Blackburnian Warbler, Sylvia Blackburniæ, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. iii. p. 67. pl. 28. fig. 3.—Nuttall, Manual, part i. p. 379.
Adult Male. Plate CXXXV.
Bill short, straight, subulato-conical, acute, rather broader than deep at the base, the edges sharp. Nostrils basal, lateral, elliptical, half-closed by a membrane. General form slender. Feet of ordinary length; tarsus slender, compressed, anteriorly scutellate, sharp behind; toes free, scutellate above, the hind toe of moderate size; claws arched, slender, compressed, acute.
Plumage soft, blended, slightly glossed. Wings longish, the first quill longest, the two next scarcely shorter, and almost equal. Tail of moderate length, slightly emarginate.
Bill and legs umber-brown, the former bluish at the base below. Iris hazel. The general colour of the upper parts is black, with streaks of white on the back. A small patch of orange on the top of the head, a band of the same colour from the base of the mandible over the eye, passing down the neck and curving forwards; a similar short band under the eye; lore, and a patch behind the eye, black. Quills margined with white, and a large patch of the same on the wing, including the inner secondary coverts, and the ends of the outer, with those of the first row of smaller coverts. The three outer tail-feathers on each side white at the base, and along the inner web. Throat and breast of a rich reddish-orange, the hind part of the breast and belly dull yellow, fading backwards; the sides of the breast marked with black streaks and spots.
Length 4¾ inches, extent of wings 7¾; bill along the ridge 4⁄12, along the edge ½; tarsus 8½⁄12.
The Female resembles the male in colouring, but the bright orange of the head and breast is replaced by yellow.
Phlox maculata, Willd. Sp. Pl. vol. i. p. 840. Pursh, Flor. Amer. Sept. vol. i. p. 149.—Pentandria Monogynia, Linn. Polemonia, Juss.
Erect; the stem rough, with purplish dots; the leaves oblongo-lanceolate, smooth, with the margin rough; the flowers in an oblong crowded panicle, of a purplish-red tint, the segments of the corolla rounded; the calycine teeth acute and recurved. It grows abundantly in wet meadows, from New England to Carolina. The flowers, although pleasing to the eye, have no scent.