experience all the ardency of those passions no less than their lord and sovereign man.

The Kentucky Warbler is five inches and a half long, and eight inches in extent; the upper parts are an olive green; line over the eye and partly under it, and whole lower parts, rich brilliant yellow; head slightly crested, the crown deep black, towards the hind part spotted with light ash; lores, and spot curving down the neck, also black; tail nearly even at the end, and of a rich olive green; interior vanes of that and the wings dusky; legs an almost transparent pale flesh colour.

The female wants the black under the eye, and the greater part of that on the crown, having those parts yellowish. This bird is very abundant in the moist woods along the Tennesee and Cumberland rivers.

PRAIRIE WARBLER.

[Plate XXV.-Fig. 4.]

PEALE'S Museum, No. 7784.

THIS pretty little species I first discovered in that singular tract of country in Kentucky, commonly called the Barrens. I shot several afterwards in the open woods of the Chactaw nation, where they were more numerous. They seem to prefer these open plains, and thinly wooded tracts; and have this singularity in their manners, that they are not easily alarmed; and search among the leaves the most leisurely of any of the tribe I have yet met with; seeming to examine every blade of grass, and every leaf; uttering at short intervals a feeble chirr. I have observed one of these birds to sit on the lower branch of a tree for half an hour at a time, and allow me to come up nearly to the foot of the tree, without seeming to be in the least disturbed, or to discontinue the regularity of its occasional note. In activity it is the reverse of the preceding species; and is rather a scarce bird in the countries where I found it. Its food consists principally of small caterpillars and winged insects.

The Prairie Warbler is four inches and a half long, and six inches and a half in extent; the upper parts are olive, spotted on the back with reddish chestnut; from the nostril over and under the eye, yellow; lores black; a broad streak of black also passes beneath the yellow under the eye; small pointed spots of black reach from a little below that along the side of the neck and under the wings; throat, breast and belly rich yellow; vent cream coloured, tinged with yellow; wings dark dusky olive; primaries and greater coverts edged and tipt with pale yellow; econd row of coverts wholly yellow; lesser, olive; tail deep

VOL. II.-3 B

brownish black, lighter on the edges, the three exterior feathers broadly spotted with white.

The female is destitute of the black mark under the eye; has a few slight touches of blackish along the sides of the neck; and some faint shades of brownish red on the back.

The nest of this species is of very neat and delicate workmanship, being pensile, and generally hung on the fork of a low bush or thicket; it is formed outwardly of green moss, intermixed with rotten bits of wood and caterpillars' silk; the inside is lined with extremely fine fibres of grape-vine bark; and the whole would scarcely weigh a quarter of an ounce. The eggs are white, with a few brown spots at the great end. These birds are migratory, departing for the south in October.

BLUE-GREEN WARBLER.

[Plate XXVII.-—Fig. 2.]

PEALE'S Museum, No. 7788.

THIS new species, the only one of its sort I have yet met with, was shot on the banks of Cumberland river, about the beginning of April; and the drawing made with care immediately after. Whether male or female I am uncertain. It is one of those birds that usually glean among the high branches of the tallest trees, which render it difficult to be procured. It was darting about with great nimbleness among the leaves, and appeared to have many of the habits of the Flycatcher. After several ineffectual excursions in search of another of the same kind, with which I might compare the present, I am obliged to introduce it with this brief account.

The specimen has been deposited in Mr. Peale's museum. The Blue-green Warbler is four inches and a half long, and seven and a half in extent; the upper parts are verditer, tinged with pale green, brightest on the front and forehead; lores, line over the eye, throat, and whole lower parts very pale cream; cheeks slightly tinged with greenish; bill and legs bright light blue, except the upper mandible, which is dusky; tail forked, and, as well as the wings brownish black; the former marked on the three exterior vanes with white and edged with greenish; the latter having the first and second row of coverts tipt with white. Note a feeble chirp.

SPECIES 28. SYLVIA RUBRICAPILLA.

NASHVILLE WARBLER.

[Plate XXVII.- Fig. 3.]

PEALE'S Museum, No. 7789.

THE very uncommon notes of this little bird were familiar to me for several days before I succeeded in obtaining it. These notes very much resembled the breaking of small dry twigs, or the striking of small pebbles of different sizes smartly against each other for six or seven times, and loud enough to be heard at the distance of thirty or forty yards. It was some time before I could ascertain whether the sound proceeded from a bird or an insect. At length I discovered the bird; and was not a little gratified at finding it an entirely new and hitherto undescribed species. I was also fortunate enough to meet afterwards with two others exactly corresponding with the first, all of them being males. These were shot in the state of Tennesee, not far from Nashville. It had all the agility and active habits of its family the Worm-eaters.

The length of this species is four inches and a half, breadth seven inches; the upper parts of the head and neck light ash, a little inclining to olive; crown spotted with deep chestnut in small touches; a pale yellowish ring round the eye; whole lower parts vivid yellow, except the middle of the belly, which is white; back yellow olive, slightly skirted with ash; rump and tail coverts rich yellow olive; wings nearly black, broadly edged with olive; tail slightly forked and very dark olive; legs ash; feet dirty yellow; bill tapering to a fine point, and dusky ash; no white on wings or tail; eye hazel.