TOWHE BUNTING.
ordinary length, the third and fourth quills longest, the first much shorter,
the secondaries short. Tail long, rounded, the lateral feathers slightly
curved outwards towards the tip.
Bill black. Iris bright red. Legs and claws pale yellowish-brown.
Head, neck, and upper parts generally, deep black. A white band
across the primaries, partly concealed by their coverts; outer edge of
first quill white; margins of the last secondaries brownish-white. Lateral
tail-feathers white, excepting at the base, and a longitudinal streak
towards the tip, on the outer web; the next two white on the inner web,
towards the end. Breast white, abdomen pale red; sides and lateral
parts of the breast brownish-red.
Length 8g inches, extent of wings 12; beak along the ridge ^,
along the gap § ; tarsus 1£, middle toe 1, hind toe §.
Adult Female. Plate XXIX. Fig. %
The female is scarcely smaller, and differs from the male in having
the parts which in him are of a deep black, reddish-brown, excepting the
bill, which is almost entirely light blue, the ridge of the upper mandible
only being dark brown.
Length 8 \ inches.
In the adult bird the iris is bright red, but in the young it is frequently
brown, and sometimes yellowish-white. In some instances, one
eye is brown and the other red.
T H E B L A C K B E R R Y.
Ituuus V I L L O S U S , Willd. Sp. PI. vol. ii. p. 1085. Pursh, Fl. Amer. vol. i. p. 34C.—
I C O S A N D R I A P O L Y G Y R I A , Linn. R O S A C E A , JUSS.
Pubescent, prickly, with angular twigs; the leaves ternate or quinate,
with ovato-oblong, serrate, acuminate leaflets, downy on both sides ;
the calycine leaves short, acuminate ; and a loose raceme of white flowers.
The berry is black. This species grows abundantly in old fields and by
fences.
C 153 )
VIGORS'S WARBLER.
SYLVIA VIGORSII.
P L A T E X X X . MALE.
I R E G R E T that I am unable to give any account of the habits of a
species which I have honoured with the name of a naturalist whose merits
are so well known to the learned world. The individual represented in the
plate I shot upwards of twenty years ago, and have never met with another
of its kind. It was in the month of May, on a small island of the
Perkioming Creek, forming part of my farm of Mill Grove, in the State
of Pennsylvania. The bird was flittering amongst grasses, uttering an
often repeated cheep.
The plant on which it is represented is that on which it was perched
when I shot it, and is usually called Spider-wort. It grows in damp and
shady places, as well as sometimes in barren lands, near the banks of
brooks.
S Y L V I A V I G O R S I I.
Male. Plate XXX.
Bill of ordinary length, rather robust, depressed at the base, straight,
acute; upper mandible notched, slightly deflected at the tip; lower
shorter. Head of ordinary size, neck short, body ovate. Legs of ordinary
length, slender ; tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered with a few
long scutella, toes free, the lateral ones nearly equal, the middle toe much
longer; claws weak, much compressed, acute, slightly arched.
Plumage soft, tufty, blended. Wings of ordinary size, the second
quill longest. Tail longish, a little forked, of twelve feathers. A few
small basirostral bristles.
Bill brownish-black. Iris dark brown. Feet flesh-coloured. Head
and back light greenish-brown. Wings blackish-brown, the first two
rows of coverts tipped with white. Tail of the some colour, the outer
feather white. Throat pale grey, lower neck and breast ochre-yellow,
abdomen yellowish-white.