88 THE WORM-EATING SWAMP-WARBLER. 



fever, but requires to be used with judgment, as too large a dose proves 

 deleterious. 



The roof of the mouth is flat and slightly arched, posteriorly with two 

 ridges, anteriorly with a middle prominent and two very slight lateral ridges; 

 its width 3h twelfths. The tongue is 5 twelfths long, emarginate and papil- 

 late at the base, narrow, tapering, thin, concave above, the tip rather abrupt, 

 and terminated by several stiffish bristles, like that of a Titmouse. The 

 oesophagus is 1 inch 9 twelfths long, its greatest width 3 twelfths. The 

 stomach is small, elliptical, 5\ twelfths long, 4j twelfths in breadth; the 

 lateral muscles moderate, the lower very thin; the epithelium longitudinally 

 rugous. The stomach is filled with insects. The intestine is 5 J inches long, 

 from 1-| twelfth to 1 twelfth in width. The cceca are 1-| twelfth long, and 

 i twelfth wide; their distance from the extremity 7 twelfths. 



The trachea is 1 inch 7 twelfths long, flattened, 1 twelfth broad at the 

 upper part; the rings about 70, moderately firm; bronchial half rings about 

 15; the muscles as usual. 



Worm-eating Warbler, Sylvia vermivora, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. iii. p. 74. 

 Sylvia vermivora, Bonap. Syn., p. 86. 



Worm-eating Wareler, Sylvia vermivora, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 177; vol. v. 

 p. 460. 



Bill longish, nearly straight, rather strong, elongated-conical, as deep, as 

 broad at the base, with sharp, nearly straight edges. Nostrils basal, oval, 

 half concealed by the feathers. Head rather large, neck short. Body short 

 and full. Feet of ordinary length, rather slender; tarsus compressed, covered 

 anteriorly with a few long scutella, acute behind, longer than the middle toe; 

 toes scutellate above, free; claws arched, slender, compressed, acute. 



Plumage blended, soft and tufty. Wings of ordinary length, considerably 

 curved, the second quill longest, the first little shorter. Tail rather short, a 

 little rounded, of twelve rather narrow, obtuse feathers. 



Bill blackish-brown above, greenish-grey beneath. Iris hazel. Feet flesh- 

 colour. General colour of the upper parts deep green, tinged with brown. 

 Head and lower parts light brownish-yellow, the former with four longitu- 

 dinal black bands, of which one on each side proceeds from the middle of 

 the upper mandible, the other from the inferior angle of its base. The lower 

 part of the neck anterior^, and the fore part of the breast are more yellow 

 than the rest of the under parts; the abdomen and under tail-coverts nearly 

 white. 



Length 5^ inches, extent of wings Sj; bill along the ridge yj, along the 

 gap f ; tarsus £-, middle toe f. 



The female hardly differs from the male in external appearance. 



