YELLOW - II U M P AV A R B L E R. 
187 
brown olive dress, the yellow on the sides of the breast and crown is 
scarcely observable, unless the feathers be parted with the hand ; but 
that on the rump is still vivid ; the spots of black on the cheek are 
then also obscured. The difference of appearance, however, is so great, 
that we need scarcely wonder that foreigners, who have no opportunity 
of examining the progress of these variations, should have concluded 
them to be two distinct species ; and designated them as in the above 
synonymes. 
This bird is also a passenger through Pennsylvania. Early in Octo- 
ber he arrives from the north, in his olive dress, and frequents the cedar 
trees, devouring the berries with great avidity. He remains with us 
three or four weeks, and is very numerous wherever there are trees of 
the red cedar covered with berries. He leaves us for the south, and 
spends the winter season among the myrtle swamps of Virginia, the 
Carolinas and Georgia. The berries of the Myrica cerifera, both the 
large and dwarf kind, are his particular favorites. On those of the 
latter I found him feeding, in great numbers, near the sea shore, in the 
district of Maine, in October ; and through the whole of the lower parts 
of the Carolinas, wherever the myrtles grew, these birds were numerous, 
skipping about with hanging wings, among the bushes. In those parts 
of the country they are generally known by the name of Myrtle-birds. 
Round Savannah, and beyond it as far as the Alatamaha, I found him 
equally numerous, as late as the middle of March, when his change of 
color had considerably progressed to the slate hue. Mr. Abbot, who is 
well acquainted with this change, assured me, that they attain this rich 
slate color fully before their departure from thence, which is about the 
last of March, and to the tenth of April. About the middle or twen- 
tieth of the same month they appear in Pennsylvania, in full dress, as 
represented in the plate ; and after continuing to be seen, for a week or 
ten days, skipping among the high branches and tops of the trees, after 
those larvse that feed on the opening buds, they disappear until the next 
October. Whether they retire to the north, or to the high ranges of 
our mountains to breed, like many other of our passengers, is yet uncer- 
tain. They are a very numerous species, and always associate together 
in considerable numbers, both in spring, winter and fall. 
This species is five inches and a half long, and eight inches broad ; 
whole back, tail coverts, and hind head, a fine slate color, streaked with 
black ; crown, sides of the breast, and rump, rich yellow ; wings and 
tail black, the former crossed with two bars of white, the three exterior 
feathers of the latter spotted with white ; cheeks and front black ; chin, 
line over and under the eye, white ; breast light slate, streaked with 
black extending under the wings ; belly and vent white, the latter 
spotted with black ; bill and legs black. This is the spring and summer 
dress of the male ; that of the female of the same seasons differs but 
