THE AUK'

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF

ORNITHOLOGY.

VOL. XlV. JULY, !897. No. 3-

A STUDY OF THE PHILADELPHIA VIREO (F-JREO t•t•rœLA D E œt•t•rœ C US).

BY JONATHAN DWIGHT, JR., M.D.

_P/ale ZZ

THE Philadelphia Vireo was first described as a new species nearly half a century ago by Mr. John Cassin,from a specimen taken near Philadelphia, Pa., in September,x842 (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., V, Feb. x85• , p. x53, pl. xo, fig. 2). It was many years later before anything was known of the breeding habits of the birds, and an article by Mr. William Brewster(Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, V, •88o, pp. x-7), who found the species rather commonlydistributed over the Lake Umbagog region in western Maine, remainsto-day the only sketchwe have of them. I should perhapsexcept the notes of Mr. E. SetonThompson who, in x884, found a nest and eggs near Fort Pelly, Assiniboia,and briefly recordedthe circumstance(Seton [: Thompson],Auk, II, i885, pp. 305, 3o6). Few other observershave beenfavored with more than rare glimpsesof the birds, which are still consideredprizes wherever they are captured. And yet many specimens,almost wholly migrants,have been recordedof late years, so that the geographicaldistribution of the speciesis pretty definitely estab- lished. It appears to winter in Central America, as far south as

260 DWIGHT,The •hz7adel•hœa Vireo. L[-Auk July

Costa Rica, and during the migration ranges over the eastern United States,being most abundant in the MississippiValley. Its breeding range probably covers a large part of Canada east of the Rocky Mountains and a few adjacent portions of the northernmostUnited States. Breeding specimenshave been recorded from New Brunswick (Edmundston), Quebec (near Ottawa), Ontario (Moose Factory), Manitoba (Winnipeg), and Assiniboia(Fort Pelly), the last the westernmostrecord; also from Maine (Lake U•nbagog), New Hampshire (White Moun- tains), Indiana (Carroll County), Illinois (Chicago), Minnesota and Dakota (Red Ri.v.e•r,Valley), and Nebraska(Lincoln), the last thewesternmos•- record in the UnitedStates. Thereis at present no good evidence of the occurrenceof the species,except as a migrant, in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa, where it is to be expected, for it has been recorded as breedingin the adjacent States. Numerous other records need hardly occupyspace here for they have received ample treatment elsewhere and have servedme only as a basis on which to build the brief summary of facts here presented. Mr. Brewster was the first to acquaint us with the social side of the Philadelphia Vireo, and it is largely from this point of view that I now wish to considerthese •nodest little birds, draggingthem again beforethe public after they have conductedtheir domestic affairs quite undisturbedfor the last sixteen years. I feel on terms of considerableintimacy with them for I have cultivated their acquaintanceduring portionsof four summersspent among them near the little village of Tadousac, Province of Quebec, Canada, where I have found them to be rather common. My experience with the•n has been very much like Mr. Brewster's and consequentlymy remarksmust of necessitybe somewhatin the natureof a postscript)co his graphicallypenned observations. It was on the •oth of July, •893 , that a Philadelphia Vireo introducedherself to noticeby scoldingme most unceremoniously, --at least I took it to be a female and one just off the nest, from the way she kept rufflingand pickingat her feathers and shaking herself as many birds do when disturbedfrom their eggs. Still, no nest could be found, nor was my lady anywhereabout at later visits to the samespot. However,profiting by the fact that I had Vol.•897XtV-[ J DWIGHT,The 29hœ1adel•hia [q'reo. 26 •: seen an undoubted Philadelphia Vireo, and stimulated by the recollection of what Mr. Brewster had written about the great similaritybetween the songof this bird and that of the Red-eyed Vireo, I shortlymade the discovery that, like him, I had been living right in the midst of Philadelphias, mistaking them for Red-eyes. No better illustrationof the dangerof identifyingbirds by their songsaloae could be desired than our similar experiences, and it teaches an obviouslesson. I soon familiarized myself with the new song and, guided largely by it, have found this rare and wilderness-lovingVireo to be irregularly distributedas a smnmer resident in small numbersover a large area of wild mountainous country about Tadousac. The village is mostpicturesquely situated at the junction of the Saguenaywith the St. LawrenceRiver, being hemmed in by low mountainsof inconsiderableheight, a thousandor fifteen hundred feet, part of the great Laurentian chain which extends for many miles along the north shore of the broad St. Lawrence. Preci- pices of no mean height, gray with lichens and mosses,frown darkly over the Saguenay,while the adjacenthills and mountains, piled in great confusion•stand out as dull massesof bare granite or are scantilyclad with strugglingbushes and dwarfedtrees that cling in the seamsand crevices. In someof the valleysthere are small rushing brooks tumbling over the rocks shadowedby a dense growth; in others,filled with the soil brought thither by the erosion of a former epoch, the brooks have sunk deep channels or gulches,which also are oftentimeswell wooded. There are, too, terraces of sand, underlaid with clay banks, and eastward from the village they jut boldly, in great bluffs, into the St. Lawrence. In the rockyportions of the countryno cultivation is possible,but the terracesand the valleys afford here and there a few fields where slim crops of hay and oats are raised. The wildernessextends eastward, westward, and northward,a sparsely woodedcountry of toweringhills and rockswhere there is little to break the monotonysave a great number of small lakes, clear and cold, stretchesof ' barrens,'and the singleroad which winds through the valleys. The forest, even where worthy the name, is thinly scattered over this inhospitableregion and muchof it hasfallen beforeaxe 262 D•WGHT,The ]•hz7adel•hia Vireo. L[-Auk July and fire, giving place, especiallyin the vicinity of Tadousac,to a secondgrowth in which the bush elementpredominates and where deciduoustrees considerablyoutnumber the conifers. Poplarsor aspens,white and yellow birches and maples are the commonest trees,the poplarsand whitebirches occurring in small straggling groupsor scatteredbroadcast throughout the woodsand clearings. There is, too, a goodly sprinkling of evergreensoœ several sorts-- pines, sprucesand firs--which grow in squat little patches or quite alone in the woodsor on the mountainsides. The northern characterof the region is indicated by the abundance of such species(among many others) as the northernscrub pine (iOinus 1;anksiani),the Labradortea (Zedumlat•folium), the crowberry (2•m:•etrumnilrum), the bunchberry(Comus canadc'nsis),and scoresof other shrubs and wild flowers. Immensequantities of blueberryand raspberrybushes thrive in the drier places,while the little swampsare massesof vegetation,but the moststriking and mostabundant of all the bushesis the alder. Alders,large and small,from fiat spreadinglittle matsto shadygroves of trunks a dozenand morefeet in height,are visible at everyturn. Flour- ishing on the sandbanks,dotted on the mountain sides,rooted in cool glens or fringingthe swampymargins of the lakes,they tangle up with the generalundergrowth or form separatepatches all by themselves. When the latter are of any extentthey become broad canopiesof shadebeneath which is found an open space where the breezesand the birds freely circulate. The summerclimate is delightful at Tadousac, its situation, a trifle north of Lat. 48ø , and the great body of coldtide-water in its immediate vicinity contributing to keep the summers cool. From the foregoingremarks, I trust that some idea may be gainedof the countrywhere I havefound the PhiladelphiaVireo, --a countryresembling in manyrespects, I fancy,that part of northwesternMaine where Mr. Brewsterbecame acquainted with the speciesmany years ago.

HABITS AND CHARACTERISTICS.

My observationsat Tadousac have never extendedover more than six consecutiveweeks in any one season,but my visits have Vol.t897X/V] J D•VmHT,T,•e P,•ilaclel•ia F7reo. 2• 3 beenso timedthat I havereally studied the birdsfrom themiddle of June to the first of September. The male Vireos are in fulI voice during June, but toward the end of the month the song periodrapidly wanes, and after the first days of Julytheir notes are not veryoften heard save as a subduedwarble at rare intervals. Now the birds ramble about in the bushes almost exclusively, insteadof resorting,as has been their wont,to favorite perches high in the trees. Early in July, in the secondweek, the young begin to leave the nests(which, I regret to say, I havenot been fortunate enoughto find) and betray their presencelike all incon- siderate fledglings by importunate demandsfor food; and no sooner are they able to shift a little for themselves than the parents have still further trouble thrust upon them in the shape of the autumnmoult. This beginsas early as the 2oth of July and seems to be pretty well completedduring the second week of August. By this time the young have also acquired their fall plumage,which is not appreciablydifferent from that of the adult. Young and old are now found associating with small restless bands of would-be migrants,perhaps a couple of Magnolia or Black-throatedGreen Warbiers, a Red-eyed Vireo, a stray Red- start, in fact almost any of the summersojourners, not forgetting a Chickadeeor two ever ready with their irrepressibleremarks. After the middle of August,the PhiladelphiaVireos seemto dis- appear for good--at least I have not found them later than this --and the summercycle of their life is completed. The birds are far less abundantthan the Red-eyedVireos over the same area, which outnumber them perhaps ten to one, and frequently the whole day passeswithout my seeing or hearing a single bird. Each summer I am able to locate upwards of a dozen pairs, but unless the males are singing they may give no token of their presence. The device of squeaking on the back of the hand sometimes has charms for them while at others,par-. ticularly when they are moulting, it has no effect •vhatever. Usuallythe device does not fail to stir up the nearestWhite- throated Sparrows,who storm with untiring vigor until all the other birds in the vicinity have cometo see what the row is about. The Olive-backedThrushes, the MagnoliaWarblers, the Canadian Warblers, the Redstarts, the Red-eyed Vireos, yes, all the birds 264 Dwm•rr,The Philadel2•hia Vireo. [July[-Auk within earshot, rush to the scene, take a hand in the chorus and having expressedtheir opinionsdiscreetly retire. Very often a PhiladelphiaVireo, seldomtwo, will join in the rumpusfor a little while but they soon slip away satisfied,leaving the White-throats as boisterous as ever in their denunciations. It is impossiblenot to be struck with the close resemblance betweenthe Philadelphiasand the Red-eyesin appearance,actions, and habits, as well as in song. Both frequent the same localities in the wilderness,but the Philadelphiasrather shun civilization and rarely appear, like the Red-eyes, in the village trees. Both prefer to sing in the upperbranches, but I have seldomfound the Philadelphias in the rambling groves of birches which are the especialdelight of the Red-eyes,and they are more partial to the low, bushy, secondgrowth or copsesof alders sprinkled with stray trees. Both hop from bough to bough in searchof food, singing as they go, and in actions the one is ahnost the coun- terpart of the other, save that the smaller bodied Philadelphias are quicker in their movementsas contrastedwith the lazy leisure of the Red-eyes. Another point of differenceis in the amountof curiosity displayed, the Philadelphias exhibiting comparatively little while the Red-eyes,fairly brimming over with it, never fail to seek the reason for unusual sights or sounds. The Philadel- phia's song is much slowerthan that of the Red-eye,while his scolding notes are much more rapid and less evenly delivered. There would seemto be a streak of ill-temperin the mentalcom- position of this little Vireo, which manifests itself in brief out- breaks of scolding. These notes are even interjected into the song,and also greet you unexpectedlyin the woods,as if you had disturbednest or young,but manyof theserude birdsturn out to be malesand can never be found a secondtime in the same locality. The fact is, unlessthey are in full song,it is no easymatter to find them in the same neighborhoodtwo days in succession,for the bushesare very thick and afford safe cover. In fine weather their pleasingmusic may be heard from daybreaktill midday,and again in the afternoon,but when it is dull and rainy or hot they often remain perfectly silent. While the female is incubating,her mate will spend hours in song,choosing an elevated perch or roving about, high and low, singing as he goes. Later in the Vol.x897XIV] DWlGItT,The t>•iladel•ia V,'reo. 265 seasonhe keeps altogetherin the bushes,warbling now and then, as if under his breath, in soft and disjointed measures. Some- times a pair is to be seen rambling together through the low bushes,uttering peculiar soft little clicksand squeaksthe while• but I must confessI find them at all times adepts in the art of concealment,although they are never really timid. There was one bird that I usedto watchby the hour. He was usuallyto be found singingon a particulartwig near the top of a tall poplar, one of a small groupthat he claimed as his exclusive domain. When I first saw him, flakes of poplar-downwere filling the air and lay drifted like banks of snow in everynook and corner,for it was then the middleof Juneand early summerwas in full swing. The daily round of life of my little friend •philade•icusseemed toclosely correspond with that of others that could not be so regularlystudied, and his traits differedin small degree from thoseof his brethren. He would sing the whole of the morning,scarcely skipping a note for upwardsof half an hour at a time. During the songhe contrivedto keep his body in con- tinual, restlessmotion as if on the point of taking flight, but in reality he did not even shift his hold on the bough. After a time, impelledno doubtby hunger,he wouldroam aboutin the adjacent trees•hopping with deliberationfrom limb to limb andturning his headfrom sideto sidein searchof food. Occasionallygrasping the very end of a branch he would swayupside down while inves- tigating its insectpossibilities, or swiftly pursueand catch in the air some heedlessfly. His now interrupted snatchesof song were infrequent and his scolding,mewing noteswould be heard from time to time. At lengthdescending to the adjacentbushes, he would be joined by his mate, doubtlessfrom her nest,and with soft lispingmurmurs they would soonbe lostin the tangle. Later on, I would hear him again from the old stand, or before return- ing thither his melodymight be heardin someof the small trees that dottedthe expanseof bushes. And so the dayswould slip uneventfullyby with alternate periodsof song and quiet. I feel confidentthe nestsare not placed in the trees,for in the localities where I have found the Vireos an examination of their very topsis accomplishedwithout much difficulty. Besides,the only nest ever taken, that foundby Mr. Thompson,was suspended

34 266 DWIGHT,Tke Pkz7adelfi•z'a l•z'reo. 1July['Auk only ten feet from theground in the twigsof a willow. It contained four eggson the •3th of June,which resembledthe eggs of the Red-eye but unfortunatelywere accidentlydestroyed. I used sometimesto meet with incubatingfemales that made very little fuss,perhaps merely leaning forward from a branchnear at hand, the crownfeathers raised in silent inquiry. But usually they gave vent to their disapprovalof my presencein burstsof vigorous roewingnotes in which the male heartily assisted. He does not, however, assistin incubation, like his relation the Warbling Vireo, but devoteshimself to melody, and a very cheerful melody it is too.

SONG.

To my ear the song partakesof the liquid sweetnessand leisurelyirregularity of that of the SolitaryVireo, the notesbeing sweeter,clearer, and a trifle higher pitchedthan thoseof the Red- eye. It is no easy matter to describethe songof a bird intelli- gently. We do not knowtheir languagenor havewe alphabetical signsor musicalnotation, that can conveyto us morethan a faint idea of bird music. Fortunatelywe have comparisonsto fall back upon, and as the song of the Red-eyedVireo is well knownto manyof us, someidea of that of the PhiladelphiaVireo may be gainedwhen I saythat while the former rapidly ripples out his music, the latter reiterates slowly a series of double or triple notes with marked pauses between. My experience has been that havingonce heard •Ai/aa'e/•/•ic•syou will seldommistake it for o/i,;aceus,while the reverse will not hold. There is more reduplicationof notesin the songof the Red-eyeand one might say, less time for taking breath. In Mr. Brewster'saccount of the birds, which I can corroboratein every particular, he speaks of a "double-syllabledutterance" coming in irregularlywith the generalsong. I would merely emphasizethe fact that it is the essenceof the song and enters into it at as regular intervalsas any of the other notes. It is a liquid note, beginningthe song and occupyingabout three fifths of a secondfor the two syllables of which it is composed,on both of which considerableemphasis is laid. There seems to be a slight trill or ripple betweenthe Vol.•897XlV'l J Dw•ou'r,The PhiladeJ•ia Vt'reo. 267 syllableswhen heard closeat hand and the inflectionrises slightly on the latter. A pausefollows, approximatingone and two fifths seconds,and the first note is again repeated, less forcibly and slightlyvaried. Again the pauseensues, and now it is followed by a triple note, not interrogatoryand indistinguishablefrom one of F..olivaceus..Again the pause, this time followed by a repeti- tion of the triple note, slightly varied so as to lose someof its sibilance, and after the customary pause of one and two fifths seconds,the song is repeated from the beginning, nearly eight secondshaving elapsedin completingone cycle. The four notes may be suggestedby the syllables vh•r-r'zvO,vh•r-wO, 15s#-•-rb, psr'-r-r& The sequenceof the notes, however,may vary a little, owing to the occasionalsubstitutioh of one for the other, but the same one is not repeatedmore than twice in succession,even after a break in the continuity of the song. Heard at a distance,it practically reduces to two alternated notes, which I find repre- sented in my note books of different years as ch•r-wip, in one place andpsi-w•'rt, psi-wa-t•t in another. The discrepan- . cies are instructive, showing independent efforts on my part to lay hold of the same sound. The speed at which the song flowson is an interestingfactor and is remarkably uniform for each individual songster,-- in fact, I could ahnostidentify certain Philadelphiasand Red-eyesby timing their songs. V. philadel•hicussings at the rate of from twenty-two to thirty-six notes a minute, averaging a trifle over twenty-six,while V..o/ivaceus rattles on at the rate of from fifty to seventy,their song rate averaginga trifle over fifty-nine. I do not mean to assertthat there were alwaysjust so many notesin a given minute, for both speciespause irregularly and drop out notes now and then, but if all were uttered in the same cadence as those actually heard, these figureswould be equaled, and, in fact, very often are equaled. They are, however,only to be satisfactorilyobtained at the height of the song period, and but for the careful use of a stop-watchI would hardly feel justified in presentingthem. Some individualsare better songstersthan others, but all follow more or less closely the type I have endeavored to describe. The song is sometimes a softer and disjointed affair and this soliloquizingtype is characteristicof the wane of the song period. 268 DwmuT, T•e P/•t7adel•g•'aV•'reo. [.July[Auk

Besides the song, this Vireo has the scolding note already mentioned. It does not resemble the correspondingcomplaint note of e/ivaceus,but is ahnost exactly like the aggressivenasal m)(&of •i/vus, whichhas a suggestionof thekatydidabout it. It is usually rapidly repeated five or six times or intermitted and continuedirregularly by series of from three to eight or more. Males and femalesboth make use of it, raising the feathers of the crown into a crest at the same time so as to look quite angry. This is the first soundimitated by the youngbirds, thoughusually rendered by them one note at a time and in a rather 'scrapey' voice, while the approach of the food-ladenparent will excite a chatter, marked chiefly by its incoherent rapidity. The other regular notesof the adults are the indescribablesoft clickingsand squeakingsof which I have already spoken•a mine of low music intended as householdgossip when the loud song is laid aside. These, as well as the scoldingnotes• are also inter- spersed in the intervals of the soliloquized song in which the male indulgeswhen roving at will. It is evident that but one brood is raised in a season. I have seen youngbirds as early as July 7, comical little chaps largely bare skin and the promise of a tail. At this tender age they are unwilling to essayflight except when urged by anxious parents to make a clumsy,flying leap from one twig to another,but they are knowing enoughto keep quiet when they hear a crashingin the bushes,and as they becomeolder they loseno time in moving quickly away. I have found them in alder thickets or along someof the bushy cattle pat.hswhich end abruptly at steep walls of rock or lose themselvesin small clearings. In fact I never could tell when or where I might run across the birds, young or old, but during the latter part of July, when the moult is in progress,it is ahnost impossibleto find them anywhere. I asso- ciate them, however, with the alder patches where they wander loudly singing in early summer,softly warblingin midsummer, and becomingsilent long before the chill of autumnhas come. It could be said that the Philadelphia Vireo might well emulate his indefatigablerelation, the Red-eye,whose song period extends day in at•d day out well into the fall, but our little friend undoubtedly knows well what he is about or he would not have successfully Vol.•7 XIV-] d DWIGHT,The l>ht'ladel•hfa I•t'reo. 269

hidden himself from the world for so many years. He is to be expected and should be looked for as a regular summer residentin many of the wilder regionsof Canada.

l•LUMAGE AND MOULT.

There yet remainssomething to be said regardingthe plumage and moult of the birds. On the accompanyingplate is figuredan adult male Fireoi•hi/adelphicusin breedingdress, contrasted with I•ireo•ilvus, the speciesit most resemblesin plumage. It may be seenat a glancehow much yellowerphiladel_phicusis, a difference that holds in all plumages and at all seasonsof the year. A more distinctive character, however, than color is found in the short first primary of •ihms, which is abortive and practically absent in _philadelphicus,the former, therefore, having by actual count ten primaries,the latter apparentlyonly nine. ld.phila- delphicusin the springis distinctlywashed below with pale lemon yellow,which is deeperin the fall dress. When seenin the trees the birds may easily be mistakenfor the smallfemales of I•ireo olivaceus,and they also bear a certain resemblanceto I•ireo be//i, which western observers would do well to remember. My series of twenty-sixspecimens is an instructiveone, con- taining as it does spring, summer and autumn birds, old as well as young. From amongthe latter I selectthe followingas typical of the first or nestling plumage here describedfor the first time. Young'œnfirst •lumag'e (o• juv., No. 367o. Collectionof J. Dwight, Jr., Tadousac, Q31ebec,July i3, i893):--Above, olive-brown, paler on the head, nape and rump. Below, pale primrose-yellow deeper on the flanks. Side of head, including the auricularsand superciliarystripe, buff-yellow; orbital ring faintly yellow; trace of dusky 1oral and post-ocular streak. Remiges (including coverts) and rectrices clove-brown narroxvly edged externally with olive-green,brightest on the secondaries,becoming olive- gray at the apicesof the primaries and secondariesand strongly tinged with bro•vn on all the wing-coverts. Iris, deep hazel brown. Feet, pink- ish buff, drying to a dusky wood-broxvn.Bill, pale bistre, the lower mandible flesh tinged, drying to a yellowish raw umber-brown. The specimenis very young,the wing quills and their coverts only aboutone half grown,and the tail is barelysprouting. The yellowbelow servesto at once distinguishit from either gilvus or [-Auk 270 DWIGHT,The ]•hz'laclelfihz'aVireo. [July olivaceus,both of which are silky white belo•v at the same age. Other specimensin my seriesshow the changeof the younginto autumnplumage, •vhich is acquired,as in Fireoolivaceus, •vithout moultof flight-feathersor tail. These remain,although the body- feathersbegin to be replacedby new ones before the •vings and tail have attained their full gro•vth. The feathersretained are the primaries, their coverts,the secondaries,the tertiaries,and the rectrices,--all the rest of the plumage is evanescentand is rene•ved soon after the bird leaves the nest. A bird taken July 28 has the wingsand tail fully grownbut the deciduoussheaths are still in place at the basesof the qu111s.The brownupper parts are mottled •vith the bright olive-green autumn feathers •vhichhave extensivelyreplaced the otherson the nape,back and rump. The forehead and sidesof head show many ne•v feathers. A yello•vband belmv in strong contrastto the paler first plumage, has developedon the throat and showsfaintly on the flanksbeyond the forking of the inferior feather tract. The new wing-coverts (except the primary coverts)are beginning to sprout. A bird taken August 4 is farther advanced. The sheathsof the quill feathers have disappeared; the •ving-covertsare nearly full grmvn; and the ne•v body plumageis nearly complete,only a fe•v feathers still in their sheathssprouting here and there. A bird of August 6 is almostentirely in fall dress,and othersof August •5 are still moulting a few auricular and abdominalfeathers, •vhile one of September24 showsno trace whateverof the moult and is practically indistinguishablefrom the adult. Still, in average specimensthe yellow belo•vis a little richer and extendsfurther over the abdomenand the bill is yellmvishinstead of blackish as in the adult. Whether there is any spring moult in this species I am unable to sayfor I have seen no specimenstaken at a time when it might be expectedto occur,but the state of the plumagein springbirds indicatesthat there is none. The fall plumageof young and old is probablyworn until the next annual moult, whichbegins towards the •nd of July. In springspecimens the amountof yello•vis variable, althoughpaler than in the fall, and the abrasionis not at all marked, but this is to be expected in an arboreal species. A specimenof July 22 is the earliest one that sho•vssigns of moult. Vol.•897XIV'] J DWIGHT,T,•e -t•,•z'ladel_•,•'a l/?•'eo. 2 7 I

There are a few pin-pointnew feathers on the breast,the crown and the back; the ninth and eighthprimaries have been replaced by new quills one quarter grown,the ninth slightlylonger than the eighth•and the seventhbarely showsas a minutefollicle. Specimenstaken later show the progressof the moult whichis complete,body-feathers, wings and tail. There is considerable individual variation in the sequenceof developmentof the feathers of the different tracts, but the development is pretty uniform on the whole and seems to radiate from various centres. The earliest new feathersappear on the breast, near the forkingof the inferior feather-tract,and on the back in the interscapular region. The crown shortlybegins to moult and the inner primary (the ninth by count) falls quickly followed by the eighth. The body plumageis quite rapidlyrenewed• the correspondingprimaries of eachwing slowly falling in pairswith their covertsso that the body plumageis largelyrenewed before the outer primariesfall. The wing-covertsbegin to be renewedalter the primariesbegin to fall and are usually complete before the outer primaries are replaced. The outer members of the rows are the first to be moulted and this also applies to the terriaries which are completelyrenewed before the secondariesbegin to fall. This occurs when only three or four of the old outer primaries remain, and the rectrices also fall at this stage, or a little before, beginning with the middle pair. The outer secondaryof each wing falls first xvhilethe inner secondaryand the alula are the last parts of the wing to be renewed. The renewal of the body plumage is usually very well under way before the moult is conspicuousin the wings,but the last traces of new growth are usually a few auricular and abdominalfeathers and perhaps a few on the chin and scapular region. A bird of August4 is particularlyinstructive. All that remainsof the old dressare a few auricular,scapular and abdom- inal feathersof the body plumage,the outer pair of rectricesof the tail, the three outer primaries, their coverts, the alula, the five inner secondaries,and muchof the lining of the wing. I have followed the moult with considerable detail because noth- ing has been knownregarding it in this particularspecies, and it seemsprobable from the material I have handled that it is typical of all of our Vireos. 27 2 CovEs,The Turkey •uestiou. I_JulyFAu}•

I have taken this opportunityof describingthe unknown first plumageand I have exploited the birds themselvesin a manner which I trust has been of interest to my readers. The Philadel_ phia Vireos themselves, however, may think I have trespassed too much on my acquaintance with them.

THE TURKEY QUESTION.

BY DR. ELLIOTT COUF, S.

I WOULDnot bring up this vexatious Inatter if we could flatter ourselvesthat we had settledit acceptablyin the A. O. U. Check- List. That we have not done so is evident; for the British Museum Catalogueof x893 reversesour decision,in so far as nomenclatureis concerned;and we are not likely to be supported in that positionby any writers exceptthose who copyus blindly. In my judgment,we are exactly wrong; and I hope to see the wrong righted in the next edition of the List. My contention is, that the name J/felea•ris •allo•avo, as now restricted,belongs to the Mexican Turkey, and that some other name must be found to distinguishthe Wild Turkey of the United States. There is no material fact of ornithologyin dispute; the issueis simplythe proper application of ourrules in thisinstance; it is independent of any question whether the two birds be regarded as full species,or as subspecies;it is independentalso of any question of the availability of Bartram's name americana. The point is, to which form of g•rele_a•risdoes the Linn•ean term •allopavo properly attach ? On various former occasionswhen I Was treating of these birds--as in all the editionsof the 'Key,' in the ' Birds of the Northwest,'in the ' CenturyDictionary,' and in other publications, I h•tvetaken the groundthat J/. ffallopavodesignated the form called _J/Z.mexicana in x856 by Gould, on the theory that the Linn•eanname was basedprimarily upon the domesticTurkey,