190 
PINE-CREEPING WARBLER. 
belly, chin and throat pure white; the tail is. forked, the five lateral 
feathers on each side with each a spot of white, the two middle more 
slightly marked with the same: from the eve backwards extends a line 
of dusky blue ; before and behind the eve a, line of Avhite ; bill dusky 
above, light blue below ; legs and feet light blue. 
Species XVIII. SYLVIA PINUS. 
PINE-CREEPING WARBLER. 
[Plate XIX. Fig. 4.] 
Pine- Creeper, Catesk. i., 61. 
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 imperfectly 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 ex- 
amined 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 lorg, 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 former 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 vent feathers white. The female is 
brown, tinged with olive green on the back; breast dirty white, or 
slightly yellowish. The bill in both is truly that of a Warbler ; and 
the tongue slender as in the Motacilla genus, notwithstanding the habits 
of the bird. 
The food of these birds is the seeds of the pitch pine, and various 
