A Third Specimen of Helminthophaga leucobeonohialis. — Last 

 winter, while working among the Warblers (Sylvioolidai), in the collection 

 of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, I discovered among 

 hem a specimen of the White-throated Warbler (Helminthophaga leuco- 

 bronchialis, Brewster), which, according to some writing on the bottom 

 of its stand, had been in the dark for nearly fifteen years. The writing 

 was this : "J. C, 20 October, 1862," and also what I made out to be, 

 "Not from Bell," which was much blurred. The "J. C," which means 

 John Cassin (for it is his handwriting), shows that he once possessed or 

 had something to do with the specimen, but how it ever escaped his no- 

 tice and found its way into the collection of tbe Academy without being 

 discovered I cannot see. The other is, I suppose, the date of its capture ; 

 and it is curious that it should have been taken so long before the one 

 which for several years was the only known representative of the species. 

 No label was attached to it designating the locality where it was procured, 

 its sex or species ; but by careful comparison with Mr. Brewster's descrip- 

 tion, as well as with Mr. Wood's specimen, I can safely say that it is a 

 genuine specimen of H. leucobronchialis, and still further proves the valid- 

 ity of the species. As the first two were males, and as this specimen 

 closely resembles them, I judge it to be a male also. A paper which I 

 wrote on this specimen was read before the Academy, at a recent meeting, 

 and will be published in their Proceedings. 



I may further add that I have searched the Reports and record of dona- 

 tions to the Academy from 1862 to 1875, without finding any reference to 

 this specimen. — Spencer Trotter, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Bull. N.O.O. 3, Jan. . 1878. p, */ *f . 



Some Light on the History op a Rare Bird. — In the Bulletin 

 for January, 1878, I mentioned the fact that a third specimen of the 

 White-throated Warbler {Helminthopharja lencohronchialis, Brewster) had 

 been found in the collection of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural 

 Sciences. In the paper I stated that there was no label attached to the 

 bird, designating its species, sex, or the locality where it was procnred •, 

 but that on the bottom of its stand was written, "J. C, 20 Oct., 1862," 

 and also what I made out to be, " Not from Bell," which was much 

 blurred. Further, the history of the specimen was involved in obscurity. 



I wrote to Mr. N. T. Lawrence of New York, concerning the bird, and 

 shortly afterwards, having called on Mr. Bell, the well-known ornitholo- 

 gist, Mr. Lawrence wrote me as follows : — ■ 



"I asked Mr. Bell if he remembered at any time procuring a specimen of 

 ff. chrysoptera which diifered in any way from tlio normal specimens. He 

 said that when his attention was called to your last article in the Bulletin, he 

 recalled the fact that somewhere about 183-2, in tlie spring of that year, at 

 Eockland, Y., he shot, as he sniiposed, a young male Golden- wing, but at 

 the time remarked to his brother, who was collecting with him, that the hird 

 was highly plumaged, but lacked the black of the throat, hence he took it to be 

 a young male. His attention was first attracted to the bird by a note he had 

 never heard before, and one of Bell's specialties in his younger days was his accu- 

 racy in determining different species by their notes. He also said he kept the 

 specimen a long time, thinking it an unusual form of the Golden-wing, and 

 finally sold it to a man in Philadelphia ; therefore, I think in all probability 

 the bird you found at the Academy is tlie identical one Bell procured over forty 

 years ago. He said he intended to question his brother the next time he saw 

 him, in regard to it ; so if I hear anything more on the subject I will let you 

 know." 



From the above extract from Mr. Lawrence's letter, it seems there is 

 strong reason for believing that the bird discovered in the Academy's 

 collec'tion is the self-same one shot by Bell at Rockland, N. Y., in 1832 ; 

 and on the almost obliterated words, " Not from Bell," or, as Mr. George 

 N. Lawrence says might be, " Note from Bell," hung the history of the 

 specimen. The sentence, " J. C, 20 Oct., 1862," is, I think, explainable. 

 Mr. Cassin, having charge of the Academy's ornithological collections, 

 like Mr. Bell supposed the bird to be an abnormal form of H. clirysoplera, 

 wrote his initials on the bottom of its stand, and also the date of deposit 

 in the Academy, and set it aside among the specimens of that species. I 

 think this fact is of much interest, as throwing light on a specimen of a 

 species as rare as H. leucobronchialis, and also as showing its close rela- 

 tion to the Golden-winged Warbler (iT. chrysoptera). — Spencer Trot- 

 ter, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Btfll« K.0.0. 4,Jan. 1870. p 



