110 



BLUE-WINGED YELLOW WARBLER. 



seems at a loss to determine whether it is not the Pine Creeper of 

 Catesby;^ a difficulty occasioned by the very imperfect coloring 

 and figm^e of Catesby's bird. The Pine Creeper, however, is a 

 much larger bird, is of a dark yellow olive above, and orange yel- 

 low below; has all the habits of a Creeper, alighting on the trunks 

 of the pine trees, running nimbly round them, and according to 

 Mr. Abbot, builds a pensile nest. I observed thousands of them 

 in the pine woods of Carolina and Georgia, where they are resi- 

 dent, but have never met with them in any part of Pennsylvania. 



This species is five inches and a half long, and seven and a 

 half broad; hind head and whole back a rich green olive; crown 

 and front orange yellow; whole lower parts yellow, except the vent 

 feathers, which are white; bill black above, lighter below; lores 

 black; the form of the bill approximates a little to that of the 

 Finch; wings and tail deep brown, broadly edged with pale slate, 

 which makes them appear wholly of that tint, except at the tips ; first 

 and second row of coverts tipt with white slightly stained with yel- 

 low; the three exterior tail feathers have their inner vanes nearly 

 all white; legs pale bluish; feet dirty yellow; the two middle tail 

 feathers are pale slate. The female differs very little in color from 

 the male. 



This species very much resembles the Prothonotary Warbler 

 of Pennant and Buffon ; the only difference I can perceive on com- 

 paring specimens of each is that the yellow^ of the Prothonotary is 

 more of an orange tint, and the bird somewhat larger. 



* Catesby, Car. vol i, pi. 61. 



