Geothlypis Philadelphia 
Descriptions of First Plumage of Cer¬ 
tain North Am, Bbs. Wm.Brewster. 
39. Geothlypis Philadelphia. 
First plumage: female. Remiges, rectrices, etc., as in adult. Rest of 
upper parts, -with vring-coverts and sides of head, dull reddish-brown, 
becoming almost cinnamon on the back, and tinged strongly with ashy on 
the pileum. Entire under parts light reddish-brown, most pronounced 
on the abdominal and anal regions, becoming lighter on the throat, and 
darker, with a strong olive suffusion, on the breast and sides. No appre¬ 
ciable maxillary or supra-orbital stripes. From a specimen in my collec¬ 
tion shot at Upton, Me., August 11, 1876. This bird was very young ; in 
fact, barely able to fly. A slight doubt exists in my mind as to its iden¬ 
tity, for I did not actually see the parent birds feed it, though both were in 
the immediate vicinity and exhibited much solicitude. This specimen is 
separable from the corresponding stage of G. trichas by the ashy cast of 
the pileum and the absence of brownish on the sides. 
Autumnal plumage: young male. Entire upper parts olive-green, the 
feathers of the pileum and nape being just tipped with this color and 
showing plainly the ashy underneath when disarranged. Sides of head, 
with broad bands extending down each side of the throat and nearly meet¬ 
ing across the jugulum, ash, washed with greenish-olive. Sides, with a 
broad connected band across anal region and breast, dull olive-green. 
Rest of under parts, with central areas of throat and jugulum, very clear 
rich yellow, intensifying into a spot of orange on the breast. In two 
specimens (both males) a yellow tipping of the feathers on the jugulum 
nearly conceals much black underneath, which becomes conspicuous when 
the plumage is slightly disarranged. 
Autumal plumage: young female. Similar to the male, but with a more 
olive cast to the green of the dorsal aspect, less ashy on head, and the 
spot on the breast of richer, deeper color, and broader diffusion. The 
young of both sexes in autumnal plumage have the upper and lower eye¬ 
lids conspicuously fulvous-yellow. In one specimen (male, taken August 
21), the eyelids are dirty-wliite. From seven specimens (two females, five 
males) in my collection shot at Upton, Me., August, 1874. Irrespective 
of generic characters, the young of G. Philadelphia in autumn are at once 
distinguishable from those of Oporornis agilis in corresponding stages, by 
the total absence of ashy on the central regions of throat, jugulum, and 
breast. So marked is the difference that obtains in this respect that I am 
easily able to separate the two species, when lying side by side, at a dis¬ 
tance of fifteen or twenty feet. 
Bull. N.O.O. 3, April, 1878. p. (s f C Z. 
