The Chestnut-sided Warbler 



Since it requires a rather discriminating ear to note the bird in pass- 

 ing, or to pick it out in its breeding haunts, I record here a few variant 

 song forms which I have clearly traced to the Hermit Warbler: Zeegle, 

 zeegle, zeegle, zeet, fuzzy and low like that of D. nigrescens — this was heard 

 in Washington and is recognized by C. W. Bowles as being the type 

 form of southern Oregon songs; dzee, dzee, tzibid-zeedzee, dzee dzee in a 

 sort of sing-song rollick; dzudzudzudzudzeeo zeeo zeet — first syllables very 

 rapid, musical; nasal turn to accented notes very like the "ping" note 

 of the Creeper song, and occupying much the same position save that it 

 is repeated ; days, days, days, days zeet — the first notes lisping, with slight 

 accelerando, and the nasal ringing quality reserved for the last. Of the 

 song of the Fyffe birds Mr. Barlow has written ;i "Though not loud it 

 would penetrate through the woods quite a distance, and very much 

 resembled tsit, tsit, tsit, tsit, chee chee chee, the first four syllables being 

 uttered with a gradual and uniform speed, ending quickly with the 

 chee chee chee. It was quite distinct from any other of the warbler songs, 

 and whenever it was heard the little musician was usually traced to 

 some pine tree where he would be found hopping nervously about." 



No. 92 



Chestnut-sided Warbler 



A. O. U. Xo. 659. Dendroica pensylvanica (Linnaeus). 



Description. — Adult male in spring: Extreme forehead and supraloral region 

 white; upper forehead and crown olive-yellow (pyrite yellow); malar region, lores, 

 and superciliaries black, the last-named produced and meeting fellow across occiput, 

 broadly, where also streaked with white and yellow; auriculars and hind-neck (crossing 

 cervix obscurely) white; remaining upperparts in general black centrally on feathers, 

 with bright olive-yellow (oil-yellow) or dull warbler blue edgings, the yellow sometimes 

 confined to middle of back; broad wing-bars, sometimes confluent, of white and sulphur; 

 chin, throat, and underparts white, relieved on sides by a broad stripe of chestnut, 

 continuous from malar black patch to flanks, where, and on lower sides, breaking 

 irregularly. Bill blackish; feet and legs dark brown. Adult female in spring: Much like 

 male and often indistinguishable, but usually duller, with restriction of chestnut on 

 sides posteriorly; white of forehead displaced by yellow, and the yellow of crown duller 

 (wax-yellow). Adult male in autumn: Quite different from adult in spring plumage; 

 of the more prominent characters only the chestnut remains, and that confined to the 

 posterior portion of the sides. Above plain warbler green (olive-yellow), purest on 

 forehead and crown, elsewhere streaked with black; eye-ring white; extreme forehead, 

 lores, sides of head, and breast, dull neutral gray, changing variously to dull white on 

 throat and abdomen; flanks touched with yellow. Bill lighter. Adult female in 

 autumn: Like male in autumn but chestnut still more restricted; the black streaks of 



>Auk, Vol. XVI., April, 1899. P- 159. 



495 



