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PINE-CREEPING WARBLER. 

 SYLVIA PIJVUS, 

 [Plate XIX.— Fig. 4.] 



Pine-Creeper, Catesby, I. 61.— Peale*s ilfwm/m, No. 7312. 



THIS species inhabits the pine woods of the Southern states, 

 where it is resident, and where I first observed it, running along 

 the bark of the pines; sometimes alighting and feeding on the 

 ground, and almost always when disturbed flying up and clinging 

 to the trunks of the trees. As I advanced towards the south it 

 became more numerous. Its note is a simple reiterated chirrup, 

 continued for four or five seconds. 



Catesby first figured and described this bird ; but so imper- 

 fectly as to produce among succeeding writers great confusion, and 

 many mistakes as to what particular bird was intended. Edwards 

 has supposed it to be the blue-winged Yellow Warbler ; Latham 

 has supposed another species to be meant ; and the worthy Mr. 

 Pennant has been led into the same mistakes ; describing the male 

 of one species, and the female of another, as the male and female 

 Pine-Creeper. Having shot and examined great numbers of these 

 birds I am enabled to clear up these difficulties by the following 

 descriptions, which will be found to be correct. 



The Pine-creeping Warbler is five and a half inches long, and 

 nine inches in extent ; the whole upper parts are of a rich green 

 olive, with a considerable tinge of yellow ; throat, sides, and breast 

 yellow ; wings and tail brown with a slight cast of bluish, the for- 

 mer marked with two bars of white, slightly tinged with yellow ; 

 tail forked, and edged with ash ; the three exterior feathers marked 

 near the tip with a broad spot of white ; middle of the belly and 



VOL. III. 



