BLUE-EYED YELLOW WARBLER.

[Plate XV.-Fig. 5.]

Fellow-poll Warbler, LATH. Syn. v. 11, p. 515. No. 148.—Arct. Zool. p. 402, No. 292.-Le Figuier tachete, BUFF. Ois. v, p. 285. -Motacilla æstiva, TURTON's Syst. p. 615.-Parus luteus, Summer Fellow-bird, BARTRAM, p. 292.-PEALE'S Museum, No. 7266.*

THIS is a very common summer species, and appears almost always actively employed among the leaves and blossoms of the willows, snow-ball shrub, and poplars, searching after small green caterpillars, which are its principal food. It has a few shrill notes, uttered with emphasis, but not deserving the name of song. It arrives in Pennsylvania about the beginning of May; and departs again for the south about the middle of September. According to Latham it is numerous in Guiana, and is also found in Canada. It is a very sprightly, unsuspicious and familiar little bird; is often seen in and about gardens, among the blossoms of fruit trees and shrubberies; and, on account of its colour, is very noticeable. Its nest is built with great neatness, generally in the triangular fork of a small shrub, near, or among, briar bushes. Outwardly it is composed of flax or tow, in thick circular layers, strongly twisted round the twigs that rise through its sides, and lined within with hair and the soft downy substance from the stalks of fern. The eggs

Additional synonymes:-Motacilla estiva, GMEL. Syst. 1, p. 996. — Sylvia æstiva, LATH. Ind. Orn.¡11, p. 551.-VIEILL. Ois, de l'Am. Sept. pl. 95.—Motacilla albicollis, GMEL. Syst. 1, p. 983, young.—Sylvia albicollis, LATH. Ind. Orn. 11, p. 535, young.-Ficedula Canadensis, BRISS. 111, p. 492, 51, t. 26, fig. 3, male adult.-Ficedula dominicensis, BRISS. III, p. 494, 52, t. 26, f. 5.-Figuier de Caanda, Burr. Pl. Enl. 58, f. 2, adult male.

are four, or five, of a dull white, thickly sprinkled near the great end with specks of pale brown. They raise two broods in the season. This little bird, like many others, will feign lameness to draw you away from its nest, stretching out his neck, spreading and bending down his tail until it trails along the branch, and fluttering feebly along to draw you after him; sometimes looking back to see if you are following him, and returning back to repeat the same manœuvres in order to attract your attention. The male is most remarkable for this practice.

The Blue-eyed Warbler is five inches long and seven broad; hind head and back greenish yellow; crown, front and whole lower parts rich golden yellow; breast and sides streaked laterally with dark red; wings and tail deep brown, except the edges of the former and the inner vanes of the latter, which are yellow; the tail is also slightly forked; legs a pale clay colour; bill and eye-lids light blue. The female is of a less brilliant yellow, and the streaks of red on the breast are fewer and more obscure. Buffon is mistaken in supposing No. 1, of Pl. Enl. Plate lviii, to be the female of this species.

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.

[Plate XV.-Fig. 7.]

Motacilla Canadensis, LINN. Syst. 336.-Le figuier bleu, BUFF. V, 304. Pl. Enl. 685, fig. 2.-LATн. Syn. 11, p. 487, No. 115.— Edw. 252.—Arct. Zool. p. 399, No. 285.-PEALE's Museum, No. 7222.*

I KNOW little of this bird. It is one of those transient visitors that in the month of April pass through Pennsylvania on its way to the north to breed. It has much of the Flycatcher in its manners, though the form of its bill is decisively that of the Warbler. These birds are occasionally seen for about a week or ten days, viz. from the twenty-fifth of April to the end of the first week in May. I sought for them in the southern states, in winter, but in vain. It is highly probable that they breed in Canada; but the summer residents among the feathered race, on that part of the continent, are little known or attended to. The habits of the bear, the deer and beaver, are much more interesting to those people, and for a good substantial reason too, because more lucrative; and unless there should arrive an order from England for a cargo of skins of Warblers and Flycatchers, sufficient to make them an object worth speculation, we are likely to know as little of them hereafter as at present.

This species is five inches long, and seven and a half broad, and is wholly of a fine light slate colour above; the throat, cheeks, front and upper part of the breast is black; wings and tail dusky black, the primaries marked with a spot of white immediately below their coverts; tail edged with blue; belly 'Sylvia cærulescens, VIEILL. Ois, de l'Am. Sept. pl, 80. VOL. II. Y y

and vent white; legs and feet dirty yellow; bill black, and beset with bristles at the base. The female is more of a dusky ash on the breast; and in some specimens nearly white.

They no doubt pass this way on their return in autumn, for I have myself shot several in that season; but as the woods are then still thick with leaves, they are much more difficult to be seen; and make a shorter stay than they do in spring.

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

[Plate XVII.—Fig. 3.]

Motacilla virens, GMEL. Syst. 1, p. 985.-Le figuier a cravate noire, BUFF. v, p. 298.-Black-throated Green Flycatcher, Edw. t. 300.-Green Warbler, Arct. Zool. 11, No. 297.-LATH. Syn. iv, p. 484, 108.-TURTON, Syst. p. 607.-Parus viridis gutture nigro, the Green Black-throated Flycatcher, BARTRAM, p. 292.*

THIS is one of those transient visitors that pass through Pennsylvania, in the latter part of April and beginning of May, on their way to the north to breed. It generally frequents the high branches and tops of trees, in the woods, in search of the larvæ of insects that prey on the opening buds. It has a few singular chirrupping notes; and is very lively and active. About the tenth of May it disappears. It is rarely observed on its return in the fall, which may probably be owing to the scarcity of its proper food at that season obliging it to pass with greater haste; or to the foliage, which prevents it and other passengers from being so easily observed. Some few of these birds, however, remain all summer in Pennsylvania, having myself shot three this season, in the month of June; but I have never yet seen their nest.

This species is four inches and three quarters long, and seven broad; the whole back, crown and hind head is of a rich yellowish green; front, cheeks, sides of the breast, and line over the eye, yellow; chin and throat black; sides under the wings spotted with black; belly and vent white; wings dusky black, marked with two white bars; bill black; legs and feet brownish yellow; tail dusky edged with light ash; the three exterior feathers spotted on their inner webs with white. The female is distinguished by having no black on the throat.

* Sylvia virens, VIEILL. Ois. de l'Am, Sept. pl. 80.