BLUE YELLOW-BACKED WARBLER. _ 239 
_ PARULA AMERICANA (L.)° Bp. 
Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, 
Sylvia americana, KIRTLAND, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 163, 132. 
Sylvicola americana, REaD, Fam. Visitor, iii, 1853, 423; Philad. Acad Nat. Sci., vi, 1853, 
395. 
Parula americana, BarrD, P. R. R. Rep. ix, 1853, 239.--WHEATON, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 
1860, 3633 Reprint, 1€61,5; Food of Birds, ete., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 563; Re- | 
print, 1875, 3.—LANGDoN, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 5; Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soe. 
Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 171; Reprint, 5. 
Parus americana, LINNZUS, Syst. Nat., i, 1758, 190, 
Sylvia americana, LATHAM, Ind. Orn., ii, 1790, 520. 
Parula americana, BONAPARTE, Comp. and Geog. List., 1333, 20. 
Male in spring, above, blue, back with a golden brown patch, throat and breast 
yellow, with a rich brown or blackish patch, the former sometimes extending along the 
sides; belly, eye-lids, two wing bars and several tail spots white; lores black; upper 
mandible black, lower, flush colored; female in spring, with the blue less bright, back 
and throat patches not so well defined; young, with these patches obscure or wanting, 
but always recognizable by the other marks and very smallsize. Length 44-42; wing 
24; tail 14. 
Habitat, Eastern North America, West to Nebraska and Colorado, North to British 
America, Greenland casually, South to West Indies, Mexico, and Guatemala. 
Not common spring and fall migrant in Southern and Middle, summer 
resident in Northern Oaio. Mr. Read notes itas ‘“ common in the spring, 
afew spend the summer.” Dr. Kirtland says, “I have repeatediy seen 
them feeding their young in July.” It may breed in the vicinity of Col- 
umbus, as I saw a specimen in my garden, June 30, 1879. Mr. Ridgway 
says it breeds in Southern Illinois. 
The Blue Yellow-back Warbler arrives early in May and returns in 
September. They frequent the tops of the tallest trees in the highest 
woods, and are especially noticeable on hickory, ash and oak trees, which, 
at the time of the spring migration, have not much foliage. Theyare 
actively engaged hopping and flying from twig to twig in search of food. 
Their movements combine those of the Titmice and Redstart. 
Their soag 
is short and feeble. 
The nest is constructed of long gray lichens, sometimes simply an ex- 
cavation in a bunch of lichen. The eggs measure .63 by .49, are white, 
spotted with lilac, slate, and various shades of brown. 
GENUS PROTONOTARIA Baird. 
Bill conical, compressed towards the end, as long as the head, longer than middle toe, 
unnotched. Hind claw but little shorter than its digit; middle toe and claw only three- 
fourths the tarsus. 
