Helmitherus vermivorus, Bonap.
2148
Gen. Char. Bill large and stout, compressed, almost tanagrine; nearly or quite as long as the head. Culmen very slightly curved; gonys straight; no notch in the bill; rictal bristles wanting. Tarsi short, but little longer, if any, than the middle toe. Tail considerably shorter than the wings; rather rounded. Wings rather long, the first quill a little shorter than the second and third.
Helmitherus vermivorus.
The birds of this division are very plain in their colors, more so than any other American Warblers. There are but two species referable to the genus, of which the H. swainsoni differs from the type in having a considerably longer and more compressed bill, the ridge of which is compressed, elevated, and appears to extend backwards on the forehead, as well as to be in a straight line with the upper part of the head. The wings are longer; the tail forked; not rounded; the feathers narrower and more pointed; the tarsi shorter than in the type. It appears to be at least a distinct subgenus to which the name Helinaia, Aud., is to be applied.
Common Characters. Colors plain. Above olivaceous, beneath nearly white. No spots or bands on wing or tail.
H. vermivorus. Above olive-green. Head yellowish, with a black stripe above and one behind each eye. Tail rounded. Hab. Eastern Province of United States; south to Costa Rica; Cuba. (Helmitherus.)
H. swainsoni. Above dull olive-green, tinged with brown. Stripes on the head somewhat as in the last, but reddish-brown; the median light stripe on the crown scarcely visible. Tail slightly forked. Hab. South Carolina and Georgia; Cuba (very rare). (Helinaia.)
Helmitherus vermivorus, Bonap.