sometimes distinctly streaked with 

 dusky; posterior under parts dull whitish, the under tail-coverts gray 

 basally; bill brownish black, the mandible more brownish basally; 

 iris brown; legs and feet dusky brown. 



Admit male in autumn and lointer. — Similar to the spring and summer 

 dress, but plumage softer and colors purer, especially the yellow of 

 under parts, which is nearly clear lemon yellow; bill more brownish, 

 the basal portion of mandible decidedly paler. 



Admit femule in spring and summer. — Smaller and much duller in 

 color than the male; above plain olive, or dull olive-greenish, inclining 

 to gray on hindneck and scapulars, sometimes almost wholly dull gray; 

 beneath pale olive-yellowish anteriorly' and dull whitish posteriorly, 

 sometimes wholly dull grayish white, faintly tinged with yellow on 

 chest, the sides and flanks more strongly tinged with olive or grayish, 

 and sometimes obsoletely streaked with darker, especially on sides of 

 chest; wings and tail as in the male. 



Adult female in autumn and winter. — Similar to the spring and 

 summer dress, but plumage softer, the upper parts tinged with brown 

 and under parts tinged with buff. 



Toung male in first autumn and winter? — Similar to the adult male 

 of corresponding season, but upper parts tinged with brown, the lower 

 parts with buff. 



Young female in first autumn and winter. — Similar to the adult 

 female of corresponding season, but more decidedly brown above and 

 more strongly tinged with buff' below. 



