The Black-throated Blue Warbler 



arral or pine or fir. It is only when some fugitive battalion storms 

 a barren outpost, like San Clemente or the Farallons, that we realize 

 what is going on annually around us. Five of the nine first records of 

 accidental eastern Mniotiltine species have thus been made on the Far- 

 allons or some other offshore island along our coast, and three of the 

 remainder were made on the mainland shore. 



It was in such a stranded flock that I observed several handsome 

 Magnolias on the S. E. Farallon, May 28-June 3, 191 1. They were 

 quite the daintiest as well as the most conspicuous members of that sad 

 company, all destined, we feared, to be lost at sea. Most of the warblers 

 kept rather closely to the shelter of a small grove of cypresses which 

 surrounded the steam siren, or else deployed upon the grounds adjacent. 

 But one of these jewels, a stunning male, yet all bewildered and subdued, 

 was encountered on the steep trail leading out of the Raven cave on the 

 "West end"; and here, where his only companions were "shag flies" and 

 sea fowl, he maintained himself for several days. 



No. 85 



Black-throated Blue Warbler 



A. O. U. No. 654. Dendroica caerulescens caerulescens (Gmelin). 



Description. — Adult male, in spring: Above deep green-blue gray, faintl)' 

 marked on pileum and back with mesial spots of black; extreme forehead, sides of head, 

 broadly, involving eye, entire throat, continuous with sides of head and sides, broadly, 

 black, faintly lustrous; remaining underparts pure white, abruptl}' defined from black 

 of throat; wings and tail black; basal half of primaries, except outermost, chiefly white, 

 forming a conspicuous and sharply defined blotch on exposed wing; inner edges of ter- 

 tials sharply bordered by white; the three outermost pairs of rectrices marked on the 

 inner webs with broad subterminal blotches of white, the two succeeding pairs narrowl)' 

 edged with white near tip of inner webs. Bill black; feet and legs brownish. Adult 

 male in autumn: Exactly like male in spring, except mandible brownish instead of 

 black. Immature male: Like adult male but somewhat duller; the blacks of throat 

 and sides tipped with bluish or olivaceous; the blue of upperparts faintly glossed with 

 olivaceous; the whites of underparts, especially on flanks and crissum, faintly washed 

 with buffy; the flight-feathers dusky instead of black. Adult female in spring: Entire- 

 ly different from adult male, save in white wing-blotch, which is reduced in area; white 

 spotting of tail faintly indicated by blotch on inner web of outer feathers only; above 

 and on sides of head deep grayish olive (or gray washed with warbler green) ; forehead 

 often with increase of bluish green; underparts deep olive-buff, shading on sides into 

 color of upperparts; lower eyelid and a narrow superciliary of dull white or pale olive 

 buffy. Bill dark brown. Adult female in fall: Scarcely different. Upperparts, 

 perhaps brighter, more greenish; cheeks more distinctly plain dark olive. Immature 

 female: Exactly similar to adult female, save that white wing-blotch still further 



