FEMALE CAPE MAY WARBLER. 
291 
the latter name was considered as utterly inadmissible, we see 
no reason why he did not accept that of Xanthornus^ applied 
to this genus by Pallas. 
All the species of troopial are peculiar to America. We 
divide them into four subgenera, the present bird belonging to 
the second, to which we apply the name of Xanthornus, The 
species of this subgenus are peculiarly social in their disposi- 
tions, and their associations are not liable to interruption from 
the influence of love itself. Not only do many individuals of 
the same family combine and labour in concert, but they also 
unite with very different species. Their aspect is animated, 
and their movements are quick, bold, and vigorous ; they fly 
rapidly, at a good height, and are much attached to the places 
of their birth. Their song is a kind of whistling ; they walk 
with the body nearly erect, with a slightly hurried step, and 
are seen sitting on the ground, or perched on the branches of 
trees. They seek no concealment, and never enter the woods, 
though they are very careful to construct their nests in a safe 
situation. The troopials eat no fruits, but derive their subsist- 
ence from insects, worms, grains, and small seeds. They leave 
the temperate climates at the approach of winter, and are 
amongst the first birds of passage that return with the spring. 
FEMALE CAPE MAY WARBLER.— SYLVIA MARITIMA. 
Plate III. Fig. .3. 
My Collection. 
SYLVICOLA MARITIMA.^SyvAm. 
Sylvia maritima, Bonap. Synop. p. 79. 
I WAS SO fortunate as to obtain this undescribed little war- 
bler in a small wood near Bordentown, New Jersey, on the 
14th of May, at which season ornithologists would do well to 
be on the alert to detect the passenger warblers, whose stay in 
this vicinity is frequently limited to a very few days. 
