Part 29

Green Black-capped Flycatcher, Muscicapa Wilsonii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 148.

GENUS II. SYLVICOLA, Swainson. WOOD-WARBLER.

Bill short, straight, rather strong, tapering, scarcely broader than high at the base, compressed toward the end; upper mandible with its dorsal outline declinate and nearly straight, the tip slightly declinate, the edges overlapping, with a slight notch; lower mandible with the angle short and rounded, the dorsal line straight, the sides convex, the edges a little inclinate, the tip narrow. Nostrils basal, oval or oblong, partially concealed by the feathers. Head of ordinary size; neck short; body rather slender. Feet of ordinary length, rather slender; tarsus longer than the middle toe, much compressed, covered anteriorly with seven scutella, very sharp behind; toes of moderate length, slender, free, the outer united as far as the second joint, the hind toe proportionally large; claws moderate, well arched, much compressed, laterally grooved, very acute. Plumage soft and blended. Bristles at the base of the upper mandible feeble. Wings rather long, little curved, pointed; the second quill longest, the first and third slightly shorter. Tail rather long, emarginate.

76. 1. Sylvicola coronata, Lath. Yellow-crowned Wood-Warbler.--Yellow-crowned Warbler. Yellow-rump Warbler.

Second quill longest, third scarcely shorter, first longer than fourth; tail slightly emarginate. Male with the upper parts deep ash-grey, streaked with black; crown, rump, and a patch on the sides of the body, rich yellow: secondary coverts, and first row of small coverts tipped with white, which forms two bars on the wing; quills dark brown, margined with light greyish-brown; tail feathers brownish-black, margined with ash-grey, the outer three on each side with a white patch on the inner web near the end; a slender white line over the eye; feathers of the eyelids white; lore and cheek black; throat white; lower neck, fore part of breast and sides variegated with black, the tips of the feathers being white; the rest of the lower parts white. Female without the yellow spot on the crown, although the feathers there are tinged with that colour at the base; the upper parts tinged with light brown, the yellow spots on the sides and rump paler.

Male, 5-1/4, 8-1/2.

From Texas northward, and throughout the interior. Extremely common. Migratory.

Yellow-rump Warbler, Sylvia coronata, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ii. p. 138.

Sylvia coronata, Bonap. Syn. p. 78.

Yellow-crowned Warbler, or Myrtle Bird, Sylvia coronata, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 361.

Yellow-rump Warbler, Sylvia coronata, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. ii. p. 303.

77. 2. Sylvicola Auduboni, Townsend. Audubon's Wood-Warbler,--Audubon's Warbler.

Plate CCCXCV. Fig. 1. Male. Fig. 2. Female.

Outer four quills nearly equal, second longest; tail slightly emarginate. Male with the upper parts bluish ash-grey, streaked with black; crown, rump, upper part of throat, and a patch on the sides of the body, rich yellow; first row of small coverts largely tipped, and secondary coverts broadly margined and tipped with white, which thus forms a conspicuous patch on the wing; quills and tail brownish-black, narrowly margined with greyish-white; a patch of white on the inner webs of all the tail-feathers, but on the central reduced to a mere edging; a small white spot on each of the eyelids; loral space and cheek black; lower part of neck anteriorly, fore part of breast, and sides, variegated with black and white or ash-grey, the latter colours margining the feathers; the rest of the lower parts white. Female without the yellow spot on the crown, although the feathers there are tinged with that colour at the base; upper parts light brownish-grey, streaked with dusky; lower parts whitish, tinged with brown, and streaked with dusky; throat and rump yellow, but of a lighter tint than in the male, and but slight indications of the yellow patch on the sides; there is much less white on the wings, and the white patches on the tail-feathers are of less extent.

In size, form, and proportion, this species and Sylvicola coronata are almost precisely similar; and their colours are almost exactly alike, the only remarkable difference in this respect being, that the throat of the present species is yellow, while that of the former is white.

Male, 5-3/4, wing, 3-1/12.

Columbia River, northward. Common. Migratory.

Sylvia Audubonii, Audubon's Warbler, Townsend, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc., Philadelphia, v. vii. p. 190.

Audubon's Warbler, Sylvia Audubonii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 52.

78. 3. Sylvicola striata, Lath. Black-poll Wood-Warbler.

Plate CXXXIII. Male and Female.

First and second quills equal and longest, third a little shorter; tail emarginate. Male with the upper parts bluish ash-grey, streaked with black; the upper part of the head deep black; the secondary coverts and first row of small coverts largely tipped with white; quills and tail-feathers blackish-brown; primaries narrowly edged with greenish-yellow, secondaries broadly with white; three outer tail-feathers with a patch of white on the inner web at the end; cheeks and lower parts white; a band of black spots from the base of the lower mandible down the side of the neck and body. Female with the upper parts oil-green, streaked with black; the rump and upper tail-coverts plain and edged with grey; white wing-bands tinged with yellow; cheeks yellowish-grey, mottled with dusky, lower parts dull white, tinged with yellow and reddish the sides of the neck and body with fainter dark streaks. Young like the female.

Male, 5-1/4, 8-1/2.

From Texas to Labrador, where it breeds. Columbia River. Common. Migratory.

Black-poll Warbler, Sylvia striata, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 40.

Sylvia striata, Bonap. Syn. p. 81.

Sylvicola striata, Black-poll Warbler, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 218.

Black-poll Warbler, Sylvia striata, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 383.