Chapter XIX: Section IV: Crown rufous; body above, olive-green (10)

_Corvus canadensis_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 158.—FORSTER, Phil.
Trans. LXII, 1772, 382.—WILSON, Am. Orn. III, 1811, 33, pl.
xxi.—BON. Obs. 1824, No. 42.—AUD. Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 53; V,
1839, 208, pl. cvii. _Garrulus canadensis_, BON. (Saggio,
1831?) Syn. 1828, 58.—SWAINSON, F. Bor.-Am. II, 1831,
295.—NUTTALL, Man. I, 1832, 232.—AUD. Syn. 1839, 155.—IB.
Birds Am. IV, 1842, 121, pl. ccxxxiv. _Dysornithia canadensis_,
SWAINSON, F. Bor.-Am. II, 1831, Appendix. _Perisoreus
canadensis_, BON. List, 1838.—IB. Conspectus, 1850, 375.—CAB.
Mus. Hein. 1851, 219.—NEWBERRY, Rep. P. R. R. Surv. VI, IV,
1857, 85.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 590.—COUES, P. A. N. S.
1861, 226.—SAMUELS, 366. _Garrulus fuscus_, VIEILLOT, Nouv.
Dict. XII, 1817, 479. _Pica nuchalis_, WAGLER, Syst. Av. 1827
(Pica No. 14). _Garrulus trachyrrhynchus_, SWAINSON, F.
Bor.-Am. II, 1831, 296, pl. lv (young). “_Coracias mexicanus_,
TEMMINCK,” GRAY.

SP. CHAR. Tail graduated; lateral feathers about one inch shortest. Wings a little shorter than the tail. Head and neck and forepart of breast white. A rather sooty plumbeous nuchal patch, becoming darker behind, from the middle of the cap to the back, from which it is separated by an interrupted whitish collar. Rest of upper parts dark ashy-plumbeous; the outer primaries margined, the secondaries, tertials, and tail-feathers obscurely tipped with white. Beneath smoky-gray. Crissum whitish. Bill and feet black. Length, 10.70; wing, 5.75; tail, 6.00; tarsus, 1.40.

HAB. Eastern Northern America into the northern part of United States; British America to Upper Yukon.

The young of this species are everywhere of a dull sooty-plumbeous, lighter on the middle of the belly, and more bluish-plumbeous on the wings and tail. With increasing age the region about the base of the bill whitens.

There is a decided bluish cast to the plumbeous of the tail. The white frontal patch has a convex posterior outline, and is abruptly defined against the blackish of the occiput and nape.

All specimens from Canada and the Northeastern United States, to the interior of British America, are referrible to this variety; in the Yukon Territory specimens show a tendency to var. _obscurus_ of the northwest coast, having a narrower whitish frontal patch.

HABITS. The Canada Jay was procured at Fort Simpson by Mr. Kennicott in August, September, and December, and at the same point by Mr. Ross in March and April, in the years 1860 and 1861. It was found breeding in May at Anderson River Fort by Mr. MacFarlane. It was also procured at Big Island by Mr. Reid, at Nulato and Unalakleet by Mr. Dall, at St. Michael’s by Colonel Bulkley, at Fort Kenai by Bischoff, and at Fort Rae by Mr. Clarke. From the memoranda of Mr. MacFarlane, we have valuable information in regard to the nesting and breeding habits of this species. May 24, at Fort Anderson, an Indian lad discovered a nest of this Jay. It was built in a tree, was composed of hay and feathers, and contained, with two young birds a few days old, an egg that was perfectly fresh. This bird, Mr. MacFarlane states, is tolerably numerous in that quarter. During the severe cold of winter it is not quite so common as at other seasons. It is by no means a difficult bird to shoot, as it will always venture into close proximity to man. Flesh or fish are certain to attract numbers of them, and they also cause great annoyance to the marten-hunter, by eating the bait placed in the traps used for capturing those animals. None of this species were observed on the Arctic coast, nor east of Horton River, Fort Anderson being the most northern point where Mr. MacFarlane saw any, in his journeys across the barren grounds.

Other nests found in the same region were usually built in spruce-trees, on branches near the trunk, well concealed from view, and about ten feet from the ground. They were constructed of hay and feathers, supported underneath by a few willow sticks laid crosswise.

Mr. Dall characterizes this species as a very bold and familiar bird, that will frequently fly down and steal away his dinner from some hungry dog, if he is not on the alert, or devour the fish hung up in camp by the Indians to dry. They breed very early, and occupy the same nest year after year. The nest is very large, and composed entirely of soft materials, moss, hair, and the like. On the 20th of April, Mr. Dall received a nest of this Jay containing four half-fledged young, so that they must lay in March. The bird was abundant everywhere on the Yukon River.

These birds are known throughout the fur countries by the name of Whiskey-Jack, not from any supposed predilection for that beverage, but probably, as Mr. Kennicott has suggested, from a corruption of the Indian name for these birds, Wiss-ka-chon, which has been contorted into Whiskey-John and thence into Whiskey-Jack. Richardson observed these birds from Canada to the fur countries as far as latitude 69°. Throughout that region it is a constant attendant at the fur-posts and fishing-stations, and becomes so tame in the winter as to feed from the hand. Yet it is impatient of confinement, and soon pines away if deprived of its liberty. Its voice is said to be plaintive and squeaking, though it occasionally makes a low chattering. It hoards berries, pieces of meat, etc., in hollow trees, or between layers of bark, by which it is enabled to feed its young while the ground is still covered with snow.

Dr. Newberry found this Jay as far to the south, in California, as the upper end of the Sacramento Valley, in latitude 40°. The fact that the isothermal line of this region passes south of Cincinnati, shows that climate and temperature do not regulate the range of this species. As observed in the summer months among the forests of Oregon, the Canada Jay appeared as a rather shy bird, exhibiting none of the familiarity and impudence exhibited in winter when made bold by hunger.

Wilson mentions the St. Lawrence as the southern boundary of this bird, a few only wintering in Northern New York and Vermont. But this is inexact. They are found resident throughout the year in a large part of Maine and in all the highlands of New Hampshire and Vermont. They are resident at Calais, where they breed in March at about latitude 45°, and descend in the winter to the southwest corner of Vermont, whence it is quite probable a few cross into Massachusetts, at Williamstown and Adams, though none have been detected, that I am aware. Wilson himself states that he was informed by a gentleman residing near Hudson, N. Y., that these birds have been observed in that neighborhood in the winter.

Dr. Coues met with these birds in Labrador. The first he saw were in a dense spruce forest. These were very shy, alighting only on the tops of the tallest trees, and flying off with loud harsh screams on his approach. Subsequently, at Rigolet, he found them abundant and very familiar. One or more were always to be seen hopping unconcernedly in the garden-patches around the houses, not in the least disturbed by the near presence of man, and showing no signs of fear even when very closely approached. He describes their voice as a harsh, discordant scream.

Mr. Edward Harris, of Moorestown, N. J., informed Mr. Audubon, that once, when fishing in a canoe in one of the lakes in the interior of Maine, these Jays were so fearless as to light on one end of his boat while he sat in the other, and helped themselves to his bait without taking any notice of him.

A nest of the Canada Jay, found by Mr. Boardman near St. Stephen’s, New Brunswick, measures four and a half inches in diameter and three inches in height. The cavity is about three inches wide and two deep. The nest is woven above a rude platform of sticks and twigs crossed and interlaced, furnishing a roughly made hemispherical base and periphery. Upon this an inner and more artistic nest has been wrought, made of a soft felting of fine mosses closely impacted and lined with feathers. The nest contained three eggs.

The egg of the Canada Jay measures 1.20 inches in length, by .82 of an inch in breadth. They are of an oblong-oval shape, and are more tapering at the smaller end than are most of the eggs of this family. The ground-color is of a light gray, with a slightly yellowish tinge over the entire egg, finely marked, more abundantly about the larger end, with points and blotches of slate-color and brown, and faint cloudings of an obscure lilac.

Perisoreus canadensis, var. obscurus, RIDGWAY.

ALASKAN GRAY JAY.

_Perisoreus canadensis_, COOPER & SUCKLEY, 216.—DALL & BANNISTER,
Tr. Chic. Ac. I, 1869, 286 (Alaska).—FINSCH, Abh. Nat. III,
1872, 40 (Alaska).—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 307.

SP. CHAR. (8,454 Shoalwater Bay, W. T., March 10, 1854; Dr. J. G. Cooper.) Above plumbeous-umber, inclining to grayish-plumbeous on wings and tail; shafts of the dorsal feathers conspicuously white. Whole crown and nape, above the lores and auriculars, sooty-black; separated from the brown of the back by a whitish tint. Forehead (narrowly), nasal tufts, lores, whole lateral and under side of head, with jugulum, pure white, rest of lower parts a duller and more brownish white. Wing, 5.50; tail, 5.30; culmen, .93; tarsus, 1.20. _Young_ (5,904, Shoalwater Bay). Entirely plumbeous-brown, inclining to brownish-white beneath. Dorsal feathers with white shafts, and those of the forehead, crown, and nape, as well as the wing-coverts, with obsolete whitish borders.

This form, as described above, seems to be peculiar to the northwest coast, reaching its extreme development in Washington Territory and Oregon. North of Sitka, and in the Yukon Territory, specimens incline toward the var. _canadensis_, in broader frontal white, and purer plumbeous colors.

HABITS. Dr. Cooper met with this variety at the mouth of the Columbia River in March in small scattered flocks, industriously seeking insects and seeds among the spruce-trees, occasionally whistling in a loud melodious tone like that of the Cardinal Grosbeak. He also states that the notes of this bird differ much from the other Jays in being clear and musical, and they sometimes show a considerable variety of song.

This Jay, Mr. Lord states, is so familiar and confiding, and so fond of being near the habitations of man, that the settlers never harm it. In the cold weather he has seen it hop by the fire, ruffle up its feathers and warm itself without the least fear, keeping a sharp lookout for crumbs, and looking so beseechingly with its glittering gray eyes, that no one could refuse such an appeal for a stray morsel. It winters in British Columbia and Vancouver Island.

Perisoreus canadensis, var. capitalis, BAIRD.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRAY JAY.

SP. CHAR. (61,084, Henry’s Fork, Wyoming Territory, F. V. Hayden.) Above fine light bluish-plumbeous, becoming much lighter on the anterior portion of the back; tertials, secondaries, wing-coverts, primaries, and tail-feathers passing into whitish terminally, on the latter forming quite broad and distinct tips. A nuchal patch of a slightly darker tint than the back, and separated from it by the hoary whitish of the anterior dorsal region. Whole of the head (except the nuchal patch), with the anterior lower parts, as far as the breast, pure white; rest of lower parts ashy-white, becoming gradually more ashy posteriorly. Wing, 5.80; tail, 6.00; culmen, 1.00. _Young_ (18,440, Fort Benton, April 23, J. A. Mullan). Generally ashy-plumbeous, with a decided bluish cast to wings and tail; orbital region, lores, forehead, and nasal tufts blackish; crown, a broad space below the eye from the bill across the auriculars, with the middle of the abdomen, pale hoary-ashy. Wings and tail as in the adult.

This race, very different from the two styles found to the westward and eastward of it, is peculiar to Rocky Mountain regions, and apparently only occurring south of the northern boundary of the United States. A very large series of specimens, brought in at various times from numerous localities, substantiate the constancy of the characters pointed out above.

Genus PSILORHINUS, RÜPPELL.

_Psilorhinus_, RÜPPELL, Mus. Senck. 1837, 188. (Type, _Pica morio_,
WAGLER.)

[Line drawing: _Psilorhinus morio._
4114]

CHAR. Color very dull brown above. Bill very stout, compressed, without notch; higher than broad at the nostrils; culmen curved from the base. Nostrils rounded; the anterior extremity rounded off into the bill; not covered by bristles, but fully exposed. Tail rather longer than the wings, graduated; the lateral feather three fourths the longest; secondaries and tertials nearly as long as the primaries. Legs stout and short, not equal to the head, and little longer than the bill from base.

This genus embraces Jays of large size and very dull plumage. The thick bill, with the much curved culmen, the moderate tail, and the open nostrils, may serve to distinguish it from its allies. The nostril is very large, and its anterior portion is bevelled off to a greater degree than in any genus, except in _Calocitta_. This last-mentioned genus has the same form of bill and of nostrils, but the head has a long recurved crest; the tail is twice as long as the wings; the lateral feather nearly half the middle; the lateral tarsal plates scutellate for the inferior half, etc.

In the shape of the bill and the shortness of the primaries, compared with the broad tertials and secondaries, there is much resemblance to _Xanthoura_. The nostrils are, however, uncovered, the legs much stouter and shorter, being shorter than the head instead of longer; the tail-feathers are broader, etc.

Psilorhinus morio, GRAY.

BROWN JAY.

_Pica morio_, WAGLER, Isis, 1829, VII, 751.—IB. Isis, 1831,
527.—Voyage de la Favorite, V, 1839, 54 (said to have been
killed at San Francisco, Cal., by Botta). _Psilorhinus morio_,
GRAY, List, genera, 1841, 51.—BONAP. Consp. 1850, 381.—CAB.
Mus. Hein. 1851, 226.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 592, pl.
lxviii, f. 1, 2. “_Pica fuliginosa_, LESSON, Traite d’Orn.
1831, 333.” _Psilorhinus mexicanus_, RÜPPELL, Mus. Senck, 1837,
pl. xi, f. 2.

SP. CHAR. Tail much graduated; the lateral feathers about two inches shortest. Second quill equal to the secondaries; third and fourth longest. General color dark smoky-brown, becoming almost black on the head; the breast brownish-gray; nearly white about the anus; under tail-coverts tinged with brown; the exposed portion of the tail with a decided gloss of blue; bill and feet, in some specimens yellow, in others black. Length, 16.00; wing, 8.00; tail. 8.25; tarsus. 1.80.

HAB. Rio Grande Valley, north-eastern Mexico, southward. Cordova (SCL. 1856, 300); ? Guatemala (SCL. Ibis, I, 22); Honduras (SCL. II, 113); Costa Rica (CABAN. J. 1861, 83); Vera Cruz, hot and temperate regions (SUMICH. Mem. Bost. Soc. I, 554).

The difference in the color of the bill appears to be independent of sex. The feet of the yellow-billed birds are not of the same pure yellow.

The _Psilorhinus mexicanus_ of Rüppell is described as having white tips to the tail-feathers; of these there is no trace in the adult specimens, male and female, from the Rio Grande, before us. He speaks of a supposed young bird sent from Tamaulipas, by Lindheimer, as being without these white tips.

A series of specimens of this species exhibits considerable diversities. Some skins from Mirador, Mex., not far from Vera Cruz, perhaps best represent the species as first described by Wagler. In these the head and neck are sooty-brown, becoming lighter on the jugulum and on the back. The wings and tail show a trace of dull bluish. In No. 23,915 the under parts are sooty-gray, the bill and legs black; in 23,916 the colors are similar, with a fulvous tinge on the breast, the bill and feet yellow. In both the under surface of tail is brown to the end. In 23,917 the under parts, from breast to crissum inclusive, with the tibiæ, are brownish-white, the tail-feathers (excepting the two median) tipped with white for over an inch, the bill and feet black. This one also has an obscure dull bluish wash or patch along the feathers of the ramus of lower jaw not observed in other specimens.

The specimens collected by Lieutenant Couch, and described in the Pacific Railroad Report are considerably smaller, and exhibit other differences which may prove of specific importance. In this case they will appropriately bear Rüppell’s name of _P. mexicanus_.

HABITS. This is a Mexican species, occasionally extending its movements as far north as the valley of the Rio Grande, and probably crossing our lines into Texas, although of this there is as yet no positive evidence.

Specimens of this species were procured by Lieutenant Couch at Boquillo, San Diego, and at China, in north-eastern Mexico, and were found by him living in forests of high trees. It is Jay-like in its habits, being decidedly gregarious, and having harsh and loud notes. Though making more noise than any other bird in the neighborhood, if one of their number is brought down by the discharge of a gun, the noise hushes them at once, and the rest move off in perfect silence.

Mr. Sumichrast, in his paper on the Distribution of the Birds of Vera Cruz, states that this species abounds in both the hot and the temperate regions of that department, and, indeed, the greater portions of Vera Cruz. He speaks of it as a bird well known and generally detested on account of its troublesome and noisy habits. It is found everywhere except in the alpine region, and it does not appear ever to go beyond a vertical elevation of 4,500 feet. This gentleman has been assured that the bird never makes any nest of its own, but invariably lays its eggs in those belonging to other birds. He does not so state, but we infer that he means to convey the idea that this Jay appropriates the nests of other birds in which to hatch its own young, not that, like the Cowbird, it leaves its eggs to be brought up by strangers.

This Jay was met with by Mr. G. C. Taylor at Taulevi, in Honduras; and from that place eastward, as far as the Atlantic, he found it very common. It was generally seen or heard shrieking in the bushes by the roadsides. It was also found by Mr. Salvin to occur on the eastern road between Quiriqua and Iguana, on the road to Guatemala.

Mr. Joseph Leyland found this species common both in Honduras and the Belize. It occurred in small flocks, which were very noisy, and annoyed the hunter by always giving the alarm.

FAMILY TYRANNIDÆ.—TYRANT FLYCATCHERS.

PRIMARY CHARACTERS. Primaries ten. Bill in typical forms broad, triangular, much depressed, abruptly decurved and notched at tip, with long bristles along gape. Tarsi with scutellæ extending round the outer face of tarsus from the front to back; sometimes divided on the outer side. Bill with culmen nearly as long as the head, or shorter; straight to near the tip, then suddenly bent down into a conspicuous hook, with a notch behind it; tip of lower jaw also notched. Commissure straight to near the notch; gonys slightly convex. Nostrils oval or rounded, in the anterior extremity of the nasal groove, and more or less concealed by long bristles which extend from the posterior angle of the jaws along the base of the bill, becoming smaller, but reaching nearly to the median line of the forehead. These bristles with lateral branches at the base. Similar bristles are mixed in the loral feathers and margin the chin. Tarsi short, generally less than middle toe, completely enveloped by a series of large scales, which meet near the posterior edge of the inner side, and are separated either by naked skin or by a row of small scales. Sometimes a second series of rather large plates is seen on the posterior face of the tarsus, these, however, usually on the upper extremity only. Basal joint of middle toe united almost throughout to that of the outer toe, but more than half free on the inner side; outer lateral toe rather the longer. Wings and tail variable; first quill always more than three fourths the second. The outer primaries sometimes attenuated near the tip.

The primary characters given above will serve to distinguish the North American _Tyrannidæ_ from their allies; the essential features consisting in the peculiarity of the scales of the tarsus and the ten primaries. In the _Sylvicolidæ_ there are species as truly “flycatching,” and with a depressed bristly bill, but the nine (not ten) primaries, and the restriction of the scales to the anterior face of the tarsus, instead of extending entirely round the outer side, will readily separate them.

The relationships of the _Tyrannidæ_ are closest to the _Cotingidæ_. These last differ mainly in having the tarsus more or less reticulated, or covered in part at least with small angular scales, instead of continuous broad ones; and in the greater adhesion of the toes. The legs are shorter, and the body broader and more depressed. The bill is less abundantly provided with bristles, and the species do not appear to be strictly flycatchers, feeding more on berries and on stationary insects and larvæ, rather than capturing them on the wing. Two species of this family, _Hadrostomus affinis_[62] and _Pachyramphus major_,[63] were introduced into the Birds of North America, from specimens collected by Lieutenant Couch in the valley of the Rio Grande, not far from the border of the United States, but as they have not yet been detected within our limits, we have concluded to omit them in the present work.

The bird fauna of America may be said to have one of its chief features in the great number and variety of its _Tyrannidæ_, the family being strictly a New World one. Nearly every possible diversity of form is exhibited by different members; the size, however, usually varying from that of our common Robin to that of the Kinglet, our smallest bird with exception of the Humming-Bird. Of the numerous subfamilies, however, only one, the _Tyranninæ_ proper, belongs to North America, and will be readily distinguished from other of our land birds by the family characters given at the head of this article, and which, as drawn up, apply rather to the subfamily than to the _Tyrannidæ_ generally.

The North American species of the _Tyranninæ_ may, for our present purposes, be divided into _Tyranni_ and _Tyrannuli_. The former are large, generally with bright color, pointed wings, with attenuated primaries and a colored crest in the middle of the crown. The others are plainer, smaller, without colored crest; the primaries not attenuated.

The genera of our Flycatchers may be arranged as follows:—

TYRANNI. Size large; colors generally brilliant; crown
with a brightly colored crest, usually concealed; outer
primaries abruptly contracted or attenuated near the tip;
upper scales of tarsus usually continuing round on the
outside and behind. Nest in trees, very bulky, containing
much downy material; eggs white or pinkish, with ovate
dots of rich brown, of various shades.

Milvulus. Tail excessively forked and lengthened; more
than twice as long as the wings.

Tyrannus. Tail moderate; nearly even or slightly
forked; less than the wings.

TYRANNULI. Size generally small; colors usually plain;
crown without any colored crest concealed by the tips of
the feathers; primaries normal; scales of the upper part
of the tarsus usually continuing only to the middle of the
outer face, and a second series opposite to them behind.

1. Tail lengthened; about equal to the wings, which
reach scarcely to its middle.

Myiarchus. Tarsus equal to the middle toe, which is
decidedly longer than the hinder one. Tail even or
rounded. Throat pale ash, rest of lower parts yellow
generally, the primaries edged with rufous, and inner
webs of tail-feathers with more or less of the same
color. Nest in a cavity of a tree, of loose material;
eggs whitish, with intricate tangled lines and streaks
of dark brown, the general effect salmon-color.

Sayornis. Tarsus rather longer than the middle toe,
which is scarcely longer than the hind toe. Tail
slightly forked. Bill very narrow. No light orbital
ring, nor distinct bands on wings; both mandibles
black. Nest attached to rocks or parts of buildings,
very compact and bulky, containing much mud in its
composition; eggs pure white, immaculate, or with very
minute sparse dots near larger end.

2. Tail decidedly shorter than the wings, which reach
beyond its middle. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe.

Contopus. Hind toe much longer than the lateral. Tail
considerably forked. Wings long, pointed; much longer
than the tail, reaching beyond the middle of the
latter; first quill about equal to the fourth. Bill
broad. Color olive-gray, and white, sometimes with a
yellowish tinge beneath. Lower mandible pale-colored.
Nest saucer-shaped, compact, and very small, saddled
very securely upon a thick branch; eggs cream-colored,
with a zone of lilac and rich brown blotches round the
larger end.

3. Tail shorter than the wings, as in the last. Tarsus
considerably longer than the middle toe; hind toe much
longer than lateral. Tail nearly even, sometimes
slightly rounded, but little shorter than the wings;
first primary much shorter than the fourth.

Empidonax. Head moderately crested; tail about even.
Bristles of bill reaching about half-way to tip. Legs
stout. A conspicuous light orbital ring, and distinct
bands on the wing. More or less tinged with
sulphur-yellow on lower parts. Nest variously
constructed, deeply cup-shaped, compact or loose,
entirely of either grassy or fibrous and downy
material, and fixed to slender twigs or lodged in a
crotch between thick branches; eggs white, immaculate,
or with blotches of brown round larger end.

Mitrephorus. Head decidedly crested. Tail forked.
Bristles of bill reaching nearly to tip. Legs very
weak and slender. Beneath more or less tinged with
fulvous or ochraceous.

Pyrocephalus. Head with a full crest. Tarsus but
little longer than the middle toe; hind toe not longer
than the lateral. Tail broad, even; first quill
shorter than the fifth. Beneath, with whole crown
bright red (except in _P. obscurus_). Female very
different, lacking the red, except posteriorly
beneath, and with the breast obsoletely streaked.

[62] _Hadrostomus affinis. Platypsaris affinis_, ELLIOT,
Ibis, 1859, 394, pl. xiii. _Pachyramphus aglaiæ_, BAIRD,
Birds N. Am. 1858, 164, pl. xlvii, f. 1.—IB. Rep. Mex.
Bound. II, Birds, 7, pl. xix, f. 1. _Hadrostomus aglaiæ_,
CABANIS, Mus. Hein. II, 85 (Xalapa).—IB. Journ. 1861,
252.—SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1864, 176 (City Mex.). _Hab._
Northern Mexico, Jalapa, Nicaragua (SCL. Catalogue, p. 240);
Yucatan (LAWRENCE).

[63] _Pachyramphus major. Bathmidurus major_, CAB. Orn. Nat.
1847, I, 246.—CAB. ET HEIN. Mus. Hein. II, 89.—BAIRD,
Birds N. Am. 1858, 165, pl. xlvii, f. 2 ♀.—IB. Rep. Mex.
Bound. II, Birds, 7, pl. xix, f. 2. _Pachyramphus major_,
SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1857, 78; 1864, 176 (City of Mex.). _Hab._
Mexico and Guatemala.

GENUS MILVULUS, SWAINSON.

_Milvulus_, SWAINSON, Zoöl. Jour. III, 1827, 165.
_Despotes_, REICHENBACH, Avium Syst. Naturale, 1850 (in part).

[Line drawing: _Milvulus forficatus_ (tail abnormal).
7374 ♀]

SP. CHAR. Bill shorter than the head, and nearly equal to the tarsus. Tail nearly twice as long as the wing, excessively forked; the middle feathers scarcely half the lateral. First primary abruptly attenuated at the end, where it is very narrow and linear. Head with a concealed crest of red.

This group is distinguished from _Tyrannus_ by the very long tail, but the two species assigned by authors to North America, although agreeing in many respects, differ in some parts of their structure. The peculiarities of coloration are as follows:—

M. forficatus. Whitish-ash above; rump black.
Tail-feathers rose-white with black tips; shoulders,
axillars, and belly light vermilion. _Hab._ Middle
America, and open portions of Texas, Indian Territory,
etc.; accidental in New Jersey.

M. tyrannus.[64] Head above and tail black; the latter
edged externally with white. Back ashy. Beneath pure
white. _Hab._ Middle America, accidental in Eastern United
States.

[64] _M. tyrannus_, var. _violentus_ (_Tyrannus violentus_,
VIEILL. N. D. XXXV, p. 89. _Milvulus v._, SCL. Catal. Am. B.
1862, 237), is the South American race of this species. It
is exceedingly similar, but differs slightly, though
constantly, in certain characters. We have not at present
the means of comparing the two.

Milvulus tyrannus, BON.

FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER.

_Muscicapa tyrannus_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 325. _Milvulus
tyrannus_, BONAP. Geog. List, 1838.—AUDUBON, Synopsis, 1839,
38.—IB. Birds Am. I, 1840, 196, pl. lii.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am.
1858, 168.—CABAN. Journ. 1861, 251.—SCL. List, 1862,
237.—FINSCH, P. Z. S. 1870, 572 (Trinidad; considers
_violentus_, _tyrannus_, and _monachus_ as identical).
_Despotes tyrannus_, BONAP. Comptes Rendus, 1854, 87. _Tyrannus
savana_, VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, 72, pl.
xliii.—SWAINSON, Mon. Ty. Shrikes; Quarterly Jour. XX, Jan.
1826, 282. _Muscicapa savana_, BONAP. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 1, pl.
i, f. 1.—AUD. Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 387, pl. clxviii. _Milvulus
savanus_, GRAY, List, 1841. _Tyrannus milvulus_, NUTTALL, Man.,
(2d ed.,) I, 1840, 307. _Fork-tailed Flycatcher_, PENNANT,
LATHAM. _Tyran a queue fourchue_, BUFFON, pl. enl. 571.

SP. CHAR. Outer four primaries abruptly attenuated at the end, the sides of the attenuated portion parallel. Second and third quills longest; fourth little shorter, and not much exceeding the first. Tail very deeply forked; the external feather linear, and twice as long as the head and body alone. Top and sides of the head glossy black. Rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail almost black; the outer web of outer tail-feather yellowish-white for more than the basal half; rest of upper parts ash-gray. Under parts generally pure white. Wings dark brown; the outer primary and tertials edged with white. Crown with a concealed patch of yellow. Length, 14.00; wing, 4.75; tail, 10.00; depth of fork, 7.00. _Young._ No colored patch on crown; wing-coverts (including the lesser) and tail-feathers, with their upper coverts, bordered with rusty ochraceous. Black of head, tail, etc., duller than in adult.

HAB. Mexico to South America. Accidental in the United States. (New Jersey, Kentucky, and Mississippi, AUDUBON.)

This species claims a place in the fauna of the United States on account of two specimens captured in New Jersey, at long intervals, and one or two seen by Mr. Audubon in the southwest. It is, however, hardly proper to include it in our work on so slight a basis, and we only retain it for the purpose of referring to the notice of it by Mr. Audubon.

HABITS. The Fork-tailed Flycatcher is of purely accidental occurrence in the United States. Two specimens, taken at long intervals, are said to have been captured in the United States. One of these was shot by Mr. Audubon, in June, 1832, near the city of Camden, N. J. It was first observed flying over a meadow, in pursuit of insects. It afterwards alighted on the top of a small detached tree, when it was secured. The bird appeared to have lost its way, was unsuspicious, and paid no attention when approached. On the wing, it seemed to make use of its long tail whenever it sought to suddenly turn in pursuit of its prey. On the ground, it vibrated its tail in the manner of a Sparrow-Hawk.

When the bird fell to the ground severely wounded, it uttered a sharp squeak, which it repeated, accompanied by a smart clicking of the bill, when Mr. Audubon approached it. It lived only a few moments, and from this specimen he made his drawing.

Several years previous to this, one of these birds had been shot near Henderson, Ky., but it was so far decayed when given to Mr. Audubon that it could not be preserved. It had been obtained among the Barrens late in October. Near Natchez, Miss., in August, 1822, Mr. Audubon was confident he saw two others of this species. They were high in the air, and were twittering in the manner of a Kingbird. He was, however, unable to secure them.

Another straggler was obtained near Bridgton, N. J., early in December. From this specimen was made the engraving in Bonaparte’s Ornithology. It was given to Titian Peale by Mr. J. Woodcraft of that place.

This Flycatcher is a resident in tropical South America from Guiana to La Plata, and in its habits resembles the swallow-tailed species of our southern fauna. It is said to be a solitary bird, remaining perched on the limb of a tree, from which, from time to time, it darts after passing insects; while standing, it is said to vibrate its long tail in the manner of the European Wagtail. It also occasionally utters a twitter not unlike the common note of the Kingbird. Besides insects, this bird also feeds on berries, as the bird obtained near Bridgton had its stomach distended with the fruit of the poke-weed.

This species, according to Sumichrast, is found abundantly in winter in the savannas of the hot lands of Vera Cruz, and occurs to the height of about two thousand feet. He is not aware of its being resident.

Mr. Leyland found this species frequenting Old River and the pine ridges of Belize. They were also plentiful on the flats near Peten, and were occasionally found at Comayagua and Omoa, Honduras.

Mr. C. W. Wyatt met with this Flycatcher in Colombia, South America, on the savanna in the neighborhood of Aquachica. When at Ocaña, he used to see them congregated in considerable numbers just before sunset, whirling round high up in the air, and darting down like rockets to the ground. He only found it frequenting the open part of the country, and he never met with it at a greater elevation than five thousand feet.

An egg of this species obtained by Dr. Baldamus, from Cayenne, exhibits a strong resemblance to the egg of the common Kingbird. It has a clear white ground, and is spotted with deep and prominent marking of red and red-brown. They are of an oblong-oval shape, are tapering at one end, and measure .90 by .68 of an inch.

Milvulus forficatus, SWAIN.

SCISSOR-TAIL; SWALLOW-TAIL FLYCATCHER.

_Muscicapa forficata_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 931.—VIEILLOT,
Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, 71.—STEPHENS, in Shaw’s Zoöl. X, II,
413, pl. iii.—BONAP. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 15, pl. ii, f. 1.—AUD.
Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 426, pl. ccclix, f. 3. _Tyrannus
forficatus_, SAY, Long’s Exped., II, 1823, 224.—NUTTALL’S
Manual, I, (2d ed.,) 1840, 309. _Milvulus forficatus_,
“SWAINS.” RICH. List, 1837.—AUDUBON, Synopsis, 1839, 38.—IB.
Birds Am. I, 1840, 197, pl. liii.—CABAN. Mus. Hein. II,
79.—SCL. List, 1862, 237.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 169.—IB.
Mex. B. II, Zoöl. 7.—HEERM. X, c. p. 11. _Tyrannus mexicanus_,
STEPHENS, Shaw, Gen. Zoöl. Birds, XIII, II, 1826, 135.
_Moucherolle a queue fourchue du Mexique_, BUFFON, pl. enl.
677. _Bird of Paradise_ of the Texans.

SP. CHAR. Wing with the outer primary only abruptly attenuated, and narrowly linear (for about .85 of an inch); the second but slightly emarginate; second quill longest; first and third equal. Tail very deeply forked, the lateral feathers twice as long as the body, all narrow and linear or subspatulate. Top and sides of the head very pale ash; the back a little darker, and faintly tinged with light brick-red; under parts nearly pure white, tinged towards the tail with light vermilion, rather more rose on the under wing-coverts; a patch on the side of the breast and along the fore-arm dark vermilion-red. Tail-feathers rosy white, tipped at the end for two or three inches with black. Rump dark brown, turning to black on the coverts. Wings very dark brown; the coverts and quills, excepting the primaries (and including the outer of these), edged with whitish. Crown with a concealed patch of white, having some orange-red in the centre. Length, 13.00; wing, 4.75; tail, 8.50; depth of fork, 5.80.

HAB. Middle America, from Panama northward; prairies and oak barrens of Texas, Indian Territory, and occasionally Southwest Missouri and Kansas. Accidental in Eastern States (New Jersey, TURNBULL; District of Columbia? COUES); Xalapa (SCL. 1857, 204); Guatemala (SCL. Ibis, I, 121; Mus. S. I.); Honduras (SCL. II, 114); Costa Rica (CABAN. J., 1861, 252); Vera Cruz, hot and temperate regions (SUM. M. B. S. I, 556).

This exquisitely beautiful and graceful bird is quite abundant on the prairies of Southern Texas, and is everywhere conspicuous among its kindred species. It is usually known as the Scissor-tail from the habit of closing and opening the long feathers of the tail like the blades of a pair of scissors. The adult female is very similar, though rather smaller. The young is not conspicuously different, only lacking the concealed patch of the head.

HABITS. The Swallow-tailed Flycatcher appears to be a common species from Central Texas to the Rio Grande, and thence throughout Mexico to Central America, as far south at least as Guatemala. It is also found in the Indian Territory, where it breeds, specimens of the nest and eggs having been obtained at the Kioway Agency by Dr. E. Palmer.

It was found very plentiful at Langui, in Honduras, by Mr. G. C. Taylor, and also in fewer numbers in other localities. In the evening, just before roosting time, they were in the habit of assembling on the tops of certain favorite trees, where they remained until nearly dark. They then all went off to the woods. He generally met with them on open ground, not much encumbered by trees or brushwood.

Mr. Dresser states that he found this very graceful bird quite abundant at Matamoras and in Western Texas, where it is known by the name of “Texan Bird of Paradise.” He found it as far east as the river Guadaloupe. It arrives, he states, in the neighborhood of San Antonio, late in March, and remains until the middle or latter end of October. It breeds abundantly near San Antonio, building its nest in a mesquite or other tree, and lays from three to four eggs, which, as he states, are pure white, blotched with large spots of a dark red color.

He adds that these birds are of a quarrelsome and fearless disposition, rarely brooking intruders near their homes. During the breeding-season Mr. Dresser has often, when travelling, stopped to admire four or five of them fighting on the wing. They show their long tail-feathers and the rich scarlet color under their wings to the fullest advantage. After passing Guadaloupe River, he saw none of these birds to the eastward, though he was told they have occasionally been seen on Galveston Island.

This Flycatcher was met with at Eagle Pass, in Lower Texas, and in Tamaulipas by Mr. Clark and Lieutenant Couch, in the Mexican Boundary Survey. None were found occurring west of the valley of the Rio Pecos. Mr. Clark states that he always saw them either following one another through the air, or perched upon some solitary twig. In their gyrations the scissors were always more or less expanded, suggesting the idea of balancers. Their nests were built of sticks, lined on the inside, though not very softly, with grass, and were placed almost invariably on dry limbs of the mesquite. They contained from three to five eggs, and, what was quite remarkable, more than one pair always seemed to have an interest in the same nest, over which they were all very watchful, and gave proofs of their courage by darting at the intruders. He describes their notes as short and sharp, without much variation, and they can be heard at quite a distance. The Mexicans imagine that this Flycatcher lives on the brains of other birds.

Lieutenant Couch describes the Scissor-tail as shy, but of a very lively disposition. Usually four or more are seen in company, and seem to prefer the thinly wooded prairies to close thickets. In beauty, Lieutenant Couch considers it the queen of all the birds found in Northern Tamaulipas. This superiority is not owing so much to the brilliancy of its plumage, for in that it is excelled by several species, but to the inimitable grace and charm of its flight. Rising from the topmost branch of some acacia, it seems to float, rather than to fly; then descending perpendicularly, it retakes its position, uttering its usual note. He did not see it west of the Cadereita. Dr. Kennerly, in his march from the Gulf of Mexico into Western Texas, frequently met with these Flycatchers along his route. He usually saw them in the open prairie, or among the mesquite-bushes. When perched, they were generally on the top of a bush or a tall weed, and their tails were constantly in motion. When they darted off after some passing insect, they usually circled around, displaying the singular bifurcation of their tail, but seldom alighting again on the same bush. It was occasionally seen on the open prairie, flying for a long distance near the earth, as if in search of insects.

In Vera Cruz this species is an inhabitant of the hot lands. A few individuals ascend, though very rarely, to the height of the city of Orizaba, or about 3,700 feet.

Mr. Nuttall states that he met with this Flycatcher rather common along the banks of the Red River, near the confluence of the Kiamesha. He again met them, even more frequently, near the Great Salt River of Arkansas, in August. They seemed to be preying upon grasshoppers.

Dr. Woodhouse not only found this species abundant in Texas, in the vicinity of San Antonio, but in the Indian Territory also it was quite common, particularly near the Cross Timbers. He found them breeding in the beginning of the month of July, on the Great Prairie. Its nest was built on the horizontal branch of a small scrub-oak, about six feet from the ground, and was composed of coarse dry grass and sticks. It contained four young birds nearly able to fly. On his approach the female flew from the nest to a bush near by. The male bird flew to a great height above him, circling round in the air, apparently watching his movements, and at the same time uttering a coarse scolding chirp.

Dr. Gideon Lincecum, of Texas, writes that the Scissor-tail Flycatchers have greatly increased in numbers in that State since 1848. They are severe hunters of insects, and make great havoc among honey-bees. They are exclusively prairie birds. He adds that they construct their nests far out on the top branches of the live-oak or any other lone tree on the prairies. They seem to be a very playful bird, and delight in shooting rapidly upwards, cutting the air with their strong wings with such force that the sound may be heard to the distance of three hundred yards or more. Their notes are harsh and inharmonious. They leave Texas late in autumn, and return again about the first of April. The resounding strokes of their wings and their oft-repeated cries are heard just before the dawn of day. They usually have but three eggs.

A single individual of _Milvulus_, and supposed to be one of this species, was seen by Mr. C. Drexler, May 6, 1861, but was not obtained, in the vicinity of Washington. Another bird of this species is mentioned by Mr. Abbott as having been taken near Trenton, N. J., April 15, 1872. It was a male bird in full health and feather. Its stomach was found to be full of small coleoptera, insects’ eggs, flies, etc.

The eggs of this species vary greatly in size, from .92 by .75 to .80 by .60 of an inch. They are in shape a rounded oval, and tapering at one end. The ground-color is white, marked with a few very large dark red spots, and occasionally of an obscure purple.

GENUS TYRANNUS, CUVIER.

_Tyrannus_, CUVIER, Leçons Anat. Comp. 1799, 1800 (AGASSIZ).

[Line drawing: _Tyrannus carolinensis._
1513]

GEN. CHAR. Tail nearly even, or moderately forked; rather shorter than the wings; the feathers broad, and widening somewhat at the ends. Wings long and pointed; the outer primaries rather abruptly attenuated near the end, the attenuated portion not linear, however. Head with a concealed patch of red on the crown.

The species of this genus are especially characterized by their long, attenuated primaries, their moderately forked or nearly even tail, and the concealed colored crest in the crown. Their affinities are nearest to _Milvulus_, from which the tail, shorter than the wings, instead of twice as long, or more, will always serve as a point of distinction. The attenuation of the primary differs in being less abrupt, and not truly linear, sloping gradually, and not bounded behind by a notch. We are unable to appreciate any other differences of importance.

The character and extent of the attenuation of the primaries, the depth of the fork of the tail, with the size of the legs and bill, all vary considerably, and may, perhaps, serve as ground for further subdivisions. The bill, in particular, varies much in size in the North American species, from that of _T. carolinensis_, where the culmen is but little more than half the head, to that of _T. dominicensis_ (genus _Melittarchus_ of Cabanis), where it is decidedly longer than the head, and almost as stout as that of _Saurophagus_.

The North American species of _Tyrannus_ (with their nearest Mexican allies) may be arranged by colors, accordingly as they are white beneath or yellow, in the following manner:—

A. Under parts whitish, without any shade of yellow. A
faint grayish-plumbeous pectoral band.

1. T. carolinensis. Tail slightly rounded. Bill much
shorter than the head. Above black, shading into dark
plumbeous on the back. Tail abruptly and broadly
margined and tipped with pure white. (_Tyrannus._)
_Hab._ Whole of North America, north to the British
Provinces, and south to Panama. Rare in the Western
Province of North America.

2. T. dominicensis. Tail moderately forked. Bill
longer than the head. Above gray; the tail and wings
brownish. The edges and tips of the tail narrowly
margined with soiled white. (_Melittarchus._) _Hab._
West Indies, New Granada, Panama, Florida, Georgia,
and South Carolina.

B. Above ashy-olive, becoming purer ash on the head. Tail
brown or black. Beneath yellow; the chin paler; the breast
strongly shaded with olivaceous or ashy. (_Laphyctes._)

_a._ Tail nearly black; the outer edges of the outer
webs of the feathers with the fibres united closely
throughout, and colored similarly to the rest of the
feathers; beneath sulphur-yellow.

3. T. verticalis. Tail slightly forked; external
feather with the entire outer web and the outer half
of the shaft abruptly yellowish-white. Pectoral band
pale ashy, lighter than the back. _Hab._ Western
Province of United States.

4. T. vociferans. Tail nearly even or slightly
rounded; external feather with the shaft brown; the
outer edge only of the outer web obscurely
yellowish-white, and all the feathers fading into
paler at the tip. Throat and breast broadly tinged
with dark ashy-olive like the back. _Hab._ Plains and
southern Middle Province of United States, south into
Middle America.

_b._ Tail brown, scarcely darker than the wings; outer
edges of the outer webs of the tail-feathers olivaceous
like the back, in contrast with the brown; the fibres
loosened externally; shafts of tail-feathers white
beneath. Beneath bright gamboge-yellow.

5. T. melancholicus.[65] Tail quite deeply forked (.70
of an inch), brownish-black, the lighter edgings
obsolete, and those on wings indistinct. Throat ashy.
_Hab._ South America var. _melancholicus_.

Tail moderately forked (.30 of an inch),
grayish-brown, the light edges conspicuous, as are
also those of the wings. Throat white. _Hab._ Middle
America, north to southern boundary of United States
var. _couchi_.

In the Birds of North America a supposed new species, _T. couchi_, was mentioned as coming so close to the boundary line of the United States in Texas as to warrant its introduction into our fauna. We have, however, concluded to give in the present work nothing but what has actually been found within its prescribed limits.

[65] _Tyrannus melancholicus_, VIEILLOT, Nouv. Dict. xxxv,
1819, 84.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 176.—SCLATER, Catal.
Am. Birds, 1862, 235. _Hab._ South America. A more northern
race scarcely distinguishable (Panama, Costa Rica, etc.),
separated as _T. satrapa_, LICHT.

Tyrannus carolinensis, BAIRD.

KINGBIRD; BEE MARTIN.

_? Lanius tyrannus_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 136. This belongs to
the Cuban _T. matutinus_, according to Bonaparte. _Muscicapa
tyrannus_, (BRISSON?) WILSON, Am. Orn. I, 1808, 66, pl.
xiii.—AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1832, 403; V, 1839, 420, pl.
lxxix.—IB. Birds Am. I, 1840, 204, pl. lvi. _Lanius tyrannus_,
var. γ, _carolinensis_, δ, _ludovicianus_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat.
I, 1788, 302. _Muscicapa rex_, BARTON, Fragments N. H. Penna.
1799, 18. _Tyrannus pipiri_, VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807,
73, pl. xliv.—CAB. Journ. Orn. III, 1855, 478.—SCL. List,
1862, 236. _Tyrannus intrepidus_, VIEILLOT, Galerie Ois. I,
1824, 214, pl. cxxxiii.—SWAINSON, Mon. Ty. Shrikes, Quart.
Jour. 1826, 274. _Muscicapa animosa_, LICHT. Verz. Doubl. 1823,
No. 558. _Gobe Mouche de la Caroline_, BUFFON, Ois. V, 281,
enl. pl. 676. _Tyrannus leucogaster_, STEPHENS, Shaw, Gen.
Zoöl. XIII, II, 1826, 132. _Tyrannus carolinensis_, BAIRD,
Birds N. Am. 1858, 171.—CABAN. Mus. Hein. II, 79.—LORD, Pr.
R. A. Inst. IV, 64, 113.—COOPER & SUCKLEY, 167.—SAMUELS,
128.—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 311.

SP. CHAR. Two, sometimes three, outer primaries abruptly attenuated at the end. Second quill longest; third little shorter; first rather longer than fourth, or nearly equal. Tail slightly rounded. Above dark bluish-ash. The top and sides of the head to beneath the eyes bluish-black. A concealed crest on the crown vermilion in the centre, white behind, and before partially mixed with orange. Lower parts pure white, tinged with pale bluish-ash on the sides of the throat and across the breast; sides of the breast and under the wings similar to, but rather lighter than, the back. Axillaries pale grayish-brown tipped with lighter. The wings dark brown, darkest towards the ends of the quills; the greater coverts and quills edged with white, most so on the tertials; the lesser coverts edged with paler. Upper tail-coverts and upper surface of the tail glossy black, the latter very dark brown beneath; all the feathers tipped, and the exterior margined externally with white, forming a conspicuous terminal band about .25 of an inch broad. Length, 8.50; wing, 4.65; tail, 3.70; tarsus, .75.

HAB. Eastern North America to Rocky Mountains. Occasional in various parts of the Western Province (Washington Territory, Salt Lake Valley, Truckee River, Nevada, etc.). South to Panama. Oaxaca, lowlands, March (SCL. P. Z. S. 1858, 302); Honduras (MOORE, P. Z. S. 1859, 55); Guatemala (SCL. Ibis I, 120); Cuba (CAB. J. III, 476; GUNDL. Rep. 1865, 239, “_T. pipiri_”); Panama, (Mus. S. I.; LAWR. Ann. N. Y. Lyc. VII, 295); Greytown, Nic. (LAWR. Ann. VIII, 183); East of San Antonio, Texas (DRESSER, Ibis, 1865, 472; breeds); Upper Amazon, Peru, Nauta (SCL. and SALV. P. Z. S. 1866, 189); Vera Cruz, hot region, resident (SUMICHRAST, M. B. S. I, 557).

The young of the year is similar; the colors duller, the concealed colored patch on the crown wanting. The tail more rounded; the primaries not attenuated.

Specimens vary in the amount of white margining the wing-feathers; the upper tail-coverts are also margined sometimes with white.

HABITS. The common Kingbird or Bee Martin of North America is found throughout the continent, from Texas and Florida, on the south, as far to the north as the 57th parallel of north latitude. Westward, north of the 44th parallel, it is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but south of this it has not been found west of the Rocky Mountains. It is included by Dr. Cooper among the birds of California, but I am not aware that it has ever been taken within the limits of that State. Mr. Allen regards the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains its extreme western limit; but Mr. Ridgway states that this species was met with by him in various portions of the Great Basin, though always in less abundance than the _T. verticalis_. Among the cottonwoods of the Truckee Valley, in Western Nevada, two or three pairs were seen in July and August. In the fertile Salt Lake Valley it was nearly or quite as common as the _T. verticalis_, and was also met with in the fertile “parks” of the Wahsatch Mountains.

This species not only has this widely extended area, but is also quite abundant wherever found. It is apparently as abundant throughout Nova Scotia as it is in the State of Florida. Richardson even found it common on the banks of the Saskatchewan, where he traced its northern migrations beyond the 57th parallel of latitude. It was found at the Carlton House early in May, and retired southward in September. It winters in Central and South America, and has been received by Mr. Lawrence from Panama.

Dr. Suckley found this species quite plentiful at the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, in Washington Territory, and more sparingly at Puget Sound, where he obtained several specimens. They appeared to shun the dense forests near Puget Sound, but were moderately plentiful in the groves of low oaks, and among the cottonwood-trees fringing the lakes on Nisqually Plains, where, August 5, he obtained a nest with newly fledged young.

Mr. Joseph Leyland found this species near Omoa, in Honduras, migratory. They came in flocks of two or three hundred, but remained only a short time before departing farther south. They flew high, and seemed very wild. This species was also met with, in May, at Playa Vicente, in the low lands of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, by Mr. Boucard, and during the winter months is found throughout Mexico.