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C H I L D R E N ' S WARBLER.
SYLVIA CHILDRENII.
P L A T E X X X V . MALE AND FEMALE.
T H I S little bird so much resembles the young of that called, I know
not why, the Blue-eyed Yellow Warbler, that I was at first inclined to
think it the same; but, recollecting that the latter acquires the full colouring
of its plumage, in both sexes, before the return of spring, and
finding some material differences in their habits, I have not hesitated in
presenting it to you, kind reader, not only as a new species, but as one
extremely rare in the United States.
I shot two of these birds in May 1821, near the town of Jackson, in
the State of Louisiana. They were sitting amongst the stalks of the
plant, on which they are represented. Their wings were constantly
drooping by the sides of their body, their tail spread out like a fan, and
they uttered a low tweet note, which was very soft and sweet. They now
and then chased small insects on the wing, but more commonly searched
for them amongst the leaves and blossoms of the plants on which they
were. After a few minutes, I discovered their nest, which contained five
young ones nearly fledged. It was attached by the sides to two twigs of
the plant, and was formed of the dried bark of the same plant, mixed
with skins of caterpillars and some silky substances. The lining consisted
of goat's or deer hair, I think the former, as there were some tame
goats in an adjoining pasture. I shot both the parents, and took the
young under my care, but they would not receive any food, and died towards
the end of the second day after their removal. I have never seen
another of these birds since.
The scarcity of this species in the United States putting me in mind
of that of true friendship among men, I have named it after my most esteemed
friend, J. G. C H I L D R E N , Esq. of the British Museum, as a tribute
of sincere gratitude for the unremitted kindness which he has shewn
me.
The plant is known by the name of the Wild Spanish Coffee. It
grows very abundantly in almost every field in the Uplands of Lower
Louisiana. The smell of its flowers, as well as of its leaves, is extremely
disagreeable, if not nauseous.
CHILDREN'S WARBLER.
CHILDREN'S WARBLER, SYLVIA CHILDRENII.
Adult Male. Plate XXXV. Fig. 1.
Bill longish, straight, subulato-conical, acute, the edges sharp, the
gap line slightly deflected at the base. Nostrils basal, lateral, elliptical,
half closed by a membrane. Head and neck of ordinary size. Body rather
slender. Feet of ordinary length, slender; tarsus longer than the
middle toe, covered anteriorly by a few scutella, the uppermost long ;
toes scutellate above, free, the hind toe of moderate size; claws slender,
compressed, acute, arched.
Plumage soft, blended, tufty. Wings of ordinary length, acute, the
first quill longest. Tail shortish, when closed nearly even. A few short
bristles at the base of the upper mandible.
Bill brown, lighter beneath. Iris dark brown. Feet flesh-coloured.
The general colour of the upper parts is yellowish-green, tinged with
brown. Forehead, sides of the head, supra-ocular region, and under
parts generally deep yellow. Quills dusky on the inner webs. Tail
feathers dusky on the outer webs, yellow on the inner, excepting the two
middle, which are dusky.
Length 4 | inches, extent of wings 7\ ; bill along the ridge T
5
g , along
the gap T
7 2 .
Adult Female. Plate XXXV. Fig. 2.
The female is considerably smaller. The distribution of its colouring
is the same, but the tints are much lighter, the upper parts being
pale yellowish-green tinged with grey ; the sides of the head, supra-ocular
and frontal spaces pale yellowish-grey, and the under parts of a tint approaching
to lemon-yellow.
T H E W I L D S P A N I S H C O F F E E.
CASSIA OCCIDENTALIS, Willd. Sp. PI. vol. ii. p. 510. Pursh, Flor. Amer. vol. i.
p. 305.—DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn. LEGUMIKOSJE, JUSS.
This species is distinguished by its ovato-lanceolate, quinquejugate
leaves, scabrous at the margin, the outer larger ; its many-flowered axillar
and somewhat panicled peduncles, and its linear, falciform legumes.
It flowers through the summer, and grows chiefly in old fields, in the
Southern States.