302 
SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSEBES — OSCINES. 
bles auduboni, excepting in the following points : — Throat white. Breast blaclc, mixed with 
white. Sides of the head definitely pure black ; edges of eyelids, and long narrow superciliary 
line, white. Wings crossed with two broad white bars, which do not fuse into one white 
patch, owing to narrowness or deficiency of white edging along the outer webs of the great 
coverts.) One of the larger species. Length 5.30-5.75 ; extent 8.80-9.40 ; wing 2.75-3.00 ; 
tail about 2.50. North America, but chiefiy eastern ; Alaska; Washington Territory; Cali- 
fornia; Arizona; U. S. rarely in summer, but during the migrations the most abundant of all 
the warblers ; winters as far north as New England ; seen everywhere, but is particularly 
numerous in shrubbery, along hedge-rows, in fiocks, with troops of sparrows, titmice, etc. 
Breeds from northern New England northward ; nest generally low in evergreens ; eggs 4, 
about 0.75 X 0.55, with the usual markings. Moult double, there being a vernal as well as 
an autumnal change, the former usually efi'ected during the spring migrations. 
120. D. aud'uboni. (To J. J. Audubon.) Audubon's Warbler. Western Yellow-rump. 
^, adult, in summer : Upper parts clear bluish-ash, streaked with black. A central longitudi- 
nal sp(jt on the crown, the rump, throat, and a patch on each side of the breast, rich yellow. 
Sides of the head little darker than the upper parts ; eyelids narrowly white, but no decided 
superciliary white stripe. The ash of the upper parts extending far around the sides of the 
neck. Jugulum and breast in high plumage pure black, though usually mixed with some 
grayish skirting of the feathers, or invaded by white from behind, or even touched with yellow 
here and there. Belly and under tail-coverts white, the sides streaked with black. Wings 
blackish, with gray or white edging, especially on the inner quills ; the median wing-coverts 
tipped, the greater ones edged and tipped, with white, forming a great white blotch. Tail like 
the wangs, the outer w^ebs narrowly edged with gray or white, the inner w^ebs of all the lateral 
feathers with large white blotches. Bill and feet black. One of the largest species. Length, 
5.50-5.75 ; extent, 8.75-9.33 ; wing, 2.75-3.00; tail, 2.25. 9 jii^ summer: Generally similar 
to the (J. Upper parts duller and browner slate-color, with less heavy dorsal streaks ; crown- 
spot and other yellow parts paler ; breast not continuously black, but variegated with black, 
white, and the color of the back. Sides only obsoletely streaked. Eyelids scarcely white, and 
cheeks hardly different from the back. White of wing-coverts mostly restricted to two bars ; 
white tail-spots smaller. Both sexes in autumn and winter, and young : Upper parts quite 
broMm, with obscure black marking. Yellow crown-spot concealed or wanting; yellow of 
throat, rump, and sides of breast paler and restricted. Under parts whitish, shaded on the 
sides, and usually across the breast, with a dilute tint of the color of the back, the breast and 
sides obsoletely streaked with darker. White of wing-coverts obscured with brownish. North 
America, from easternmost woodland of the Rocky Mts. to the Pacific ; north probably to 
Alaska ; accidental in New England ; migratory, breeding northward and in Alpine regions ; 
extremely abundant ; nesting in no wise peculiar. 
121. D. black'burnae. (To Mrs. Blackburn, an English lady.) Blackburn's Warbler. 
Prometheus. ^, adult, in spring: Entire upper parts, including the wings and tail, black, 
the back varied with whitish, the wings with a large white speculum on the coverts and much 
white edging of the coverts, the lateral tail-feathers largely w^hite, only a shaft-line, with 
clubbed extremity, being left blackish on the outer two or three pairs. Spot on fore part of 
•crown, eyelids, line over eye spreading into a large spot behind the auriculars, with chin, 
throat, and fore breast, intense orange or flame-color. There is nothing to compare with the 
exquisite hue of this Promethean torch. Sides of head black in an irregular patch, usually 
confluent with the black streaks on the side of the breast, isolating the orange of the sides of 
the head from that of the throat, and circumscribing the orange patch below the eye. Under 
parts from the breast white; more or less tinged with orange or yellow, and whole sides streaked 
with black. Bill and feet dark. Length about 5.50 ; extent 8.50 ; wing 2.75 ; tail 2.00. 9 , 
adult, in spring: Similar to the male in the pattern and distribution of the colors; upper 
