81 



DELAFIELD'S GROUND-WARBLER. 



~j- Trichas Delafieldii, Jlnd. 



PLATE CIIL— Male. 



This beautiful little bird I named in honour of Colonel Delafield, 

 President of the Lyceum of Natural History in the city of New York, a 

 gentleman distinguished by his scientific attainments, not less than by those 

 accomplishments and virtues which tend to improve and adorn society. It 

 so much resembles the Maryland Yellow-throat, ( Trichas Marilandica,) 

 Sylvia Trichas of the older authors, Trichas per sonatus of Swainson, that 

 one might readily confound the two species. The differences between them 

 will be easily seen on comparing their descriptions. The only specimen in 

 my possession was obtained from Mr. Townsend, who procured it in 

 California. 



Delafield's Yellow-throat, Sylvia Delafieldii, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. v. p. 307. 



Bill longish, nearly straight, conico-subulate, rather broader than high at 

 the base, compressed toward the end, acute; upper mandible with the dorsal 

 line declinato-convex, the ridge narrow, the sides convex, the edges direct 

 and overlapping, with a very slight notch, the tip narrow; lower mandible 

 with the angle of moderate length and narrow, the dorsal line ascending and 

 straight, the sides rounded, the edges inflected, the tip acute; the gape-line 

 considerably arched. Nostrils basal, lateral, oblong, operculate, exposed. 



Head of moderate size, ovate; neck short; body moderately stout. Feet 

 rather long, tarsus slender, longer than the middle toe, much compressed, 

 covered anteriorly with seven scutella, behind with two longitudinal plates 

 meeting so as to form a thin edge; the lateral toes nearly equal, the third 

 much longer, and united at the base to the fourth, the hind toe large; claws 

 moderately arched, extremely compressed, with the sides faintly grooved, 

 acute. 



Plumage soft and blended with little gloss. Wings rather long, somewhat 

 concave; the second, third, and fourth primaries have the outer web cut out 

 towards the end; the first quill is three and a half twelfths shorter than the 

 second, which is two twelfths shorter than the third; the latter is longest, 

 but scarcely exceeds the fourth, and the fifth is only a quarter of a twelfth 



