236 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY-GENERAL REPORT. 
Sp. Ch. —Bill with tho upper mandible considerably decurved, the lower straight. General color of the male black, the 
feathers broadly edged with white ; the head all round black, with a median stripe in the crown and neck above, a superciliary 
and a maxillary one of white. Middle of belly, two conspicuous bands on the wings, outer edges of tertials and inner of all 
the wing and tail feathers, and a spot on the inner webs of the outer two tail feathers, white. Rump and upper tail coverts 
black, edged externally with white. Female similar ; the under parts white, obsoletely streaked with black on the sides and 
under tail coverts. Length, 5 inches ; wing, 2.85 ; tail, 2.25. 
Hab .—Eastern North America to Missouri river ; south to Guatemala. 
The lores are rather dusky ; the ear coverts black. The black of the chin and throat is con¬ 
tinuous, but is streaked on the breast with white. The greater quills and tail feathers are 
edged externally with lead gray. 
The colors of this species are something like those of Dendroica nigrescens, although the latter 
is much less streaked with black, and the crown is without the median white stripe. The same 
character distinguishes it from D. striata , in which the superciliary stripe is wanting. 
Specimens vary somewhat as to the amount of black on the throat. The bill also varies 
materially in length, curvature, and color. I have not been able in a large series of specimens 
before me to detect any strong indications of a second species, although some have more or less of 
the characters assigned to M. borealis by Mr. Nuttall. A skin, probably female, from Cape Florida, 
has the bill unusually long (.51) and the under mandibles white, excejit towards the tip. Another 
from the same locality has the bill as long, but the under mandible is darker. The specimens 
from the north and west seem to have the bill shorter, straighter, and blacker, and the claws, 
perhaps, darker, corresponding with what Nuttall calls M. borealis. The only very long billed 
specimens are from Florida and the vicinity of Washington. I cannot from the skins before 
me give any other characters, although, if there be two species, it will probably be necessary to 
consider the shorter billed one as the true M. varia. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig’l 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
ofwings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
68 
8 
—,1839 
956 
Q 
9,1843 
4.66 
8.00 
2.58 
1643 
g? 
July 
18,1844 
5.37 
8.33 
2.56 
7555 
8 
,1857 
8673 
Sept. 
25,1857 
5.00 
8.50 
2.50 
upper m’d black. 
6504 
8 
7,1857 
4680 
May 
5,1857 
5.37 
8.00 
2 75 
4681 
8 
5.12 
8.50 
2.75 
4677 
8 
8,1857 
5.00 
8.50 
2.86 
4679 
8 
5,1857 
4.62 
8.00 
2.75 
4676 
4,1856 
4.75 
8.50 
2.75 
4678 
May 
15,1856 
7990 
