244 KENTUCKY WARBLER. 
KENTUCKY WARBLER.—SYLVIA FORMOSA.— Fie. 116 
Peale’s Museum, No. 7786. 
SYLVICOLA? FORMOSA. —Janpinz. 
Sylvia formosa, Bonap. Synop. p. 84. — The Kentucky Warbler, Awd. pl.38; male 
and female; Orn. Biog. i. p. 196. ‘ 
Tus new and beautiful species inhabits the country whose name 
it bears. ‘It is also found generally in all the intermediate. tracts 
between Nashville and New Orleans, and below that as far as the 
Balize, or mouths of the Mississippi; where I heard it several. times 
twittering among the high, rank grass and low bushes of those solitary 
and desolate looking morasses. In Kentucky and Tennessee it is 
particularly: numerous, frequenting low, damp woods, and builds its 
nest in the middle of a thick tuft of rank grass, sometimes in the fork 
of a low bush, and sometimes on the ground ; in all of which situations 
I have found it. The materials are loose, dry grass, mixed with the 
light pith of weeds, and lined with hair. The female lays four, and 
sometimes six eggs, pure white, sprinkled with specks of reddish. I 
observed her sitting early in May. This species is seldom seen 
among the high branches ; but loves to frequent low bushes and-cane 
swamps, and is an active, sprightly bird. Its notes are loud, and in 
threes, resembling tweedle, tweedle, tweedle. It appears in Kentucky 
from the south about the middle of April, and leaves the territory of 
New Orleans on the approach of cold weather; at least I was assured 
that it does not remain there during the winter. It appeared to me to 
be a restless, fighting species; almost always engaged in pursuing 
some of its fellows; though this might have been occasioned by its 
numbers, and the particular season of spring, when love and jealousy 
rage with violence in the breasts of the feathered tenants of the grove; 
who experience all the ardency of those passions no less than their 
lord and sovereign, man. 
The Kentucky Warbler is five inches and a half long, and eight 
inches in extent; the uppet parts are an olive green; line over the 
eye, and partly under it, and whole lower parts, rich brilliant yellow ; 
head, slightly crested, the crown, deep black, towards the hind part 
spotted with light ash; lores, and spot curving down the neck, 
also black; tail, nearly even at the end, and of a rich olive green; 
interior'.vanes of that and the wings, dusky; legs, an almost trans- 
parent, pale flesh color. 7 
The female wants the black under the: eye, and the greater part of 
' that on the crown, having those parts yellowish. This bird is very 
see in the moist woods,along the Tennessee and Cumberland 
ivers 
